Desertion Part Two: A Ghost's Beginning
by DatRtfantho
Summary: The Sequel to RWBY: Desertion. After their most recent battle, Gage Sim and Yang Xiao Long are left scarred. Gage physically, and Yang mentally, all while Blake Belladonna continues to hold her secret from them, however, the coming months ahead of them will test Gage and Team RWBY's strengths... as it seems like everything they've fought for will soon come crashing down around them
1. Pilot

**Author's Note** : Hello everyone! Welcome to part two of RWBY: Desertion! (To those who have accidentally clicked on this, go read the first part. It's on my profile and there's sixty chapters... so yeah..)

This part will be the prologue. The view into a recurring dream that Gage has been having since his... accident. That is the basis for this part. This is just the beginning. And we are far from the end. And I hope that you all will be there to see it.

Gage's new world will lie far ahead of him and Yang…. Along with the rest of Team RWBY and those of Beacon…. And The Collectors….. and maybe even another unworldly being.

 **Warning:** This is a rated M story. Blood, Violence, harsh language, sexual content (smut, lemons, etc.), and feels are included. The whole package!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own RWBY. Just the OC. The entirety of RWBY belongs to Monty Oum, (God bless his soul), Gray Haddock, Miles Luna, and Kerry Shawcross.

Enjoy.

...

He was having that... dream again. The one he's been having every night for the last three weeks that he's been in the hospital.

And it was the same as usual.

All he could see was... darkness. Darkness with a small circle of light in the middle of it, but... this time... it was different.

The orb of light... expanded. And a voice came from it. A familiar voice to Gage's ears.

It was the ghost again, Summer Rose. Her name was. She was the woman that Gage met in the (apparent) afterlife or unwordly realm that he visited

And she was the mother of his close friend, Ruby Rose, and the stepmother of his lover, Yang Xiao Long, and to be honest, Gage thought he wouldn't even be alive right now because of her.

He didn't know how, but... she was able to bring him back to life. And...

...She then started to... speak to him.

"...I was killed only a few Years after my daughter Ruby was born, and I was forced to watch as everything collapsed around her, and had decided that I... would do anything to see her again... and say that I was sorry. But, then I would have to wait until the day that she would pass over to... my world. But... now I won't have to. Thanks to you Gage."

He didn't know what was happening. It was... just insane, but somehow, her voice soothed and calmed him, and somehow made him feel... normal.

"Gage."

"Y...Yes?"

"...What do you think a legend is?"

"I don't know... stories scattered throughout time... about men and women who are smart, and swift, and brave, and protected the ones they love. Sometimes even giving their lives up... just for people that they may not even fully know..."

"Then... do you think that your life could become a story? Maybe even a legend?"

"...No. My life... isn't just some story. Because no one would remember it. No one will. I'll just go down as some ghost that had great luck... something like that..."

He heard her snicker, and chuckle as the orb of light exploded and formed... what looked like... a galaxy.

"Hmhm... I knew you would say that. I've always known. Ever since I first saw you through my daughter's eyes... that is why I picked you Gage. Why I saved you..."

"How did you do that anyway?" He asked.

"A single life is never forgotten Gage. Maybe how they look, or how they sound, but never their own life. They always leave an impact on someone, and throughout that memory of them, their spirit, and Aura is still bound to their family, friends, and their home. Our home. Remnant..."

He looked as he saw millions of stars form, and a few planets fly past him. Ones he didn't even know existed, and it made him think. How was he seeing this? It didn't even feel like he was inside his own body. It just felt like he was apart of the cosmos...

"And I have been watching you. How you've taught Ruby and entertainment her, and how you've made Yang become happy time and time again, so I couldn't have let you leave them. And luckily, unlike most people... you had something that they didn't."

He laughed, "What? Luck?"

"That... and your semblance. Transparency. You were born with a gift, not to phase through solid objects, but to phase between dimensions. Between the world of the living and the world of the dead. So you see Gage, you always were what you called yourself. A ghost."

He watched as he moved throughout the galaxy, and looked as a familiar green, white, and blue planet came into view.

It was Remnant.

"But, like many have told you before, you will have to fight for what you love. And who you love. We will have to fight for them."

"W…...We?" he asked.

"Yes. By now, I know you cannot do everything yourself, even if you are or are not human, you will face unbeatable odds and come back time and time again…. So I will have to help you. But first….. I must have your free will. And it will not be an easy path to take if there's two of us in your mind….."

"You're not making any sense."

"...I know." Summer huffed. "But you will understand… in time."

His dream all began to turn into a bright and burning white light, and he knew what was happening.

He was waking up.

…

"*Gasp!*

Gage opened his eyes as he stared down at a puddle and gasped and began to cough up a little bit of blood as he tried to raise himself off of the concrete ground.

He looked down at his own image that was still visible in the puddle.

His eyes….. were red. Not bloodshot. No. His irises were no longer turquoise, but a bright and bloody red. Almost like Yang's eyes when she was enraged. And, he had small blood trails coming down from his eyes sockets, and a small trail flowing down from his lips as well.

"*Huff* *Huff* W-WHAT…WHAT THE-"

Gage began to hyperventilate and tasted more blood in his mouth before all his memories began to flood back to him.

"Fuck… FUCK! The Collectors, McCree, The White Fang, The…." he felt more blood begin to drip out of his tear sockets while he felt a burning sensation come from his heart. "The… THE SYNDICATE! I-I…. I have to-"

He looked back down at the puddle and could see…. Everything. Everything that has happened to him and his body

Gage was wearing his usual Black shirt and Brown pants….. but his shirt was torn with three claw marks across his chest….. and his left arm was gone….. and replaced with a sage-colored bionic arm.

He finally got up from the ground and saw that he was on the side of an old abandoned road that lead straight into Vale.

"No…"

He looked up towards the city, and could see black smoke clouds rise right into the air as he heard distant gunshots and screaming.

"Damn it. McCree!"

Gage looked down and picked up Mistletoe which was lying on the ground next to where he was lying down.

As soon as he picked it up, Gage began to sprint as fast as he could towards the city of Vale as multiple Atlas military ships flew above him and a convoy of police trucks sped past on the road next to him.

But all it did was make him bare his teeth, and snarl as he ran faster with his shotgun in one of his hands, and, he began to hear multiple voices began to emanate inside his head. Some of them were his… and some were Yang's…..

" _I…..Thought that… that you were *sniffle* actually going to…"_

" _Hey.._... _I'll always be here when you wake up…._ "

" _I TRUSTED YOU_!"

" _You said that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me! *sniffle* So how can I just forget you when I love you!"_

" _I…*sniffle*... I just want to be human…."_

These all went through his head as tears and drops of blood began to form in his eyes, but he still ran down the road of gravel and towards the burning city….. and he still had one lingering thought on his mind. One thing he wish he could say to his lover…. Who was now most likely being forced to hunt him down.

" _Y….Yang… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…._ "

…

…

…

" _Gage Sim may be a remarkable student even despite his current…. Situation. But he is not responding to us and is... starting things that he himself will not be able to control."_

" _We brought him here. So we're responsible if we can't control his actions. And now he's recruiting others to join him. *sigh* The only thing worse than taking down a madman is watching his followers turn against us."_

" _So now, the official story is that…. The Ghost of Remnant, Gage Sim, is dead. But, you Team RWBY, are the unofficial story. Your mission….. is to end this. Now go."_

Team RWBY's combat airship finally touched down into the distraught city of Vale. And once Ironwood's message was done, the four girls all hesitantly readied their weapons… Yang more slowly than the others.

Then, a second Team of students, from Atlas lined up behind the bay door of the Bulkhead with their weapons drawn before a mechanical hiss was heard and the leader spoke aggressively to everyone,

"Let's Hunt him down."

The team then moved out of the ship and into Vale while Team RWBY followed behind them slowly, all while Yang wiped a tear from her eyes as she saw the blinding light of the sun and….. and willingly followed.

 **(*Sudden black screen*)**

Welcome to,

 **Desertion: Part Two**


	2. First Time Again

**A Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Starting off the sequel fic with a 'Yang'! Aren't i? Hehe, This is the official first chapter of Desertion: Part Two. And don't worry, the ENTIRETY of the last chapter was still Gage's dream. You were suppose to not have any context by the way. *Evil laughter* So put away any sharp objects or torches that you had ready. Alright? Good. Now here we go!

Man this feels just like my first time again hehe!

 **Song:** It's Time by Imagine Dragons.

…

 **Three Weeks After Waking Up**

…

It's been more than four weeks since Gage lost his left arm. And he was still in the hospital, yet everything stayed calmer than usual. Yang and some of his friends would visit him everyday, and eat, talking about stuff… and thangs. Mostly Beacon stuff.

He started a rehabilitation program the day after he woke up so he could be able to come back sooner, as the month of November was now almost over.

 _"Y….Yang… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…."_

 _"Let's Hunt him down."_

As he slept, it was all that Gage could hear aside from himself snoring, but he still continued to toss and turn every once in awhile… but that was until he kept feeling a hand shake his shoulder, and a voice kept calling his name, and they sounded like they were trying to be silent,

"Gage….. Gage… wake up….."

But he just scowled with his closed eyes and waved the person off as he turned onto his side and tried to go back to sleep, but then the person sighed heavily,

"*sigh* ….GAGE! Wake up!"

"Guuuuuuuh!"

Gage then immediately opened his eyes and freaked out when he saw that it was his girlfriend, Yang Xiao Long who was yelling at him, but then, her yelling was accompanied with a symphony of party horns that rang out, and they made him sit up off of the bed, as it scared him.

He looked up at Yang as he gasped in fear…. But then he saw who blew the horns. Behind his girlfriend was every one of his friends from Beacon! The rest of Team RWBY, and Teams JNPR, SSSN, CFVY. But strangely, they were all wearing party hats and were staring at him weirdly

Nora then looked over Yang's shoulder and screamed at Gage as she smiled, "WAKE UP YOU LAZY BUTT!"

"Nora!" Yang growled.

"Heheh….. sorry."

Gage smiled and looked at everyone in the room as Pyrrha and the rest of Team RWBY lined up behind her.

"So… what's going on? What's everyone doing here? Not that it's a bad thing…." he asked them.

"Gage do you not know what day it is?" Ruby asked him with a smile.

"...Thursday?"

Yang shook her head and sighed as she signaled for everyone to come forward, "Gage you really don't know what day it is today?" She asked him again.

He just shook his head, so then everyone smiled and screamed, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" at him. Making Gage flinch and raise his stump in front of him for protection as he smiled happily at everyone.

"...It's my birthday?"

"Mmhm! It's November the twenty sixth. That's the day you were born…. From what Ozpin told us this morning!"

"Ozpin huh?"

Pyrrha then interrupted and moved close enough to hug him tightly, "Just don't question it Gage. Just be happy all your friends are here now…. And that you're now nineteen years old!"

He then looked over her solider and saw the rest of the hospital room and could see that it was decorated with silly store streamers, a gold up table with soda and a birthday cake, but there was also a big banner above it that read, "Happy Birthday Gage!"

The sight of all his friends just made him forget about all his troubles right now. The Collectors….. his missing arm…. the loneliness of the hospital room at night….. everything.

"Nineteen huh….."

He looked at everyone. Of course Team RWBY and Pyrrha were the ones to stand over him and watch him as he woke up. Jaune, Sun, Scarlet, Sage, Fox and Yatsuhashi were all sitting near the window and laughed at him. Coco and Velvet were both by the small table of food and were trying to look above everyone and at him along with Nora….. but strangely, Ren was already cutting a piece of his chocolate and vanilla birthday cake….. which Yang saw immediately.

"Ren! W…. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

The black haired man smiled nervously and continued to take a piece of it and set it on his plate as he looked back at the blonde,

"I mean…. This cake. He was going to eat it anyway…."

Gage simply watched and smiled as Yang's eyes turned red and she began to stomp over to him, but then Ren noticed her anger and smiled nervously at her,

"Yang i'm just trying to make a joke! H-Here!" He said as he held out the plate to her and nodded at Gage.

She huffed at Ren and turned back to him before her hair could catch on fire, then she placed the plate onto a tray that was attached the side of Gage's bed.

"Taiyo-chan. Be nice." He said to her as her eyes returned to their lilac color.

"*sigh* Sorry Care-Bear…"

All the other guys then snickered at Gage and laughed while he blushed embarrassingly and Yang turned towards them.

"Yang…." Gage warned her.

The blonde simply glared at the other guys, and shut her eyes as she stuck out her tongue at all of them, "Bleh!" Before she looked back at her boyfriend and nuzzled her head against his arm again while Jaune raised his cup and looked at Gage,

"Hehe, but seriously, Happy Birthday Gage. It's good to know that you'll be coming home soon!"

Everyone else then rejoiced and cheered while those who had them raised their cups in agreement as they all looked over at him as he sat up from his hospital bed.

"Thanks everyone. I'm glad to have friends like you guys in a time like now. Because of…. You know….." He said, raising his stump again

Yang just smiled and made him lower it as everyone looked at the couple, "Well I'm just glad you're still breathing Gage... I love you."

Then, the blonde brawler planted a small kiss on his cheek while everyone cooed, but then Coco popped out and stared at them,

"Aw come on Yang. It's his birthday! Why not a little bit of lip action for the old guy?~"

The couple's faces both turned to a shade of red as Gage looked at Yang and smirked nervously at her while she gripped his arm tightly,

"W-Well I mean…. Everyone's right in front of u-mmmmmph!"

But it was too late for her to reject it as Gage smiled and deeply kissed Yang right on the lips as he held onto her shoulder tightly. Her eyes grew larger than ever before she closed them and separated herself from him slowly while everyone cheered,

"G-Gage!" She yelled as she blushed and covered her smile. "*sigh* J-Just use your mouth to eat your c-cake."

She then used a plastic fork and fed her boyfriend his birthday cake as she grumbled and was flustered, which made everyone laugh…. But Blake just looked away from the couple and drank from her cup of soda, trying not to look at their cute moment. Feeling… annoyed.

"Alright everyone just get back to what you were doing. Because we're making them both bright red right now!" Pyrrha said with a smile.

Everyone agreed and turned their attention away from them as Yang continued to feed Gage some cake,

"So how did you get all this stuff in here without the nurses seeing anyway? I mean, there's this young one that won't even let me have a BLT sandwich…..." he asked her as he took the plastic fork from her.

"Weiss slipped them a few lien cards…. And Sun and Ren are great at sneaking things apparently." She answered.

"Yeah…. I appreciate the cake. Probably the best thing i've eaten since I came here. I can't wait to eat the crappy food back at Beacon hehe."

Yang then took a piece of his cake and ate it as she looked down at his stump… and wondered why he was so…. Enthusiastic after what just happened to him. Not that she wasn't glad, but that it seems like he just doesn't want to rest and relax for another month like he should.

"Gage… you know you didn't have to ask to be put into physical therapy after the day you woke up….. There's no need to rush right back to Beacon "

He then looked at her weirdly for a few seconds before he decided to go back to eating his cake,

"I know…. but now I'm getting out of here next week because of it, and now I can spend Christmas with you too!"

Yang's expression changed quickly smiled at him, remembering that it was both their favorite time of the year.

"Hehehe, that is a pretty good reason…. because Dad wants you to come over still. During the winter break and you know, spend the holidays with us… as a part of the family."

Gage chuckled to himself again, "Man your Dad must really have a hard test for me… so I should probably buy all of you the best gifts I can think of!"

"Just get him some Eggnog or something with alcohol in it Gage… he sorta likes to get loose around the holidays."

"i'll buy him the most festive drink I can find Yang…."

They both chuckled again…. And then his blonde girlfriend sighed before she moved her chair close enough to allowed herself to rest her head against his shoulder,

"So…. How's it been here?" She asked tiredly.

Gage's eyes drooped, and he looked down as he moved his plate away and set the fork down, trying not to draw any attention to himself as he tilted his head towards Yang's and sighed as well… as he truly felt miserable here.

"It gets really lonely at night… because no one's here…. And even when I try to sleep….I just keep having really….. fucked up dreams…."

Her eyes shot open to his response, "They're coming back to you Gage?" She asked, concerned about him. "What are they like….."

He thought for a few moments, as there was two he specifically remembered that stuck with him,

"Well… there was this one I had once. I was in this room… and you were there too Yang, but the room was on fire and you ran into the bathroom….. I chased you but you weren't in there… and then, I looked into a mirror… and i saw I had red eyes. Like yours….."

"That….. sounds really scary." She said with a sorrowful look.

"And that's not even the recurring one… it just felt like it was so real…. But the recurring isn't as bad but it's not any better."

"What happens in that one?"

Gage tried to recall the dream…. But didn't want to tell her about Summer….. so then as he tried to tell her, he began to look disturbed at the thought of the events that took place in his dreams

"In the other one, at first all I could see was… stars and planets as some voice was talking to me… but then I… woke up and I was outside Vale's walls. And… my clothes were ripped… I was bleeding…. And my eyes were red like yours again. And the city was burning…. So then I started to run to it. And that's usually when I would wake up."

The blonde could tell that his dreams were a touchy subject because of the look on his face, and his past experience with insomnia when she first met Gage. So she just nuzzled herself even more against her lover and hugged him.

"My poor Baby-Bear…"

He immediately wrapped his arm around Yang, and tried to smile as he looked over at the window, thinking of how cold it was outside.

"It'll probably go away soon…. Just as long as i'm sleeping in a bed with you Yang…"

Then… he moved his hand lower as it curved around her waist… and he let it rest on top of her stomach as he leaned in closer to her,

"But besides my mental health…. Is there any _other_ medical news that I need to know about?"

A small smile formed across her lips, and then she moved his hand over onto her side as she whispered back to Gage,

"I... I'm not pregnant. The test was negative, So you don't have to start worrying yet Gage."

His eyes opened a little bit, and he sighed happily, but kept smiling at Yang as he looked back into her lilac eyes.

"Alright….. but if some 'accident' happens in the future, you know that i'd be okay with it-"

Weiss's ear suddenly twitched and she turned towards both of them as Yang just giggled and held onto his hand,

"Hehe, I know you would Care-Bear….. but let's wait until after we get married….. i mean you can barely handle me right now as it is."

"Yeah You're not wrong hehe…." He chuckled.

The icy haired heiress then approached the couple and stared at them questionably, "Try? Try for what?" She asked.

They both soon internally panicked, so Yang quickly stuffed Gage's face with some cake again and looked back at her teammate,

"O-Oh! Uuuh, T-To try and get Gage back into shape! Y-You know, all this hospital food has got to have fattened him up a little bit!"

"Hey that's insulting-"

She immediately glared at him, making Gage swallow the cake right away and sit there in silence as Weiss squinted at them both. Feeling odd,

"Oh… Okay. Well at least he'll be home…"

"Y-Yeah."

Gage looked away from the two girls….. and tried to find Neptune so he could signal him to make her go away…. But strangely the blue haired boy was nowhere to be found.

"Hey Weiss? Where's Neptune?" He asked her.

Weiss looked at them both for a few seconds, before turning towards the glass window the guys were all crowded by,

"*sigh* …..I don't know what's going on with him. He got sort of mad that I wanted to come here, even though everyone else was. He just seemed kinda…-"

"Bitchy?" Gage said as Yang glared at him madly.

"Not the exact term I would use, but… sorta. It's just… weird. But don't worry about it. And besides, today isn't about us. It's about you Gage." She said as she…. smiled at him for once.

"Speaking of which….."

Then, everyone looked at her and smiled again at Gage and Weiss, stopping the party once again, "Is it gift time Weiss?!" Nora asked with excitement.

"*sigh* ….Yes Nora."

"Yay! Yay for Gage!"

All of his friends soon crowded around him and Yang once again, but weirdly, Blake took out a black duffle bag that had a red bow wrapped around its handle while Weiss looked towards Yang,

"Yang? Best for last?"

"Mmhm!" she answered.

"Okay good." The heiress then opened up the duffle bag while Gage grinned nervously and looked at everyone else as Yang put her arms around his bicep excitedly,

"Y-You guys you really didn't have to do this for me." He stuttered. "I mean Christmas is coming soon, it'd be hard to get gifts for everyone else if you spent your money right now-"

"Aw come on Gage it's your birthday!" Ruby cheered as she hopped up onto his bed.

Weiss then took out something smooth that was wrapped in autumn leaf wrapping paper and handed the package to Gage, "And this wasn't costly….. just something I thought would mean alot to you."

"Okay…"

He took the package from her… and ripped off the top of it to see something very familiar. It was his sage leather jacket. Which he thought the surgeons got rid of during surgery when he arrived.

It brought a smile to his face, and took it out as he unfolded it as he held it out in front of himself,

"I thought they threw this away….."

"They did, but…. You know how much i like to wear it Care-Bear. And it is your favorite jacket!" Yang said to him

"Yeah it is!"

He then looked at the left sleeve, and saw that it was still ripped. However,the fabric wasn't uneven and frayed all over the place. Instead, it appeared to have been sewn neatly, and it looked long enough to cover his bicep, which was enough to cover the entire stump.

Blake smiled, "I tried my very best to make it look neat enough Gage. I know how much you love it too."

"Thank you….."

Sun then jumped up from behind her and winked at him, "That still isn't it though! Just wait until you see what I found for you!"

Gage smiled at the blonde faunus, and Yang helped him as he tried to put his jacket back on, "What is it?" He asked Sun

The faunus took something out under the hospital bed, and looked up at Gage as he continued to smile,

"A little something I got through the perks of being a junior detective!"

Then, he lifted it up, and set it down on top of Gage's legs as his eyes went wide….. as the object was a newly repaired Mistletoe. Which he thought the police had confiscated as evidence.

The old shotgun looked exactly the same, and even the spot where it was split in two was pieced back together, and had duct tape wrapped around it. For good measure.

"Even the locks on their evidence room can't keep this Wukong out!"

Gage became joyful and was surprised by Sun's action, making him smile at his blond friend, "Sun, you stole Mistletoe back for me?!"

"Oh yeah. Don't worry about it. I steal stuff for my friends all the time dude!"

Pyrrha just laughed at them both and also hopped on the bed as Jaune put her arm around her,

"And i was also able to repair Mistletoe easily thanks to the similarities of that and my rifle Miló! So consider it…. Like a… piece of cake? That is the correct phrase right Jaune?"

"Yes Pyrrha…"

Gage just blushed surprisingly and smiled at his old friend again, nearly close to a loss of words because of how thankful he was,

"You guys, really. This is so-"

"Ah ah ah Gage!" Weiss smirked as she pointed at him. "Don't thank us until we're finished. And speaking of which…." The heiress then looked up, and lifted a wide and apparently heavy case out from under his bed.

"It looks like now it's my turn."

She then set it on top of his knees while he moved his beloved shotgun next to him on the bed, and Weiss looked Gage straight in the eyes as she started to speak to him once again,

"I know me and you have never really seen eye to eye before Gage… but after I saw how you fought…. And how you could lead us…. I guess a switch just turned on inside my head or something…."

For the past four weeks, Weiss would always think of how she would have treated Gage. Like a waste of space and breath…. Which she deeply regretted doing to him, but now, she thought her gift to him would for sure be some sort of apology.

"And now… after you were admitted to this place, I made sure that you were kept in the best hands… by me and my family. And to be honest… I have no idea why I wanted to. It was either that I felt sorry for Yang….. or that i've actually began to tolerate you as one of my friends."

He had to sit up from his bed because of how surprised he was at his white haired sort-of rival. She was… actually being consoling. And to him of all people!

"So…. Here. Hopefully this can be some sort of an apology for the wrongful way that i've treat treated you up to now…"

She moved it onto his stomach… so he glanced at her for a second before he unlatched the silver case… and slowly opened it to see that the contents of it were covered with some white tissue paper….. and there were two words written on the paper.

'I'm Sorry'

Gage looked up at Weiss while everyone grinned and moved closer to him, all while Yang started to squeeze his arm….. which gave him the queue to moved the paper away….. and gasped quietly at what he saw.

Under the paper…. Was a sage-colored, Atlas manufactured bionic prosthetic left arm.

The arm was the same length as Gage's right arm, yet weirdly it had a black mesh that was probably there to cover up it's inner workings and appearance. However, Its appearance on the outside, on top of the black mesh, had a sage armor plate that would cover it's mechanic upper bicep completely, as it went completely around the arm.

Then, the plate was separated by the black mesh all the way down to his forearm, where was were a sage colored armor bracer was located.

The top and bottom armor plates of the bracer was studded and went from the wrist all the way back to his elbow, yet the plate on the bottom of his forearm stretched out a little bit more and covered the point of his elbow, while the armor plates on the left and right sides of his arm were flat, but was still the same length as the plate on top of the forearm.

And finally there was the hand. The hand was covered entirely in black mesh just like the arm, but there were still studded armor plates on its knuckles, fingers, and it's fingertips on all five of the fingers. And the last armor piece, was a studded plate on top of his hand, which was shaped like a baseball plate. The straight end going across the underside of his knuckles, and the pointed side was short, but stopped right before the wrist line.

The prosthetic was armored, looked sick as hell, and the armor plates were all given a sage colored paint job. Which gave Gage a huge smile as he nearly dropped the box from shock.

"I….If this is a joke it's really fucked up Weiss…. *sniffle* …" He sniffled.

Weiss' s eyes also began to tear up as she giggled, and pointed at it's open hand, "*sniffle* it's not I promise you Gage. Just consider it a get well gift from the Schnee family…" She replied.

She nearly climbed on top of Gage as she attempted to hug him, so he hugged her back as everyone cooed. Yet, Gage had a feeling that he would have been punched in the face if Neptune was here, so he smiled even more.

"How did you even get this for me? I mean… your father doesn't even know me…."

Weiss smiled and crawled off of him, and sat beside him on the bed,

"I lied. I said that your death or condition could affect one of my teammates…. Mental health. And of course he wouldn't want me to fail because of that…. So I got your body's measurements while you were in your coma, and then asked for a custom built prosthetic along with your medical bills to be covered by the Schnee Dust Company."

He nodded and looked like he was going to keep asking questions, but Weiss just shushed him by placing her index finger on his lips before she looked down at the prosthetic.

"Shh. Now let me show you how it works!"

She lifted the arm out of the case, and Gage saw that there was a small half sleeve of the black mesh. So Weiss opened it up, and he inserted his stump into it until the tip of it met with the end of the metal slot.

Then, she pulled the sleeve higher so it stopped at his shoulder blade and covered the entire stump as a small metal ring formed and separated from the armor band that covered the metal bicep.

It traveled up the black mesh and spinned until it stop on the corner of the sleeve, and shrunk, allowing it to squeeze tightly around his skin, which set it in place.

"This might sting a little…."

"What? -AAAGH!"

Gage suddenly winced as he felt the ring tighten as multiple hidden needles formed and dug deep into his skin. Sending a small shockwave through his body as a result to send a signal to his body's nerves.

The shock made him yelp, and his eyes shot open even more as his entire body felt like they were on pins and needles, yet Weiss smiled, made sure the arm was aligned correctly, and turned his now prosthetic arm over so it's open palm was visible.

"Fuck…. *pant* ...What was that?" Gage asked her.

"Dont worry that was suppose to happen." Weiss reassured him. "That was just your body's nerves reacting to the biometrics of the arm. Now, it'll recognize it as if it was already apart of your body."

"Oh….. well that's good as long as it doesn't do that every time…. Wait….. does it?"

The heiress just grinned shyly and shrugged as she looked away nervously and act like she didn't know,

"M-Maybe. I don't know….. I didn't exactly get a instruction manual heh… but all I know is that it can have a direct user interface with any Atlas manufactured tech with the wave of your hand… and it has a combat mode as well!"

"A combat mode?!" Gage asked with excitement. "W-What?! How does it work? I want to know!"

The white haired girl just smirked, wanting just to tease him because of his curiosity, which she decided to do.

"i'll tell you when you come back to Beacon. But first we have to activate the arm first don't we?" She asked him.

Weiss then tapped his metal sage-colored palm, and suddenly a white holographic disc appeared above his palm, as five smaller holo discs appeared above each of the metal finger tips while the hand opened up, and the heiress turned towards Yang.

"Yang? Would you like to do the honors?"

"...Of course." Yang answered.

The blonde brawler looked at Gage's prosthetic arm, and pressed all of her fingers against the white holographic discs that hovered above his metal finger tips. Then, she dragged the discs down with her fingers and made them connect with the giant disc that was above her palm, causing her to form a fist and lay it ontop of Gage's palm….. and caused his new hand to spring to life and close his fingers in around her hand.

As that happened…. The feeling of pins and needles went away… and he felt the gentle silky skin of Yang's hand. It didn't feel any different… and his left arm didn't even feel any different than his other arm. It was the same size and length…. Yet the only thing that he felt that was different about his arm was its appearance of course. But that wasn't what mattered.

What did… was the fact that he could feel. Even with the metal arm, it felt like it was real. It felt just like fingers were exactly the same despite being metal…. And he didn't care that they were. He was only glad that he could feel his lover's skin.

"...I can feel. I can feel your hand on top of mine Yang."

He then let his fingers fall back onto the hospital bed… so Yang quickly smiled and opened up her hand, allowing herself to intertwine their fingers once again.

"I can too Gage… it… it feels cold….. and bulky… but I can love it as long as it's yours hehe…"

Gage nodded happily, and let the sleeve of his jacket lower and hide the black mesh that covered his shoulder and upper bicep, and the sage armor plates on the prosthetic arm even helped it blend in a little bit. Making it seem a little bit harder to tell it was metallic.

"Yeah…."

Ruby watched as their hands were Interlocked. Gage's being synthetic and metal, while Yang's was flesh and bone.

Then she soon started to just gaze at the couple as she took in a deep breath and attempted to smile,

"And last but certainly but not least…. Me and my gift!" She cheered.

Ruby quickly giggled, and took something wooden and flat out of her ammo pouch and handed it to Gage with a large smile, "You did say that you wanted to keep that photo by your bedside… hehe…." she laughed.

He took the object from her, and turned it to see that it was a brown picture frame…. And the picture inside of it… was the one that Ruby tool back at the Hilltop resort.

It was of Gage and Yang. Both of their eyes were closed and they were smiling as their foreheads were pressed against one another,

All while a swarm of fireflies were surrounding them, lighting up the night sky.

"...You guys are awesome." He said as he looked at the picture.

"Gage. We're family. We're suppose to be!" Ruby exclaimed.

Yang leered at her little sister before she grabbed onto her lover's metal hand and screamed at everyone in the room as she raised it up,

"Alright you guys! Time to sing happy birthday!"

Gage's mouth opened nervously as he blushed with shyness, being the center of attention and all as his friends begs to sing to him with Yang, Ruby…. And Nora all being louder than the others.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Gage! Happy birthday to you!"

…

 **Later…**

…

After a few hours, it soon became eight o'clock, which meant that the hospital visiting hours were over. So, Yang and everyone began to pack and clean up the room as everyone said their goodbyes and left while Yang waited by the door.

Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Ruby all smiled and waved goodbye as they left, and Yang took Mistletoe away from Gage's bed before opening the door and looking at him.

"So…. One week from today?" She asked him.

"Yeah…. One week…. I'll be fine Yang, I promise."

"Okay. I'll be back tomorrow anyway, so try and get some sleep tonight for me Care-Bear. Alright?

Gage shook his head and smiled happily as he laid back onto his hospital bed and pulled his blanket up to cover his chest, "I'll try my best Taiyo-chan…." He whispered

"Okay…." She tried to smile and opened the door fully as she took a small step outside, but kept her eyes on him the whole time. "Goodnight Gage….. I love you." She said as she waved goodbye

He waved back tiredly with his prosthetic hand, and watched as she went outside into the hall, but closed the door slowly,

"Goodnight Yang….. I love you too."

The door then shut, and the lights went off the same time as he could hear her boot heels clack against the tiled floor of the hallway through the wall, and they soon faded. Along with Gage's smile.

He frowned sadly, and rubbed his eye as he turned his head to the right and looked outside his window, at the shattered moon.

"I wonder if she'd laugh if I asked her to hide in bed with me….. too late to do that now though…*sigh*…"

His sighed echoed throughout the cold, dark, and empty hospital room as he slowly let his eyes close and clenched the fist of his new prosthetic arm…. Mad at himself for keeping quiet about how much he hated this place…. But that wasn't all he was keeping quiet from his lover.

The main thing was obviously his encounter with Summer Rose…. and he didnt want to let Yang or Ruby hear a word about it, mostly because he though it was just some weird purgatorave dream, but also because he thought that they'd both think he was crazy for saying something as bizzare as that.

"There's no way that was real….. it couldn't have been. She's… dead or just some… ghost. I was just… having a weird dream…. bloodloss could probably be the main reason…. Even though I was unconscious….. I mean…. What the hell would that make me if it was real…."

"*knock!* *knock!* *knock!*"

Gage then jumped up and sat up from his bed as he looked over at his door… and saw that there were two people knocking on it.

"Uuuh-Ohairikudasai! Shit, sorry! You can come in!" He yelled.

The door handle quickly turned, and two men entered as one of the men with a grey dress shirt, black dress pants, and a red tattered hood over his head made his way to Gage and stood in front of his bed.

The other one wore an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest, a green undershirt, black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

But soon, he stood next the other man, and light of the moon shone through the window, revealing them to be Professor Ozpin and Qrow Branwen.

Gage backed up a bith and looked up at the two older men, clearly looking startled by both of them,

Ozpin leaned against his cane while Qrow decided to speak as he lowered his hood, smiling as he did so, "Hey kiddo…. How are you doing?" He asked.

Gage revealed his prosthetic to them both, and waved at them with it, "A little bit better now…. Only little bit though… but, why are you two here?"

"Well…." Ozpin started. "You're set to be released a week from today, so we thought it was a good time to ask you about… 'the night in question'..."

"What about it…." Gage asked as he looked down. "You two have public access to the police report…. Its all there…"

The headmaster sighed heavily, "*sigh* Gage….. I know about The Collectors. Qrow is my closest colleague aside from Glynda, and they are the ones who always gets me information from out in the field… so there's nothing that you need to hide from me." He said.

"Then you still know it sir. I fought Adam and barely won, and I got instant fucking karma immediately after that…"

Qrow rolled his eyes at his consultant's attitude, and lowered himself onto his knees as he looked him in the eyes,

"Yeah yeah yeah… but we didnt come to talk about that. You found your man, he was their leader and you fought and won…. But I can tell you're still searching for something. So what I want to know Gage, is who else are you looking besides Adam Taurus….."

Gage opened his mouth to try and defend himself… but he knew he couldn't lie. Qrow and Ozpin are the two people that he really did not want to piss off, and he didnt want to jeopardize anything because of not telling them the truth.

"I'm looking for the same person Yang is Qrow….. and i'm sure you know who that is sir..."

Him and Ozpin both looked at each other, but soon Qrow looked down at the floor and shook his head,

"Raven eh? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I know just about as much you do Gage. And i'm the one she usually talks to the most."

"You're kidding…."

"I'm afraid not." Ozpin said. "She's been off our grid for years besides The Collectors… living a nomadic lifestyle to try and protect Yang and the Rose/Xiao Long family. No reason as to why although…"

Gage then scowled as he looked away from Qrow and down at his prosthetic angrily while his metal fist closed again at the thought of him hiding this from Yang for this many years….

"*sigh*...Kid, I would have tried and helped Yang and Taiyang find Raven a long time ago if I had a lead on her, but I dont. Hopefully we can all find her one day… and maybe you'll be the reason that we do." Qrow sighed.

"Well…. Do you have any sort of tip or something you can give me Qrow? I mean…. Me and Yang."

The older man just grumbled and scratched the back of his neck nervously, thinking that he would regret telling him this in the future,

"Aside from her portals, she has something genetic from the Branwen family, and it allows us… to take the form of birds. So, if you see a black bird with a red eye looking at ya weirdly….. then it may just be something else. So remember Gage, you need to keep BOTH eyes open."

He nodded, "Yeah… I got it sir."

"Good." Qrow then smiled, got up, and waited near the door for Ozpin, "Welp, I talked about what I wanted to Oz. So we good to go?"

Gage looked as Ozpin stood up, so he quickly grabbed onto his arm, "O-Ozpin wait! I wanted to know something…."

"Hmm. And what might that be?"

He lowered his hand from the headmaster, and hesitantly looked up at him, wondering if he was about to ask a stupid question. "…Am I still eligible to stay at Beacon? You know, because of the arm?" he asked.

"Well…. Normally it would be highly against the rules of the academy because of the thought of you being a liability to your team….but you don't have one as of right now. And I never really enforce the rules that much either. Do I Gage? Hehe….."

That made Gage smile anxiously, and it made him sit up even further from the bed he was on, "So….."

Ozpin smiled, "Your mother worked as a Huntress many years after she lost her leg, and half of General Ironwood's body is metal yet he still is in command of the largest military force on the planet, so sure….. I dont see why I shouldn't let you stay at my school."

They both smiled at each other, along with Qrow who was trying to hide it, and Gage grinned at the cane wielding man as he strolled over next to his associate,

"Speaking of that, i've been discussing with James, despite his arguments, about allowing you to enter our mid-year team initiation ceremony. So you can finally have that team that I know you've been yearning. And at this point, I don't see anything that could possibly prevent that from happening."

"T...Thank you sir. Really. For everything you've done for me so far." Gage thanked Ozpin.

Qrow then opened the door and held it open, as Ozpin started to fish something out of the inner part of his unzipped suit, "Why of course... it is almost christmas time after all. Oh! That reminds me…"

He then took out a small hard glass object that was wrapped in some plain white wrapping paper, and set it at the foot of Gage's bed.

"Happy Birthday Gaigus. And goodnight."

The two men both then smiled and walked out the door, letting it shut behind them and leave Gage in the dark again as he picked up his present and ripped off the paper.

After it was ripped off, Gage chuckled lightly at what Ozpin had gotten him. Which was a white coffee mug that said, "World's Okay-est Student." on the side of it in black neat text.

"Wow….. never thought I'd see the day that I became the teacher's pet… heh…"

He continued to laugh and he fell back onto his bed and looked at the mug as he placed it onto the tray was connected to the side of his hospital bed… and that's when he sighed tiredly and tilted his head so he could look out the window again,

"*sigh* One more week in here and I feel like i'm gonna have a breakdown, but i spent more than a whole year outside in a grimm infested city and i was somewhat okay…. Man Yang really did change me….. but for the better most likely."

Then, Gage closed his eyes and hoped that Yang wasn't feeling as broken and depressed as he was right now,

"You don't have to worry anymore Yang... because in a week's time… i'll finally be coming home."


	3. Coming Home

**Author's Note:** So did anyone get the RTAA reference I did last chapter? No? Well here's a hint. Michael and Lindsay's wedding.

Anyway, damn two chapters in and people are asking me a crap ton of questions. Well, then again it's my fault for being so mysterious hehehe. Now to answer a few. One, Yes It is now December in Gage's timeline, hence the snow. Second,yes this is still before Volume three. And a fair warning, I might be straying more away from being canon than i'd like, but it still just depends on the path I go. And third…. *sigh* The prosthetic arm does have a combat form but but it's nothing freaking over the top and ridiculous I promise XD.

 **Song:** Coming Home by P Diddy

…...

 **One Week Later…**

…

It was now December third, which meant that Gage had been in the hospital for about a month now, however today was officially marked as the day he was to be released.

Gage was sitting on the edge of his hospital bed, and had his hand on the edge as he was looking at the picture that Ruby gave him on his birthday.

He was actually dressed this time, and was waiting for Yang to come and help him leave since his leg was also injured from their last mission. Not as badly though.

Gage was dressed in a dark green long-sleeved flannel shirt, a black shirt under that, some dark grey pants, and his old brown skate shoes…. But he also had a black glove on his left hand, to cover his metal hand. It wasn't fingerless either. Just a normal black leather glove…

"I hope people don't give me a hard time when I get back there…. Gonna kick some serious ass if they do…. Or maybe Yang would do it before I can. Hehe, who knows?"

He picked up the picture frame and the mug that Ozpin had given to him, which was filled with coffee, and he took a drink from it as he put the picture in the black duffle bag that his friends had used a week prior….. which also reminded him of his late night encounter with Qrow and Ozpin…

" _You need to keep BOTH eyes open…"_

He shook his head as he remembered what the dusty old man had told him, and tried to keep his head clear for Yang when she would arrive…. But then he took his bandana out if his pocket, and looked at it for a few seconds.

"Everything is going to be a lot harder now… but…. fights… school…. Normal life as I know it is gonna change…. But the same thing happened to you. Didn't it mom?" He said to the green rag.

" _Sometimes... i even talk to it... like my parents are still here... but i'm too stupid to accept that they can't hear me and that... they're gone."_

Gage remembered himself saying those words to Yang on their very first date, when she asked about his bandana. However, he still continued to talk to the wrinkled rag despite knowing this,

"You went through he same thing basically….. despite being a full time Huntress… with just Dad…. And me in your belly to keep you going. So now, I know that I can get through this too. For Yang and Ruby…."

He smiled at his own words, and put on his leather jacket, it going over the flabel he was wearing before he wrapped his bandana around his right bicep, where it should be.

"And even if it is harder for them to help me….. you and Dad can still give me enough strength to prevail…. Even if you can't hear me… or i can't see you….. i'll always have the strength to move forward. For you… dad…. And Yang. I promise that I will-"

"*knock!* *knock!* *knock!*

The door to the room suddenly burst open, making Gage turn to it and watch as Yang entered slowly, smiling at her boyfriend as he attempted to stand up.

"Good morning Care-Bear!"

His expression then changed to a more upbeat one, and he smiled back as his girlfriend came in, wearing her tan galaxy jacket, her orange infinity scarf, and some dark blue jeans along with her usual brown boots.

"M-Morning Yang! Agh….. come here!"

She saw that he was having some trouble balancing on his two feet, so she smiled at him and came in for a hug, which allowed Gage to squeeze her harder than usual as he attempted to sway her left to right while he grinned happily.

"I missed you!" He cooed.

Gage chuckled, and Yang giggled as he lifted her up about an inch above the ground, allowing her to be a little bit above his eye level as she smiled and hugged him back.

"Wow Gage! Did you grow a little bit over the last four weeks or did I get shorter from drinking too much coffee? Hehe."

As Yang looked at him, Gage appeared to be almost six feet tall now. But only almost. Before he was only a little bit over 5'9, so now he was almost two inches taller than her.

"Two years older. Almost two inches taller. World works in strange ways I guess!" He replied.

"Yeah…. Now my dad is going to think it's a 'sin' to date you probably, but that's all going to change in February hopefully…..."

Gage sighed and held her close as she placed her hands on top of his shoulders, smiling and curling one of her legs back,

"Yeah…. First your birthday, then comes valentine's day…. hehe, it's probably going to be the first time i'm happy during 'the month of love'... and it's all because of you Taiyo-chan!~"

He then smiled again and kissed Yang on the cheek twice making her purr, and then he looked into her bright lilac eyes as he gave her lips a gentle kiss and closed his eyes while she tightened her grip on his shoulder blades.

"Mmm….. aww, what's with all the kisses now Gage? I like it…"

She let him lower her, and then he just looked away nervously as she moved her hand down his left arm, "O-Oh….. I just missed my Mama-Bear a lot….. you know..." he stuttered.

Yang suddenly grinned, and she took a step forward as she grabbed onto Gage's covered metal hand with a lot of force, "*gasp* Does that mean I can call you Papa-Bear?!-"

"-D-Don't push it." He said as his face became slightly red.

The blonde just puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms as she looked away, sort of sadly. "Hmmmmph…" And that made him sigh and brush the side of her golden hair lightly with his left hand,

"Don't worry Yang… maybe one day….."

Yet as he did that, Yang noticed the glove on his left hand, and she immediately grabbed onto his left hand with curiosity. "Wait…. Why are you covering your new arm up?" She asked him.

Gage looked away from her as he frowned, and grabbed onto his left wrist tightly, clearly appearing uncomfortable. "It's my first day back on campus Yang… I don't want to attract too much attention right now do I?" He said.

"Gagey….. you know i'd punch anyone that says something mean to you….. It's my duty as a brawler that's in love!" She cheered with enthusiasm.

"Yeah I know Yang…. I just don't want you to get suspended again….. I….. I miss you too much already…."

That remark made her blush along with making her smile at her boyfriend, just as he kissed her cheek again lightly.

"O….. O-Okay…. Ill try not to get into too much trouble…. But If I do it's because I love you too much Care-Bear….." She said, making his face become an even darker shade of red.

She then grabbed onto his shoulders and held them as she smiled happily and bowed her head, letting it rest against Gage's chest,

"Just make sure you show it when you think that you're ready…."

He sighed once again, and petted the top of the blonde's head lightly before he brought her in for another hug, "Yeah. I will In time..."

Yang hugged him back once again, and sighed with him as she looked up at Gage, brushing her hand against his cheek as she did so.

"Good…. Now….. are you ready to go home?"

He nodded, "Yeah…. Yeah I am."

Gage quickly replied, and picked up his duffle bag as Yang just grasped onto his left hand, holding it tightly as she started to walk towards the door and he followed close behind, but with a limp.

The couple then went out into hall, and Yang let Gage walk a little bit ahead of herself, and she just let her head fall to the right and rest against his left shoulder. All while they were holding hands,

"And Gage… I missed you a lot too…"

…

 **Later…**

...

The couple made their way quickly to an airship as they both started to shiver due to the giant white blanket of snow that had covered most of Vale completely.

They entered the passenger bay of the airship, and had sat down together, trying to stay away from most of the other passengers, as they were trying to stay together for warmth, which of course was Yang's idea.

"Wow….. I-I should have dressed more for the winter like you did Y-Yang…." He said as he shook slightly from the cold winds

"M-Mmhm! B-But don't worry about it! I'll keep you warm! I am your sunshine after all r-right?!" She said as she wrapped her arm around his stomach.

"Yeah… I can feel the heat already…"

They both then felt the airship jolt, and began to ascend above the ground as the ship's heater finally kicked in, making Gage sigh in relief.

"There we go! *sigh* …..You know it seems like I hate the weather this time of year, but I love the snow and rain… even if there's a storm on my birthday I love it."

She then looked over at him and sighed as well, "*sigh* Oh yeah. I wanted to ask…. So how did you forget your birthday?"

Gage rolled his eyes at the question, and crossed his arms as he puffed one of his cheeks up as he grumbled, "Hmm….. it's been two years now since I last celebrated my birthday… guess I sorta forgot about it…."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I surprised you!" She laughed.

"Yeah…. Yeah it was a good thing…"

He then sort of… frowned and slouched in his seat as he moved his head down and let it rest on Yang's shoulder for once, just as he hugged her back really hard, which she noticed immediately.

"Uh…. Gage…. Are you okay? You're sort of squeezing me..."

She heard him take in a huge breath through his nose, and then he tried to hide his head from her as he nuzzled himself against her arm and neck….. just as his voice became quiet… and grainy…

"Yang… you don't understand…. I _really_ missed you…. So much…" He whispered.

Gage looked down at the floor, and Yang just stared at him. Feeling alarmed and concerned for her lover. "What do you mean Care-Bear…" she asked him.

"Every night I would…. think about you Yang… I would just keep wondering if you were okay….. if you were sleeping with ease…. If you were just safe and sound in general… and then, whenever I would fall asleep… I kept wishing that I would be woken up by the sound of you opening that door…"

She could hear as his breaths became a little more common and a bit heavier… which was usually prominent if he was trying to hold back some tears.

"i hated that hospital room….. it was so… dark at night…. And I just wanted you, my little night with me…. *sniffle*..."

He sniffled, so Yang immediately shushed Gage by wrapping her arms around him tightly, trying to help him keep his waterworks from showing,

"It's okay Gage… it's okay…. I'm right here… and i'll always be there to help you… because we're suppose to take care of each other…. Remember?"

Gage nodded, and exhaled, trying not to let his voice sound too shaky, "Yeah….. I remember…. And I guess it's still relevant since neither of us has died yet… heh…" He chuckled.

"Exactly Gage. And now…. After what happened to you… I think it's time I took a step up and become the Momma-Bear I should be!" Yang said with fire in her bright lilac eyes.

However, Gage smirked slightly and let his lover move her arm up his back, and pulled him in even closer as he spoke,

"Yeah… *sniffle* …...and if you do a good job at it, then maybe i'll let you call me Papa-Bear for once….."

"*gasp* Really?!"

She gasped, and looked her boyfriend in the eyes with glee while her strength started to feel like it was being used to crush Gage's bones as she grabbed him and gave him her signature bear-hug!

"Y…..Yeah… S-Sure….." He groaned.

"Yaaaay!"

…...

After their little moment, the airship finally landed at Beacon Academy. On the main landing pad to be exact. So, Gage and Yang, with a bunch of other students made haste and started to exit the ship, the couple being hand in hand as they walked out, trying to still stay together for warmth.

Gage had to button up his leather jacket, including the collar; to stay warm while Yang did the same, but moved her infinity scarf high enough so it could cover her lips and nose.

"So... fucking cold…."Gage complained.

Yang just grinned, and let her body work as a mobile heater for Gage as the snowstorm seemed to let up, "Yeah but look at the bright side, we'll probably have a lot more cuddle sessions this month.~" She purred.

"Oh you're damn right!"

The two then laughed at themselves again, and started to walk towards the main walkway into Beacon….. a snowy white Beacon.

As they looked around, it appeared that all the green grass and trees were covered in snow along with all the buildings, including Ozpin's clocktower, which Gage smiled at as he looked at all the snow…. But he was soon interrupted.

Then, the couple spotted two silhouettes in the distance, but they were blocked out by the snowflakes that were being blown all over campus, along with the cold and icy winds droning out any other voices from being heard.

"Gage! Yang!"

The two things quickly started to run to both of them, and the sounds of horse shoes and boots were heard clacking against the frozen cement that was the main walkway…. As Green Bean and Ruby ran through the snow and stopped in front of Gage and Yang.

"Ruby? Beanie?" He asked them.

The small girl had her red hood over her head, but that quickly fell backwards as she put her hands in the air and ran to Gage while Beanie galloped to him as well, but the horse of course got there faster.

He took a few steps back, as Green Bean stopped in front of him, stood up on her hind legs, and neighed loudly while she flailed her front hooves for a few seconds before she landed back down on all fours and bit onto Gage's sleeve really hard.

"O-Ow! Hehe, yeah I missed you too Beanie!"

Ruby then caught up, and nearly crashed into him as she hugged Gage tightly and cheered for him, "*GASP!* Oh you're finally home Gage! Yaaaay!"

Yang laughed at all of them, and then he lifted Ruby up and hugged her as well while Beanie rubbed her head against his shoulder,

"Yeah i'm back! And sorry Beanie, I couldn't give you a warning. Sorta got knocked out for about a week….."

The horse snorted at him, still sounding cheerful as Gage hugged Ruby even as hard as Yang usually would. "And don't worry! I missed you too Rubles!"

"Hugh…. So… much… love…" She groaned quietly.

He then lowered her with a slight chuckle, but Ruby still had her arms wrapped around his neck as she smiled at him….. and blushed as she decided to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Yang smiled awkwardly as her and Gage eyes opened up a little bit more, and they both looked at each other before the small girl finally pulled away as her face was still red.

The couple both turned to her with a weird, but sort of funny look, which made her just nod her head at the two while she took a step back from her older sister's boyfriend,

"J-Just a little welcome back… thingy.. heh… a-anyway, is everything alright with you Gage? The arm and all…" Ruby asked him.

"Oh…. You know. Still getting use to it. Hopefully i won't be looked at too weirdly by the other students when I decide show it…." Gage answered.

"Well everyone's still in class right now I think. They just let me out to see you for a little bit, but then I have to get back there."

"Don't worry Ruby, i can see everyone else after class anyway."

She nodded again in response and then Yang hooked her arm around her boyfriend's and started to pull him towards campus,

"Well, then we should probably go head for your dorm Care-Bear. You don't want to have to unpack all your stuff by yourself now do you?"

"No…."

"Okay then let's go! Before it gets any colder!"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Inside of one of the Vale dorm bathrooms, one of the shower heads had just been turned off, but the steam had fogged up the bathroom mirror as gentle and wet footsteps were heard going across the tiled floor…. As a small giggled was heard.

Then, a hand met the mirror and wiped away the fog…. As a fully nude Cinder Fall looked into the mirror and hummed as she smiled, and removed the towel from her body, revealing her ample breasts.

Her bright bright eyes flashed brightly, and she closed her eyes as she ran her hand up her own wet body. It traveled up her stomach and her cleavage, her fingers skimming past one of her nipples before she skimmed her hand up to her neck….and let out a small moan…

"Aah…. "

A loud gasp came from her lips, and she exhaled again as she ran her hand through her own black wet hair before she looked at herself in the mirror again… grinning at her own curvy and nude figure.

She was smiling mostly because of her own beauty…. But a small portion of that joy was also because of all the ease and relief she had last month after seeing Gage, who she thought was a large threat, finally disappear from Beacon's halls. Yet… she would still think about him… at night… when she was alone…. And now, when she would be showering…

"Mmm…. How naughty of me… thinking of a ghost like him in this moment… while my nude body and breasts are exposed…. *sigh*... Why do the ones I find desirable always have to fight against me? Now I will have to grieve for him in silence along with that young and foolish blonde….."

Cinder let that thought linger…. But it only made her become angry at herself. So then she looked towards the towel rack and scoffed angrily at herself as she took a white blouse off of it and put it on, covering her nude figure from her neck down to her pale thighs.

"...Oh well. If he's alive then maybe I may have a chance to turn him against all of _them..._ whether he wants to or not."

She smirked again, and opened the door to the bathroom before she strutted over to her bed, her hips swaying with each step, and started to get dressed in her school uniform… In front of Mercury. As he laid on his own bed and was reading an issue of the X-Ray and Vav comic

"So Cinder….. I couldn't help but listen in on your little monologue in the bathroom…." He said with a grin

"Don't you start Mercury…."

"I'm not. It's just well… we have seen him for a month now, and that blonde isn't looking any happier. So I think it's safe to say that he isn't coming back."

Emerald then chuckled, as she was leaning against the window frame while she was on her scroll, and glanced at Cinder as she too smiled.

"And I saw all his little friends leave a week ago… all dressed up for something. Hehe…..maybe it was a funeral."

The black haired woman sighed, and looked down as she started to button up her blouse, and put her black school jacket over that,

"Good…. Now we can continue as planned until the time for Vytal festival is upon us…. And maybe we can start smaller fires along the way if we're given that option…~"

"Hmm….. huh? What the?"

Emerald smiled again, but soon she heard some commotion come from the base of the dorm building, so she poked her head out the window and looked down as she saw a medium sized group of students from below her….. crowding around something.

"Cinder…. There's something going on outside."

She thought for a moment, and decided that the dorm was feeling a bit boring…. So, Cinder felt intrigued by this.

"Hmm… well let's go have a look. Might as well try to fit in with the crowd while we're still posing as students…"

…

As Gage, Yang, Ruby, and Green Bean walked through the snowy courtyard and towards the Vale dorms…. Almost every student they passed stopped and looked at them.

At Gage mostly.

And eventually, they gained a pretty big following. And almost twenty students started to follow, and even more stopped and stood aside, watching as him and his friends would walk past them, all while whispers from the crowd could be heard.

" _H-He's back?"_

" _I thought he was dead…."_

" _Shit he's alive?!"_

" _How the hell…."_

" _Man…. There's going to be a lot of asses that he's going to have to kick…."_

Also, at the same time, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury exited the dorm building and tried to make their way through the crowd while the girls and boys continued to talk about…. Him.

Cinder growled, and started to push her way through the students, as did her other two lackeys, "Rrrgh! What is so important that it needs to be seen by everyone on campus?! Someone please tell me!"

Then, a random student looked back at her, and smiled as he opened his mouth, "That guy Gage is back!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah I know! He was on the news, and since he apparently lost his arm, everyone thought he died! …...And then almost every guy here started to try and flirt with his girlfriend Yang too….. CRDL…. And even that cool blue haired guy too… dont know why since he's with a Schnee though….. but now it'll be fun to see Gage fight all them!"

Mercury then growled too and and sneered as pushed the man hard, making him move out of the way so Cinder could walk past him, which she did, and finally reached the front of the crowd….. to see the Ghost walk right past her.

Gage was bowing his head as he walked, making a fist with his prosthetic hand as he raised his head up, and turned towards Cinder as Yang did as well…. Just as it felt like time had started to slow down.

Cinder's Amber eyes met with Gage's turquoise eyes for only one single soundless second….. and they became locked in each other's gaze. Hers appearing more frightful while he just looked like he wanted to completely cut her fucking head off, but in a very subtle way.

And then as Cinder watched them walk past her her…. Gage and Yang's eyes both flashed bright red at her as they walked. Gage's lasting only for a moment... while Yang's stayed that way.

"Beanie…. Go wait by the barn. I'll be there in a bit…."

Beanie obeyed and trotted away towards the snowy field, so Ruby tried to look away from the crowd and Gage and Yang soon turned their attention towards the entrance of the dorm building…. But then some boys from the crowd started to shout at them.

" _Hey Yang! I didn't know you were into amputees!"_

" _Yeah! That metal arm better be waterproof if you want him to 'fulfill your needs'!"_

The brawler immediately scowled at the two male students… and her eyes started appear like fire was erupting from them, just as the ends of her hair looked like they were set ablaze before she screamed at them,

"WELL YOUR SKULL BETTER BE LIFE-PROOF IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO CRUSH IT IN MY HANDS!"

She balled her fists very hard, and it looked like steam had emanated from her mouth and nostrils as she huffed, and her fiery outburst seemed to have melted every snowflake that was upon her clothes and hair, along with the snow that surrounded her… just as Gage's eyes also flashed red once again, which was unbeknownst to himself, but it made the crowd cower in fear because of the two lovers, including the two students.

"AND IF ANY OF YOU SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO _MY_ YANG AGAIN, THEN I'LL MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE MISSING A LOT MORE THAN JUST AN ARM!"

Gage yelled that at them, and Yang felt his hand lightly grasp her wrist and tug her gently towards the building. "Come on Taiyo-chan…. just come inside."

"But they-"

"They're idiots. Nothing more."

"*sigh* You're not wrong…"

He smiled, and reached for Yang's hand. Grasping it tightly before he decided to kiss her cheek gently. "It'll all be fine… now come on… it's getting cold…."

"Okay…"

The three turned back and entered the dorm building but made sure that the door was closed before they all started to head down the hall to the right, and towards Gage's vacant dorm.

Ruby stayed behind the group while he strayed a head of the two sisters, as Yang was holding his hand and followed from behind him, "You were on the news Gage…. The full story too... that's how they know about the arm…" the small girl admitted.

Gage bared his teeth, and took off the black glove that was covering his prosthetic arm and hand, throwing it on the ground as he huffed.

"So much for not wanting to attract too much attention to myself…. Fuckers…."

Then he looked at his girlfriend and quickly changed his attitude for her as she was frowning, and her eyes seemed like they were about to start watering,

"Just don't listen to them Yang….. it'll turn out alright..." He said to her.

"But it's not right Gage….. them saying things like that to us….. after all that we've been through….. it's so wrong…."

He stopped, and let Yang catch up with him so he could look her right into her frightening, yet beautiful glowing red eyes. "This world is wrong Yang. But still we live in it and love it…. Yet, that's why we're here at Beacon. To make it better!" He said.

Ruby smiled at his words due to old memories of her early days at Beacon, and soon her older sister grinned at him as well, mostly because of his optimism.

"And Christmas is right around the corner…." Yang added.

He then squeezed her hand, and started to walk at a faster pace as he saw that they were slowly approaching his dorm room.

"Exactly! The snow is already here, so that means that it's time for a crap ton of snuggling with you!"

"Hehe…. Yeah. I'd like that right now more than anything Care-Bear….."

The three then finally reached Gage's dorm, so he fished out his scroll and used the pass code on it to unlock the door. And Ruby opened the door for him, and so Gage entered.

And he smiled as he entered it.

He was very happy to see that the entire room had been cleaned since he last left! His computer screen and desk were shining, Noodle's food and water bowl had been cleaned and refilled while it was still next to the door, the two bunk beds had all been cleaned and the blankets were folded neatly, and his closest was organized along with all his dirty laundry, which had been clean.

Yang and Ruby both grinned at his expression, mostly because they were the ones that were responsible for this.

"It looks exactly how it did the first day I came here! *gasp* ...Holy shit my bed is neat for once!"

And suddenly, his and Yang's little pet ferret scurried out from under his bed and started to hop up, squeaking as it kept scratching at Gage's leg while the two sisters giggled at the blonde rodent.

"I missed you too Noodle, but let me enjoy my bed for a second!"

The Necromancer ferret whined cutely, and watched as Gage ran and jumped onto his bed, flopping onto his pillow as he groaned but soon sighed heavily afterwards, rolling over onto his back as he did.

He then closed his eyes and smiled again, which gave Yang the urge to join him, and jump onto the bed. Instead landing on top of him while she laughed and Ruby watched as Yang wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck and kissed his cheek gently before resting her head on his chest,

"Agh! Damn it Yang…. That hurt…." he groaned again.

"Hehehe! Sorry Gage but I can't wait anymore either!"

Noodle quickly hopped up on the bed and wiggled in between the two lovers, making Ruby smirk and take a step back towards the door, "Okay you two. I'm gonna go since i probably have to get back to class soon. So i'll talk to you later Gage!" She told them.

"Okay! Bye Ruby!" The couple replied.

"Bye!" And with that, the small rose waved at the couple while they cuddled for warmth and slipped through the door as she waved at them both, letting the door shut behind her.

So now, the two lovers were alone. In bed. The blonde brawler nuzzled against Gage's chest, so he decided to wrap his left prosthetic arm around her. Both still feeling cold from the harsh winds that were outside, but were slowly heating up thanks to the warmness of their bodies, and the factor of the general warmth of Yang's aura….. which he noticed that she was using.

"So why are you using your aura?" he asked her.

She smiled tiredly, and answered as she stared at her boyfriend dreamily, "To warm you up… and besides, it makes me tired anyway…"

"Well thank you Taiyo-chan... Your warmth will always be able to melt the coldness of this planet….. or something more poetic like that…" He replied, right before he yawned and pulled Yang closer to him while she giggled.

"At least you tried Care-Bear….."

"*exhale* Yeah…. Yeah I did….."

…

The couple decided to rest for the day, as they both took off their shoes and socks to try and relax even a bit more. Then a few more minutes passed as Yang deactivated her semblance and cuddled with Gage and Noodle as they both continued to talk about their days so far…. That lead up to their 'incident' in the courtyard

Yet… for Gage, it just couldn't fade away like that. So instead he looked up at the ceiling as he had his arm around his girlfriend….. and smiled,

"So did you see the looks on their faces?" He asked Yang.

"...Who?"

"Cinder and her two Syndicate lackeys." He said, trying to remind the tired blonde of the three enemies while she yawned.

"*yawn* Oh yeah they looked like they actually saw a real ghost…. Wait, what's the 'Syndicate' again?"

Her eyes drooped, so Gage brushed her hair lightly as she raised herself off of the bed and sat on top of his pelvis so she could hover above him as he answered her,

"Those humans that are working with the White Fang. So Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Torchwick, Neo, Etcetera."

"Oh….. them…. I guess they just want to make the world a lot more darker than it already is…" She said tiredly.

Gage also let his eyes close a little before he raised his metal hand up, and brushed it against Yang's cheek, "Well… we are 'Beacon's star couple'... so maybe we can show them how much a star's light can burn…"

Yang grasped his metal hand and smiled as she looked down at him and laughed, "Hehe, I think you used the word 'star' wrong there Gage..."

"*sigh*...Just give me this one Yang …i'm tired…"

She moved down closer to him and brushed his hair as she smiled and giggled at him once again, "Okay okay….."

Yang then grinned, and kissed Gage on the lips again but deeper than before, yet she pulled away from him quickly…. Just as he placed his arms around her neck and heard her speak again.

"I'm just glad that you're back…."

So, Gage grinned, and pulled her down into another deep kiss, making her Yang hum and shut her eyes blissfully… but then she grabbed onto his shoulders and pushed him down onto his pillow.

He chuckled as their kiss broke again…. Yet Yang's expression didn't change. Instead of looking at him dreamily, her eyes looked like they were blank… but still sparkled as she stared at him, and whispered,

"...You have no idea how happy I am…"

Gage's expression went blank as well…. And gazed into Yang's eyes right as she gasped and pounced on top of him, forcefully kissing him in the process, which made him wake up.

But then his eyes grew larger by the second as she started to kiss him repeatedly, and moaned as she grasped his shoulders tightly once again.

Yet, he closed his eyes, and laid there as he hummed and began to let Yang press her body down against his, and felt her tongue begin to swish around inside of his mouth, causing him to use his tongue as well while he slowly moved his metal hand on top of her shoulder…

"Yang…."

She shook his hand off, and moved her lips away as she quickly took her galaxy jacket off and threw it to the back of the bed, allowing Gage to see that she was wearing her yellow tank top under it as she grabbed onto one of his wrists and pinned it against the bed.

"Shh…" She whispered while she blushed lightly and placed a finger against Gage's lips. "Just relax…. and let me melt away those cold and empty feelings… by warming you up with my 'physical' charms…."

Nearly seconds later, she moved her free hand down and unbuttoned her boyfriend's jacket and ripped open his flannel before she unbuttoned her jeans, and let them slide down her legs a little, exposing her yellow panties and her pale and curvy thighs to Gage.

Then, she saw his mouth become agape, which allowed her to continue with her ravishing, as she forced herself back down to him, capturing his lips and making them both melt into the kiss slowly.

"Mmm…."

Their lips smacked multiple times as they were interlocked, prying their lips off of the other's before they would let out a small hot breath and lean in for yet another searing kiss, a process that would repeat itself every second, but would become deep and more passionate as time would pass.

Soon however, Gage found his hands caressing the blonde brawler's hips gently until he moved them back… and brushed them delicately against her buns, making her toes curl in pleasure as she moaned quietly, all while her hands were crushing his shoulders with the force of the lust that was fueling her, even to the point that she was rubbing her crotch against his pelvis because she felt his erection poke through his pants.

And as they went on, Noodle noticed their lewd actions and decided to scurry away from the two and rest under the pillow that Gage's head wasn't occupying, mostly because he noticed one of Yang's hands move down to her lover's waistline….. and impatiently started to tug on his belt.

"Mmph…. Yang… no need to rush right back into things…"

Yang giggled, and panted while she looked down at him, "*pant* Gage… the last time you were away from me, I was friskier than ever when you came back…. So you should have seen this coming.~" She purred.

"Yeah… probably should have…." He smirked.

"*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*"

They suddenly heard three loud bangs come from the front door which made them both jump and look back at the door just as the person behind it banged on it once again, but a lot harder and louder.

Yang growled, but soon pounced on her lover again and still continued to kiss Gage, hoping that the person at the door would just go away.

"*BANG!*"

She then groaned, hopped off of Gage and flopped onto the other side of the bed, groaning louder as she buried her head into the pillow that Noodle was hiding under,

"Ughhh…. The one time i wanted to ease into it….."

He just sighed with a smile, and brushed the back of Yang's head as he sat up from the bed and heard her whine while she buttoned up her pants again.

So, he got up, put Yang's galaxy jacket on top of her as she curled her toes again, except this time it was because of her frustration and anger.

"Poor Taiyo-chan….."

"Mmhm..." Yang mumbled.

That made Gage chuckle, so he got off of the bed, fixed up his shirt and belt, and walked to the door and opened it, expecting to see Ruby there because he thought she had forgotten her scroll or something because of how hard and loud the person behind the door was knocking.

He rubbed his eyes, and latched his hand onto the doorknob before he turned it, and opened the door slowly… although, the last person he expected to be there was on the other side of the door.

And that person… was Cardin Winchester.

He was standing tall and looking smug as usual, mostly because he wasn't in a wheelchair anymore… and because he heard about why Gage was in the hospital

However, Gage's grin turned into a mad glare as he closed the door a little bit and looked the bully in the eyes,

"Hey buddy! How about nice big hug for your old pal Cardin?!" He said as he tried to put his foot in the door.

Gage wasn't amused. "No. Now leave before me and Yang decide to put you in a wheelchair like before 'pal'." he hissed.

"Hahahaha! Such big talk from someone who's crippled for the rest of their life….."

He clenched his prosthetic hand tightly, and showed it to Cardin by flashing his new left hand and wrist as he gritted his teeth,

"I'm pretty sure this thing can break bones a lot easier than my actual hand Cardin, so I suggest that you back off."

Yang got up from the bed as she heard Cardin's name be whispered in a hushed tone by Gage, and she poked her head out from behind the door, immediately catching the bully's attention.

"Oh Yang I'm so THRILLED!" Cardin rejoiced with a scowl. But then he smirked and crossed his arms, "Can you please tell your 'man' to stop harassing me? I mean seriously, I got that whole mob to pour their hearts out to you while he was gone and all you did was crush their feelings! A bunch of kids that were stronger, and had more limbs than this asswipe! So did all that love mean nothing to you?!"

The brawler's eyes turned a blazing red once again and she shouted at Cardin as both of her Ember Celica gauntlets started to form atop her wrists, "Well unlike how your 'mob' thinks of me, I'M LOYAL TO GAGE AND I'LL ALWAYS LOVE HIM! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM!" She screamed.

Gage flinched at her words, partly because of how she said she'll always love him, but the other half was because of this… 'mob' of Cardin's that she mentioned, as he hasn't even heard about it yet.

"Yang…. What's this 'mob' he's talking about?" He asked her.

"Oh she didn't tell you? Hehe, Maybe she did like it…" Cardin chuckled to himself as he put his hand to his sides, and balled them into fists. "Well it's exactly what I just told you…. And even that little blue haired kid with the Schnee decided to join in as well!"

Gage looked back at his girlfriend, and saw that….. her eyes were watering, yet she was still glaring at the bully just as her hair looked like it had caught on fire again,

"I was tormented! Day in and day out for a month! That's why i would always leave after classes to visit my Care-Bear! To love him, and escape the thirst of the people that are like you Cardin!"

He laughed at Gage and basically ignored her fueling rage, and the fact that he was outnumbered. "Ha! Nice nickname 'Care-Bear'!" The man then took a step forward towards Gage, and looked him dead in eyes as the failed homewrecker lifted his arm in an stance to throw a punch,

"I have a really good nickname you could call me after I kick the shit out of Gage. And guess what that is Yang? …Hehe, it's 'Daddy'!"

The bully then went in for a hit towards Gage's chin….. which connected with his face and made him stumble back a few feet as he snarled.

Yang immediately retaliated by clocking Cardin right in the nose with one of her fiery fists, making him also stagger back….. just as Gage raised his head back up, spat out some blood onto the floor, and went back for a returning blow.

Cardin had not seen him move towards himself, so he growled and attempted to hit Yang with a left hook to her face… however, that attempted was quickly thwarted, as Gage caught his fist with his bionic hand and slowly began to crush it.

"...*pant*...No Cardin, the only nickname you're getting today from the two of us….. is the word, 'Bitch'."

Gage then clamped his metal fist down onto the bully's hand with a loud crack and pop, which was accompanied by Cardin screaming as he held his wrist, and tried to pull away.

He struggled and groaned as he felt blood start to drip down from his knuckles, just as Yang jabbed him in the gut, and quickly socked him in jaw right after the first hit, which pushed him towards the wall…. And that was when Gage went ballistic.

He grabbed onto the sides of Cardin's head, and slammed him into the wall, right as he used his metal hand to try and crush his skull as he roared at the bully.

"GRRRAAAAAH!"

Yang just stopped there and watched as her boyfriend snarled like an animal and continued to try and crush Cardin's head like a watermelon, but soon she ran her hand up Gage's back, which made him huff… and loosen his grip, but not before he threw the bully's head back into the wall, creating a huge crack to form in the wooden surface.

Then Cardin winced, and slid down onto the floor as his head and hand were both bleeding, and watched as Gage stood in his view and looked down at him. His expression clearly showing that he had no remorse for the man on the floor.

"*pant* *pant* …...If I EVER hear you try and knock on Yang's dorm... or mine, then i'll make sure that you stay in a wheelchair for the rest of your life!" Gage threatened him.

The blonde girl grabbed onto her lover's hand and started to pull him back inside of the dorm room as her eyes turned back to their normal color, but Gage glanced back at Cardin one last time before he went inside…

"Oh, and that 'mob' that you're in charge of? They're going to ask me if i'm back, and i didn't really have an answer! But now? ...Yeah, i'm thinking i'm back, bitch!"

"F... Fuck you….." The bully groaned before he fell unconscious and flopped onto the floor.

And with that, The couple went back inside their dorm and locked the door. Then, they both sighed heavily before they both went over to the bed they were snuggling in earlier and sat down on it.

Noodle came out from under one of the pillows and jumped into Yang's arms immediately, so she cradled the ferret gently… as she let her head rest against Gage's shoulder,

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about them Gage, i…. I just didn't want you to have to worry about me too much… *exhale* …..Because you're going through so much already…."

He smiled weakly at her, and put his arm around her as he looked out his window, while she scooted closer to him, "Yang….. you know that i'd just want you to be happy before myself….. and then that way you could cheer me up. By being your usual cheerful self." He said, making her blush slightly.

Yang grinned, but still continued. "Gage…. I need to start learning how to take care of myself…. And you. Because then, that whole promise on taking care of each other would be completely one sided if i didn't do my part in it….."

He saw her grin, so Gage looked at her for a few seconds before he kissed her cheek to tease her, "*smooch* ...You already are Taiyo-chan! You kept fighting against that mob that wanted to try and split us apart, and you stood up for me while I probably wouldn't have been able to do anything. So It's still a start." He replied.

"Well i'm glad you think so Care-Bear…. *sigh* ...it was just so….. ridiculous."

Gage squinted his eyes at her while he petted Noodle, "Ridiculous? What do you mean by that?"

"...I mean…. There were so many boys….. and like you heard, even Neptune… and they just asked _me_ how I was doing… they didn't want to hear about you, and It was almost like they didn't even care about you either….." She answered him.

Yang then turned her body towards Gage, and he felt her move and sit in his lap bridal style as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his chest once again, but this alarmed him… as she would always want to be held by him like that when she would feel frightened or uneasy….

"it's that bad huh?" He asked as he brought her closer.

"Mmhm…."

Gage just chuckled to himself and looked Yang in the eyes once again, trying to make her focus only on him in this moment, "Hehe, well… I guess i'm your Odysseus…. Or something like that." He said.

Yang became confused. "My 'Odysseus'? What's that?" She asked him.

"It's an old story about this guy named Odysseus. After some big war, he was trying to get back home for along time, but when he finally got back he saw that all these men were trying to get with his wife, so he fought off all the suitors and won!"

Yang looked back into his eyes as well, and tightened the grip of her arms that were around his neck,

"Nerd….. hehe, kidding. Maybe now they'll all know to back off of me now after they hear about what you did to Cardin….. and then, me and you could finally start spending the holidays together in peace….."

He then let out a deep breath and fell back on the bed, so she smiled again and fell back with him, resting her head on his chest as he brushed her hair gently,

"Yeah…. Things will get better Yang… I'm sure of it."

"...You really think so?"

"*squeak!*"

He nodded once again and let Noodle also jump onto his stomach and curl into a little ball, "Yeah. And….. I want to focus just on you this month. Because I don't see anything else that's more important than your well being."

Yang immediately raised her head up from his chest and nearly crushed his body as she sat on his pelvis again and hovered over Gage. "...Really?!" She asked him with some excitement in her voice.

"Mmhm! You need to relax after everything that we've gone through. So I'm gonna try and make all your Christmas wishes come true… and i'll make sure that I'll do something else special for you too Yang…"

She smirked, becoming even more impatient and curious of his plans, "...Something special? Like what?"

Although… he couldn't answer that yet, as he himself did not know if his secret idea was the right thing to do… but still, he'd have to think about it more before he could decide if… He wanted to pop the question or not.

"Uh… don't worry about it right now okay? You'll see soon Yang…. Really soon. I promise."

Yang just sighed and raised Gage's hands up so she could intertwine their fingers again before smiled happily as usual, "*sigh*...Okay….. but…. Let me say it in advance first alright?"

"Hmm. Say what in advance?" He asked her.

She then finally leaned down towards him, and kissed him deeply on the lips once before she sniffled, and closed her eyes as she hugged him with all her strength…

"*sniffle* …..Thank you."


	4. Yang's Dream Come True

**Author's Note:** Hey all! Back with what I believe will be a very very special chapter right here, as I have been wanting to write this one ever since Gage & Yang's first night in bed together, not because this is suppose to be unique or something….. but because it's going to be a very special one for Yang…. Which you're all about to see 3

 **Song:** Courage By Haruka Tomatsu

…

It was the middle of the night.

Yang was in her own bed in Team RWBY's dorm room… alone and asleep, but she was tossing, turning, and whimpering in silence as she was once again having another recurring episode of hearing voices in her head… that would remind her of the moment Gage… 'died'... as it seemed like something that just would not stop haunting her memories...

" _Maybe then… I won't be a ghost any longer."_

 _"Gage….. it was my job to take care of you…. To do my part and i-"_

" _Yang... We…. Were suppose to take care... of each other….. and we did…"_

 _"...I'll always be with you…. Forever…"_

" _GAGE! Gage talk to me please! I…. I NEED YOU!"_

" _Gage? GAGE!"_

 _"*gasp*...*gasp*...*gasp*...Gage! *gasp*...WAKE UP!"_

"*gasp!* AAAAAAH!

Soon however, Yang woke up with a scream as she sat up off of her bed, grabbed onto her pillow that was shaped like a dog's face, and threw it towards the door as she whimpered again, and small tears began to roll down her cheeks.

She then sniffled for a few seconds before she held the sides of her head and bowed her head down, glancing towards her open window as she tried to make herself calm down.

However, when she looked out that window… she expected to see Gage there. Even though it was snowing… and the fact that he said he was going to come up there with her about an hour and a half earlier before she fell asleep…

 _"Y-Yeah. I-I'll stay right outside. In that tree every night. J-Just for you!"_

Yang remembered when Gage had said that to her… it was during the first night they spent together in bed… cuddling and snuggling for warmth and sleep, as it seemed that was what both of them were lacking… yet, all that changed after that night, as they had found each other, and made those needs become a factor of their love.

She reminisced about that for a few minutes before she wiped her tears, even though they kept flowing, and hopped down from her bed… and stood in front of the open window. Feeling cold and alone at the sight of him not being in his usual tree branch.

"*sniffle*…..Sorry…."

She said that to no one in particular. But… to him in a way, mostly because he wouldn't want to see her like this… a beautiful girl like her crying during the dusk of night without him… he would want to help her stop by hugging… and squeezing her so the tears would stop…

"*sniffle* ….You better not be asleep…."

And as she said that, Yang slowly lifted up her blankets and climbed down from her bed, dressed only in her yellow tank top and black short shorts as usual, and walked towards her dorm's front door while she picked up her dog pillow and hugged it tightly. Then she grabbed onto the door handle and turned it before she opened the door and left, shutting it behind herself.

She had decided to head towards Gage's dorm… however, her tears still kept flowing as she went down the hall… and down the stairs… In need of his love…

…

After a few minutes, Yang arrived at his front door as the sound of his shower head turning off could be heard, so she tried to wipe her eyes clean of any wet tears before she knocked, so he wouldn't ask… even though she really wanted for him to hug her in this moment.

She just stood there, and kept repeating the action of wiping her eyes cleanly as she held her dog pillow against her stomach cutely until she found the strength to try and hold her waterworks back… and raise her closed hand towards the door so she could knock on it.

And then… she did.

"*knock!* *knock!* *knock!*"

Yang knocked around three times, and put her hands around her dog pillow shortly after she heard some footsteps come through from the other side…. And then, the door finally squeezed open a little bit, and Gage poked his head through before he decided to open the door all the way after he saw that Yang was there.

He was wearing nothing except his brown pants and socks, and he had his prosthetic arm on as well, but his body was still wet from taking a shower while his hair was dried… which made Yang blush a little.

"Mmm…. Oh. Sorry Yang... I guess I took a little bit longer in the shower than I thought I would-W…..Wait, Yang are you okay?"

He then saw her…. And became concerned at the sight of her shiny wet eyes, so he took a step towards her and looked her right in the eyes as he brushed some bangs out of away from her beautiful lilac saucers, and she looked down at the floor sadly as she sniffled,

"*sniffle*...Yeah I'm alright... I just had a bad dream again. So… can we stay in here tonight Care-Bear?"

Gage was nearly paralyzed by her cuteness, and nodded, opening the door completely as he gestured for her to come inside the darkroom, "Y-Yeah. Of course Yang. Whatever you want."

Yang smiled back at him, and let a single tear fall from her eyes again as she entered and kissed him on cheek, "*sniffle*...Thank you."

Her small and cute act then made him blush too in response as she passed him and walked towards the bed, hugging her dog pillow as she wiped her eyes again.

"I'm sorry Yang…. Showers just do things to me I guess." He apologized.

Yang just giggled at him and sniffled as she threw her pillow onto the right side of Gage's bed and lifted up his blanket before she sat on the right side and looked back at him,

"No… *sniffle* ...It's okay, hehe. I should have just stayed in here and taken that shower with you…."

Gage put on his usual black shirt and went over to his side of the bed as he frowned and looked at Yang, "Well, expect me to get breakfast for you tomorrow as an apology..." He said, lifting the blanket up on his side of the bed.

"Thank you….. *sniffle* ….again. " Yang said as she laid her head down onto her pillow and moved the blanket over herself while she watched him.

He slid onto the bed, right behind her and covered himself with the blanket as well before he spoke, "i'd do anything to make you happy Yang… you know that…."

Yang smiled, and turned away from him as she laid on her side and rested her head on her dog pillow again… and used her right hand to grip it's edge as she sighed happily and sniffled,

"*sniffle* ...Yeah….. I do…."

Gage then moved closer to his lover as he pressed his chest against her back, skimmed his right hand up her arm until he could place his hand on top of hers, which was still gripping the edge of her pillow, and then at last…. He used his left prosthetic arm to lift the blanket over the two of them before he slipped the metal hand gently under her left side… and wrapped it tightly around her stomach. It's cold metal surface being pressed against the warm silky skin of her exposed midriff…

Yang gasped quietly and blushed even more as she felt Gage sniff her hair and pull her closer towards himself… mostly because it was very surprising for him to do.

"...Is this okay?" He asked as he leaned in close enough to whisper into her ear.

The feeling of him spooning her brought warmth to her heart… and other places, but it caused her to move her body back even further…. To the point where she felt her toes touch the front end of his feet…

"Don't let go of me Gage… it's perfect…"

He smiled, and laughed as he felt Yang move their intertwined fingers closer to her head as it rested on her pillow… at the exact same moment that she smiled back, closed her eyes, and unknowingly let her hair start to glow gold due to her happiness…

"Heh… Okay I won't….. I promise…"

Gage quickly used that brief moment to lunge forward and kiss the back of Yang's neck… making her moan quietly as she bent her head backwards in pleasure, allowing him to grin again and whisper to her once more,

"Goodnight Yang… I love you….. "

He then pressed his head against the back of her neck, and let the feeling of his pillow against his head and Yang's golden locks tickling his nose sooth him into a state where he could close his eyes and attempt to rest peacefully.

And Yang let out another sigh, and closed her eyes while she moved their intertwined fingers even closer to her head again as his prosthetic arm's grip around her stomach became even tighter…. All while the tune of her lover's breathing began to lull her to sleep like a gentle lullaby,

"I love you too Gage… Goodnight…."

…

A about half an hour already passed… and it was the dead of night… yet, Yang still had not fallen asleep. She grew tired, but still her eyes would droop instead of closing completely shut… all because she felt Gage's metal hand drift downwards and caress her stomach, as he too was trying to fall asleep

However, she would just stare tiredly at his metal hand…. because for some reason It would just keep reminding her of the night she watched her lover die… and it just would keep repeating over and over inside her mind like a movie that was stuck on an endless loop.

Gage... laying there on the stretcher… pale… covered in his own blood while dried tears still stained his cheeks… and that was when she remembered his severed arm. Wrapped in her own orange infinity scarf, the image of it turning completely red from his blood just kept repeating…. And then she remembered the struggle of washing all the blood out of it after his ordeal… which made her sick.

Her eyes shot open, and she tried to let the feeling of Gage spooning and squeezing her tightly make her forget about all the bad memories and help her sleep… but the feeling of that cold metal arm against her stomach made it unbearably hard…

"He's okay… He's okay… He's okay… He's okay… He's…. *sniffle* H-H… He's…. *gasp*... Not….."

Gage then groggily opened his eyes, as he could hear her whispers and her breathing become louder before she tried to hold her breath to prevent herself from waking him up…. But that was far out of the question now… as Yang couldn't hold back the tears. So, she let one fall and roll across the bridge of her nose as she was lying sideways, and it dripped downwards onto the top of Gage's hand since his was lying on top of hers….

And he felt it. Just as she let out a shaky breath and started to sob quietly, Which made him wake up and hold onto her as he kissed the back of her neck again and tried to whisper to her… as he knew why she was crying,

"Yang. It's okay-"

Yang immediately let go of Gage's hand and growled as she turned around to face him with her sparkling and teary lilac eyes while the moonlight made them shine brightly

"*sniffle* ...No it's not!" She yelled.

Gage's eyes went wide, and he scooted back a little once he saw that she was crying once again, and that the tears seemed like they could not stop coming out of her as she went on,

"I…..Thought that...… *gasp* ….that you were actually going to…..-"

But soon he used both of his hands to grab onto Yang's right hand as he scooted towards her, and looked her straight in the eyes as she gasped and nuzzled her head against his neck…. In fear of the dark.

"Yang….. it's Oh-kay. I'm still here… I'm still laying right here in this bed, right next to you…"

Then, Gage placed a hand under her chin and raised Yang's head up, making her look him in the eyes right as he lunged forward and kissed her deeply on the lips. She at first let her eyes shoot open as she blushed and breathed into him… but then she melted into the kiss and let her eyes flutter as her tears continued to roll down her soft cheeks before she gasped and felt him break the kiss,

"...And I love you. I always will. You're my drive…. My one reason…. And so much more than I can think of…" He whispered.

Yang still just gasped and cried silently… while she lifted their blanket higher so it covered her mouth and shoulders, but Gage didn't allow it, as he lowered the blanket from her face and caused her to press her head against his chest and sob as she grasped his shoulders tightly.

"I…. *gasp* ….love…. *gasp* ….you too Gage! S...So much that I… *gasp* …..I….. *gasp* ….I want us to….. *sniffle* leave this place together….. grow old and….have a little baby together…. start a life together….. *gasp* …...and even then I wouldn't want you to let go of me!"

His eyes grew huge as hugged her with all his strength, and moved his hand up her back so he could brush the back of her head while she kept gasping, and he whispered into her ear once again as she buried her head into his chest,

"And I wouldn't want to let go of you Yang." He replied as he stared at his teary eyed lover. "The only way that I'd ever do that, is if someone cuts my other arm off and drags me away as I scream for you..."

Yang still sobbed into his chest, and gasped loudly before she looked up into Gage's eyes and couldn't stop the tears as much as she was trying to fight them….. but then he kissed her cheek once as a tear rolled down her cheek again.

"I am never going to let go of you... so just look at me. I'm here. I'm right here in your arms, holding you… trying my best to hug and kiss those tears away."

She let out a shaky breath just as another tear streamed down from her eyes…. But then Gage smiled and kissed it as it went down her cheek.

He then just started to pepper her cheeks with soft and small kisses, which made Yang smile tearfully, so he pulled away and kissed her other cheek repeatedly in an attempt to cheer his crying lover up, and dry her tears.

"See? Its working hehe. So just keep staring into my eyes… and hug your teddy bear as hard as you want…"

She then sniffled, and nuzzled her head against his neck while he just brought her in for another hug, which she soon fully embraced, as she sobbed lightly again and decided to lunge at him,wrapping her legs and arms around his body like a boa constrictor, which he didn't mind at all, but then she giggled… and started to cry soon after.

"Heh… *sniffle* …..But Gage, *gasp* ...the last time I was staring into your beautiful eyes... *sniffle* ...they closed soon after…. And then… you let out your last breath… and I was so scared... *gasp* ...that I was going to have to sleep in a dark room alone for the rest of my life….. without you! And... *gasp* ….I don't want that!"

Yang pressed her body against his as hard as she could while she wailed and wetted the front of his shirt with her tears…. But then Gage grabbed onto her thighs and pulled her closer as he kissed her on the lips again and felt the strength of her legs and arms begin to slowly crush his spine, yet he still hugged her back just as hard before he moved his hand up her side and brushed her hair gently as he spoke again,

"Yang... That's not going to happen….. If the stars all fall… and there's no more light… then our love should conquer…. And i'll always make sure that you are alright…."

He then reached for their blanket, and wrapped it around them both gently, covering Yang's body as she sniffled and let Gage press his forehead against hers and kiss her lips as she tried to close her eyes and cry herself dry,

"...So don't you worry about the dark…"

All his words did was make Yang feel like her silent sobbing was to become never-ending, but she just wanted to fall asleep in her lover's arms… even if she was to cry herself to sleep… she wouldn't care as long as it was with him. In his bed.

"*sniffle* ….Gagey…. *gasp*..."

But soon, she began to nearly bawl her eyes out as she dove in for another kiss with Gage's soft and gentle lips, and he moved forward into a kiss. Their lips immediately locked as his arms reached around both her thighs again to pull her in closer, her warm lips, hot breath, and silky legs giving him even more warmth as she squeezed and slowly made out with him.

Uncontrollably, Gage's tongue extended into her mouth, gently caressing her mouth with it as Yang's arms weakened and her eyes were half-open as she sniffled, and let out some soft moans and low gasps from under her breath while her watery red eyes sparkled beautifully.

Yang's warm tongue coiled around his while they heatedly swapped breath and saliva with each other… which surprised Gage completely, as he just followed her lead with his eyes wide open…. Until she broke the kiss suddenly and gasped loudly once again,

"*gasp* …..I… I'm sorry Gage i'm… *gasp* ...just so-"

"Shh…. it's okay Yang… you don't need to be sorry..." He cut her off, making her shush while she sniffled again and felt her body tremble as he pulled her legs along with the rest of her body as close to his own figure as he could... warming her up for once instead as she grasped his shoulders and continued to weep loudly into his chest, "It's okay… it's okay..…. I'm right here… and i'm not going anywhere ever again without you…. I promise…"

"N-No!" She cried out. Yang then shut her eyes and nuzzled her head against Gage's neckline, "Don't promise me that…... Because... *sniffle* ...I know that we're going to be a little bit distant once…. *sniffle* ...you get your team….. "

Gage's mouth surprisingly hung agape, but then he exhaled and brushed his hand against her thigh gently, "Then what do you want me to promise you?" He asked her.

"*sniffle* …...I…. I want you to promise me…. *gasp* ...that you won't ever scare me like that again Care-Bear….. please..." She answered.

He watched her closely….. like a crying puppy almost, but he could tell that she was serious about this… so, even though he was thinking that he seriously wouldn't be able to keep this promise, both as a joke and not as one…. it sure as hell wouldn't stop him from trying. For Yang…

"Okay…..Okay…. I won't Yang…. Never again, I promise."

"Thank….. *gasp* ….you!" She gasped.

Her eyes began to glow red as more tears started to fall…. Yet, half were from joy… while the others were not, causing Gage to embrace the blonde brawler, his lover, to the fullest extent as she gasped and sniffled uncontrollably, but in the gentle and loving arms of the love of her life as he gave her a massive bear-hug….

"it's alright… just let it out….. and don't be afraid…. because I'm never going to let go of you Yang….. you're my first one true and only love… and i love you so much…. That i….. I want to try and spend all our days together….. each and every single day… together….. for the rest of our lives… until the end of time…."

Yang's body and voice then trembled once again, but then finally closed her eyes in an attempt to cry herself to sleep… in his loving arms, "*gasp* …..No Gage… i….. i want it to be forever….."

And that… made Gage confident enough to finally close his eyes as well, all while he brought Yang closer into what felt like an infinite embrace…. That he did not want to end. Ever.

"Hehe… okay then….. forever…. i'll make sure that it lasts forever…."

…

 **The Next Day…**

...

Yang was now asleep in Gage's bed.

It was nearly seven o'clock in the morning, as the sky was grey, and the temperature was freezing along with the snow that was outside… and it made the blonde want to curl up against her lover as she slept, so Gage wrapped her up in their blanket and made sure that she was sleeping snugly and comfortably.

Soon however…. She opened her eyes and raised herself off of the bed as she sniffled and rubbed her eyes….. as she looked onto the other side of the bed and saw that Gage wasn't lying there next to her.

"Gagey?"

"*knock!* *knock!*"

She suddenly heard someone knock on the door twice lightly, so she looked over and watched as Gage entered the dorm room wearing a tan hoodie and some brown pajama pants… but he wasn't wearing his prosthetic since his left sleeve was tied up, and he was holding a tray with some freshly made french toast and bacon on it.

"Morning Goldilocks….. sleep well?" He asked with a smile.

Yang placed one hand onto the mattress and sat up from it as she watched Gage walk to in slowly and sat down at the foot of the bed, placing the tray of food in her lap as she smiled and moved the strap of her tank top back onto her shoulder blade before she looked back at her boyfriend dreamily.

"You got me breakfast… like you said you would…"

He laughed, "Yeah well…. I thought it'd be romantic…. And something we could share too, hehe.."

Yang sniffled tiredly, and scooted closer to Gage as he reached for her hand slowly and held it as she… frowned and looked down at her food,

"Gage…. I'm sorry about last night….. I….. i-"

He immediately just smiled at her again and glanced towards her with a smile on his face while he squeezed her hand, "*sigh* …Yang. It's alright. You were tired… and scared. You just… needed to let it out. I mean… I did the same when we first got together….. so there's no need to be sorry. You're only human after all…." Gage sighed as he cupped her cheek with his only hand.

She smiled back at him, and blushed as she reached and pulled his hand down slowly, eventually growing the urge to place their hands on the bed slip her fingers against his as she held his hand,

"Hehe…. Well for what it's worth, thank you for last night Care-Bear… it was just so hard being away from you every night…"

"You're welcome Yang-"

Then, she quickly interrupted him as she looked back up into his eyes with a pleading stare, "W-Wait! A-And….. and I also wanted to say that….. a...all those things that I said last night… about… me wanting us to graduate… and have a baby together….. I…. I….. I…. Meant it. E-Every word." The blonde admitted with a stutter.

Gage heard her as she spoke… and he looked at her as his turquoise eyes seemed to glow with glee while he grinned and nearly crushed every bone in her hand just as he let out a shaky breath.

"G...G-Good. Because…. It's what I want too!, I mean…. I made a promise to spend the rest of my life with you, so that means that it'll forever be my job to make whatever wish and dream that you have come true."

Her blush only deepened, "G-Gage-" However, he chuckled, and rubbed the back of his head. Making her stop herself from stuttering even more while he tried to continue,

"But…. That's just not it Yang, because last night sorta…. Reassured me of something i've been wanting to do….. that… special thing that I told you about earlier. It's a question…. A really important question that i've been wanting to ask you."

Yang became curious, and moved her plate of food onto the nightstand that was next to their bed before she leaned forward and looked Gage dead in the eyes, "It's okay Gage. Ask me it. Whatever it is i'll answer truthfully!" She said confidently with a smirk.

"...You're sure that you want me to?" He asked her.

"Yes!"

"Okay… but Yang….. just know that despite whatever answer you give me, i'll always love you."

That last remark made Yang start to worry at his intentions, but she knew it was too late to say no, as Gage had already began to think out his words carefully before he decided to speak his mind,

"So… ever since that night at Hilltop that we spent together, the night we… made that promise to each other… and whether it was for just a few seconds… or for hours on end, every night i'd just keep thinking of the future… and how the only thing I see myself doing is spending my life with you. And now… after what you said last night…. I've just wanted to know if…...…. I-If-"

She saw him gulp just as his face started to glow red like hers, but a very darker shade of red, which caused an anxious grin to form across her lips, "If what?" She asked with her huge sparkling eyes being prominent.

Gage then took in a deep breath and looked like he was about to collapse from anxiety, as he began to sweat and ran his hand through his own hair while he felt his face begin to become lighter in color….. but deep down he had to tell her. It was what he wanted anyway…. To spend the rest of his life with Yang.

So…. He exhaled, and grabbed a hold of her hand as he got up from the bed and stood in front of her, looking deep into her lilac eyes while he sighed… and found his courage once again,

"Yang….I….. was thinking that maybe… once all of this business with The White Fang, The Collectors, and The Syndicate is said and finally done… then….. maybe…... m-maybe me and you c-could… get married..."

Yang's gaze immediately unraveled as she blinked twice and looked up at Gage in silence while she didn't notice that her eyes were welling up with tears of joy due to her disbelief that he had just... proposed.

"W….*sniffle*...What...-"

"Y-Yeah….. it's sorta hard to believe since…. You know, i'm empty handed…. S-So here…. *sniffle* ….let me try again hehe…."

He then laughed…. and decided to get on one knee as he held her hand, and she used her other one to cover her mouth as she gasped and watched him look up at her while his eyes began to water a bit as well,

"...Yang Xiao Long….. Will you marry me? ….in the distant future?"

His blonde lover's lilac eyes grew larger than Gage has ever seen before, and she sniffled as she lowered her hand from her mouth, and placed it on her heart while the tears began to fall from her eyes uncontrollably… just as she unknowingly gave the most joyful smile to her lover….. and finally answered. As a single tear fell from her cheek.

"*sniffle*...Okay!"


	5. The Usual Same Old: Part One

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the sort of late update, but hahaha! I was honestly thinking of removing that last chapter for a few hours after it got a lot of views in honor of April fools day…. But I decided not to. Worked hard on all that snuggle/cuddle stuff. So… yeah. Gage and Yang are kinda sorta engaged now! Yayyy! AND HOLY SHIT RVB 14 AND CHIBI RWBY! TAIYO-CHAN AND RUBY-CHAN WILL BE SO KAWAII!

*clears throat*

Sorry hehe….. had to get that out. And hopefully it wasn't an April fool's joke XD. Now go down and read the new chapter! There's some new things in store for Gage now!

 **Another Disclaimer:** Any song I mention or lyrics I use belong to their own respective bands and are their property. Just wanted to get that out of the way because I never did before.

 **Song:** …

…

"*exhale*"

Gage turned off the shower head and stepped out of the tub before he put on some boxers, and dried his hair and facial scruff with a light green towel, but he had to use his one hand.

He shook his head in an attempt to dry it, and then he used his towel to clean off the steam from the glass of the mirror as he looked at himself and let out a heavy breath.

"Taiyang is going to hate me for sure now….. and probably murder me in my sleep when he finds out…. but I don't care. As long as Yang is smiling and happy, i'll be fine….. and it seems like I did a good job of doing that…"

It's been two days since he..… proposed to Yang, and ever since then she's been happier than ever. Mostly because of the fact that her boyfriend wasn't in the hospital any more, and because she kept thinking of their future together.

Gage then saw that his prosthetic was lying next to sink, so he picked it up off of the counter and he inserted his stump into it until the tip of it met with the end of the metal slot, causing the small metal ring to form and separate from the armor band that covered the metal bicep.

It traveled up the black mesh and spinned until it stopped on the corner of the sleeve, and shrunk, allowing it to squeeze tightly around his skin, which set it in place, and made him wince since he felt the sting of his metal arm being neurologically recognized as a part of his body.

"*sharp inhale* …...Fuck. That's going to get really annoying isn't it? Oh well…."

After that, he put on his usual black shirt and brown pants which were neatly folded on his towel rack, and then he exited the bathroom.

Throwing his towel on top of his bed as he went and decided to sit on his side and put on some black socks before he laid back on his bed and glanced at the picture frame that was on his nightstand.

It was the photo of him and Yang in the forest at Hilltop, surrounded by the fireflies as they embraced each other, and he looked at it for only a second before his eyes darted towards his prosthetic arm and caused him to focus on that instead…

"*sigh*"

Gage sighed, and blinked once as he tilted his head and decided to look out his window with a blank stare. Thinking of the question that he asked her a few days ago… mostly about how it made her become filled with happiness, but only made him become filled with fear and anxiety….. and a small bit of remorse as well.

"It's not that I regret doing it….. but it's because i'm scared of something going wrong… and she's left scarred and haunted by this….. by me… for the rest of her life…" He thought.

Yet… he just couldn't get the image of her joyous and happy smile when he proposed to her out of his head… and just thinking about it, and it made him sit up from his bed while rubbed the bridge of his nose as he exhaled loudly and spoke to himself, aloud.

"*exhale* ….I know that i've said it a lot, especially to Yang… but that's not going to happen….."

He then smiled at his picture frame, and turned his head to the right to see that his sage leather jacket had been folded neatly and placed on the bed right next to him, so he sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I should probably get dressed and get something to eat…. Take my mind off of some things…" he said to himself once again.

Gage looked at his jacket… and grabbed onto it's shorter sleeve for a second before he suddenly felt what seemed like a very painful electrical shock course through his veins…. As he flinched and he heard some very familiar voices inside of his head.

 _"Mmhm….. you're a ghost…... just like me now..."_

 _"...I may seem innocent… but I keep… what I steal….~"_

" _There's two of us in here now… two minds… to save them all."_

" _...Gagey….~"_

He heard the voices and shut his eyes as they stopped for a brief second… and that's when he saw that his hand was grasping the left sleeve of his jacket tightly. So, he started to pant and immediately shook his head as a response, and made a sort of stupid decision to pretend like nothing had just happened….. and that was just as he glanced at his closet and continued to take in shallow breaths,

"*pant* *pant* ….You know what? It's winter now…. Which means that it's going to get a lot colder…... so….. I think it's time for a new outfit!"

And without any other distractions, Gage got up, and waved his prosthetic arm at his scroll before he flicked two of his fingers towards it, as he remembered that his arm had a direct user interface with any Atlas manufactured tech with the wave of his hand….. so then, his scroll turned on, and the song _Sharp Dressed Man_ by _ZZ Top_ began to play as he smiled and clenched his metal hand.

"...I know it's a bad thing to say, but I think I'm starting to like this arm already!"

He then took his sage bandana off of his leather jacket and tossed it onto his bed before he walked to his closet, and opened it and looked through it as the song played,

~Clean shirt… new shoes…. And I don't know where I am going to…. Silk suit… black tie… and I don't have a reason why…~

The first things he saw that in his closet that interested him were a pair of black leather fingerless gloves, his old brown skate shoes, a brown leather belt that had a revolver holster connected to it….. And a black leather suede jacket with a dark green hood that had a special symbol on the back of it.

More specifically, the symbol was a simple green leaf with a brown stem, but there was a crack in the center of the leaf, which was colored white.

So then, Gage pulled all four items out of his closet and threw them on the bed as he smirked and let out a relaxing sigh

"*sigh*...Time to for a little change up…"

…

Moments later, Gage came out of his dorm room fully dressed with the same smirk as he held Mistletoe with one hand and had Javix and a set of throwing picks in the other.

First, he looked down at his shoes and stomped them against the ground to hear the clacking of the spokes that he had attached to the back of his brown skate shoes, since he liked them so much when they were attached to his brown boots. They also had been cleaned, the fronts and sides were polished, and some duct tape had been wrapped around his right shoe to cover a hole which was ontop of it, which made him laugh on the inside.

Secondly, he placed his set of throwing picks neatly in a few bullet slots that were on the back of his new brown belt before he placed Javix, which was in it's revolver form, inside of the revolver holster that was hanging above his right thigh, atop the fabric of his brown pants.

Then, he put only one of the black leather fingerless gloves he picked out on his right hand while his metal one remained uncovered, and then he put on his new black suede jacket over his black shirt and left it unbuttoned.

After that, he glanced down at Mistletoe and looked at the new rifle sling he had attached to it, which went from the tip of the shotgun's barrel to end of it's stock. He had added this as a substitute for the holster he would always have on his back, since he decided to get rid of it. So then, Gage lifted his shotgun above his head, turned it sideways, and lowered it so the sling wrapped around his chest, and went to right shoulder down to the left side of his waist, allowing it to be holstered on his back like it always use to. The stock being pointed to the right and angled diagonally in the air.

And then finally, Gage tied his signature sage bandana around his black jacket's right bicep before he adjusted Cynica's wrist brace as the small box that contained its two blades was on top of his right wrist, and then he just exhaled as he tugged on his black leather fingerless glove, pulling it up even more so his fingers were locked in tightly.

~They come runnin just as fast as they can…. Cuz' every girl's crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed Man!~

He smiled and waved his prosthetic hand over his pocket where his scroll resided, and made the song stop playing as he grinned again and chuckled,

"Hehe….. it feels good to be back..."

Gage shut his door behind him as he exited his dorm, and then started to walk down the hall slowly, trying to adjust to the new cold temperature of Beacon's halls, but he smiled shyly as he just felt so warm and snug in his brand new outfit.

He walked down the what felt an almost endless hall, and passed a few students along the way… and almost every single person and group glanced at him twice or stared at him as he walked by…. Specifically his sage-colored metal left hand, since he decided that it wasn't worth it to cover it up.

So, he bowed his head sort of shamefully while he looked down at the ground and placed his hand in his pockets as he eagerly just wanted to pull his hood over his head... but then he heard some commotion come from a large group of students that were crowding around the exit of the dorm building.

He slowed his pace and looked up as all the future Huntsmen and Huntresses were cheering and whooping as a senior female student raised a black and red flyer in the air and yelled,

"ONLY SIX MORE DAYS PEOPLE! UNTIL BEACON'S END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION!"

Gage looked curiously at the crowd and became sort of interested in this 'celebration' that he has yet to hear about, so, since they were blocking the exit anyway, he chose to make his way through the crowd slowly as he made his way to the front.

"Weird… Yang didn't tell me anything about this…" He thought to himself.

A few people turned as he bumped and passed by them, and even a few girls smiled at him and blushed as they got out of his way and whispered his name to their friends as some of the guys just glared and sneered at him angrily.

" _H-Hey…. You think one of us should try and ask him out?!"_

" _Do you want to get your face bashed in? I wish we could, but his girlfriend has been getting kinda crazy over him since he came back…."_

" _Oh…. It's just young love. Who can blame her?"_

" _Yeah! But he's just so hot!"_

That last feminine whisper made Gage blush and stumble a bit while even more of the men growled and huffed at the sight of him, but then the female senior stopped hyping up the crowd and hopped down from the box she was standing on before she stopped in front of Gage and put a hand on her hip, making everyone in the crowd take a step back and watched as he opened his mouth and spoke,

"What is all of this?" Gage asked the girl.

The short and brown haired girl smirked before she pointed intently at him while she narrowed her eyes and took a step towards him, causing him to back up a little, "Why it's a small rally for Beacon's holiday dance! Haven't you heard?! It's less than a week away!" She asked loudly just as the other kids cheered her on.

"Holiday Dance?"

She groaned and shook her head at him, looking kinda amused as his curiosity, allowing her to smile at him, "Ugh….. you know, it's one last final hurrah for the students before we all go on winter break! Here!"

The girl then handed Gage one of the black and red fliers, so he took it from her and turned it to see that it was also decorated with gold stars and candy cane stickers next to the information, which read,

"Come! On friday, December 11th, Beacon will be having its very own Holiday themed Dance in the Ballroom, so If you want to try and show that 'special someone' a good time before winter break, then this is your last chance! Admission is $35 per person, and the dance will start at 7:45 P.M. Hope to see you there!"

He lowered the flyer, and looked down at the girl as she playfully punched his metal arm and sort of winced at the pain as she held her wrist and smiled at him politely, "Oh-O-Ow! Hehe, sorry! Anyway, I hope to see you and Yang there Gage! It'd be quite a sight to see Beacon's star couple on the dance floor!" She cooed as she painfully grasped her wrist.

"*sigh* ...Why does everyone keep calling us that?" He said as he smiled and folded the flyer before he placed it in his inner jacket pocket.

" _BECAUSE YOU'RE BOTH SO PERFECT!"_

The crowd then yelled that from behind him both cheerfully and angrily, making him jump and look back at all the students as he rubbed the back of his head, feeling kind of embarrassed for some reason before he turned back to the senior,

"E-Ehehe…. W-Well I've got to ask the Mrs what she wants to do first…. B-But I don't see why she wouldn't want to go. So expect us to be there I guess!"

The girl just clapped her hands together and giggled happily, "Oh good! I can't wait to see you two!"

Gage just smiled back and took a step towards the exit as he waved at her and laughed, "Hehe, well I should probably go and find her so I can ask. And get some breakfast, so i'll see you around I guess…." he said as he walked and opened the door of the exit.

"You know I think the school wouldn't be surprised if you decided to propose to there! Hehe, it'd be a real romantic place!" She teased him.

"H-Hahaha! Y-Yeah…. Yeah that'd be a really _great_ place to do it wouldn't it…."

He just gave out some fake laughter and avoided eye contact with her and the crowd as he pushed the door open and decided to head towards the mess hall, where he thought all of his friends would be.

"Too late..." He thought as he left and let his smile grow larger…

…

 **A Few Minutes Later…**

…

Gage finally made his way to the lunchroom, and his mouth hung open in awe as he entered and saw that the large room was covered in Christmas decorations!

The tables were polished, there were giant multicolored wreaths hanging from the ceiling that varied with the colors green, red and white and there were even some big candy canes hanging from some of them all while the large windows of the lunchroom were blurry due to the large amount of snow that was falling outside.

But the main thing that made his jaw drop…. Was the fact that there was a giant christmas tree that was so tall that the star on top, which was glowing gold, was actually touching the ceiling. And, it was also decorated with ornaments, tinsel, fake popcorn, bright multicolored christmas lights while there were huge fake presents surrounding the base of tree, which some students were crowding around.

"Holy fucking reindeer shit! ...I still have to buy decorations for my room!"

He smiled happily at the clusterfuck of Christmas spirit, as it brought warmth to his his heart since Christmas was his favorite holiday, but then he suddenly heard a few people call his name from the table he and Team RWBY would usually sit at.

"Gage!"

"Heya Homeboy!"

"Good to see you Gage!"

Gage then saw Pyrrha, Velvet, Coco and Weiss all sitting at the table, and they were all wearing warm clothing and were drinking some hot cocoa…. Yet strangely, the heiress didn't greet him and just continued to drink her cocoa as she watched him approach their table.

She was wearing some dark grey skinny jeans, and a bright white sweater that had blue snowflakes decorated across all of it's fabric.

"Hey everyone!"

He waved at all four of the girls, and moved on the right side of the table where Weiss was seated and leaned on the table as she looked him up and down, smiling at his new outfit as she lowered her mug,

"Hmm….. You look nice."

He then smiled and opened his mouth to thank her as he kinda became flustered by the fact that she… just complimented him for the first time! At least when it seemed like it was obvious.

"Thank you-"

"Thank you!"

But then, Gage heard a second voice from behind him also say thank you… so he turned around and almost sighed as he saw Neptune smirk at him smugly.

They both just looked at each other for a few seconds before Gage shut his mouth and gave yet another fake smile towards the blue-haired boy while Weiss rolled her eyes at her boyfriend while he wasn't looking.

"Hey Gage." Neptune greeted him, with that smirk still showing which secretly pissed Gage off.

"Hey….. Neptune…."

The 'suave' boy then chuckled to himself as he moved next to Weiss and sat on her right side as he confidently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards himself, making her look away from her boyfriend with…. A frown as she stared down at her mug.

"I was complimenting Gage Neptune…. Don't be rude..."

The boy's grin immediately vanished, and he scowled as he just lowered his arm from her shoulder and let her scoot a bit closer to Gage, since he decided to sit on her left side as a way to try and make her less uncomfortable.

"B-But I'm looking good today too aren't I Weiss?" Neptune stuttered.

"*sigh* …..Yeah sure… whatever..." She scoffed.

Gage sorta tensed up at their clear silent dispute since Weiss still scooted close enough to him that their shoulders were touching, but then luckily Coco leaned over the table and lowered her sunglasses from the bridge of her nose as also she noticed his new outfit,

"Hey Gage, Really digging the black suede. Those dark colors really brings out those beautiful blue eyes of yours.~"

"Coco!" Velvet whispered.

Her compliment made him laugh nervously as he tugged on the collar of his suede jacket while his cheeks glowed once again, which Pyrrha laughed at as she drank from her mug as well.

"Hahaha! *sip* And why is that Gage? I'm usually use to you having the green be shown more prominently."

Gage then just shrugged and rested his metal hand on the table while he looked back at Pyrrha and….. chose to lie through his teeth to her, "Well... My first semester here is almost over, which means that i'm not the new kid anymore. So I thought it was time to kick off the training wheels and ditch most of the green…. Hehe…." He said what seemed like was a failed joke.

"Uh…. What?"

Weiss sort of giggled at his attempt while everyone else just looked at him weirdly since they didn't even get the gist of the failed attempt. So he just looked down sort of embarrassingly while the heiress just silently laughed at him.

"Sorry… kind of an army joke. Memories of Atlas and Mantle sorta come back to me around this time of year…."

Velvet still laughed and smiled along with Pyrrha and Coco, and then the rabbit faunus just reached across the table and slapped his metal wrist, "It's okay. You still made us laugh anyway!"

"Yeah…."

Then, the redheaded spartan placed her elbow on the table and used her hand to hold her head up as she stared at Gage with a smile as she held onto her mug, "Anyway, are you thirsty Gage? They're serving hot cocoa to everyone now." She asked him.

"Sure-"

Weiss suddenly jumped and turned to him as he was about to answer, and she... clumsily pushed her mug towards Gage as she smiled sort of uneasily. "Uuh, h-here! You can have m-mine Gage. It was too hot for me anyway…." She said with nervousness.

"Okay….."

He took the mug and took a small drink from it as he squinted his eyes at Weiss and as Neptune glanced over at him with a glare while the heiress blushed and just watched his lips be pressed against the edges of her own mug.

"Hmm….. Weird…" Gage thought.

"GAGE!"

"-OOF!"

But then randomly, out of nowhere, Gage was surprised as he felt someone's arms wrap around his neck from behind them, and then the person jumped onto his back and made him pressed his body down onto the table as he groaned and heard a loud squeal come from the person who hugged him.

And by the squeaky innocence of the voice, Gage could tell immediately that the person was Ruby, and he also noticed that she had started to crush his back as she started to hug him even tighter.

"Guh….. fuck…. hi…. Ruby….." He groaned.

"Hi Gage!"

The small reaper just cooed as she let go of him, and she sat down next to Gage as he groaned again and grasped his back while she hugged his metal arm and looked up at him as his turquoise eyes locked with her precious silver orbs.

As he looked at her, he saw that she was wearing her usual red and black outfit along with her red cloak, but she was also sporting a bright festive red and white santa hat!

"Geez Ruby, did you get stronger while I was gone or something? Because now it's not just Yang's hugs that are killer….. nice hat by the way..." He said as he winced and flicked the hat with his right hand.

Ruby just giggled at his act and continued to squeeze his metal prosthetic with her usual cute and innocent smile,

"Thanks! And Yeah! Yang's been teaching me about strength and conditioning so i can build up some more body strength and all that stuff!"

Gage then chuckled painfully, and rubbed his back with his right hand while all the other girls laughed at him, "O-Okay, but can you do me a favor?" He asked her.

"Okay. What is it?"

"Ugh… Don't grow anymore until I get my own strength back alright? Gotta fill that future big brother in-law role perfectly you know? Heh….."

Ruby just giggled at him again, "Hehe, Okay I won't! But no promises! You know that I do like to drink milk a lot!"

She smiled and also blushed at his words before he ruffled her hair a little with his hand and sighed as she let go of his arm finally…. But then the small slayer smirked a bit as she looked away from him, "By the way... that whole big brother thing kinda reminds me of something…." Ruby said ominously.

"Hmm? And what's that Rubles?" He asked.

Ruby quickly jumped up and moved in close enough so she could whisper to him, and she tried to look away from all the other girls as she spoke,

"Remember the little pact you made with me so i'd go to Hilltop with you and Yang to convince my Dad that it was okay? Well…-"

However, Gage knew immediately what she was talking about, so he sighed and interrupted her rudely, "And now it's time I stayed true to my word….. so, *sigh* …...What would you like for Christmas Ruby?" He asked as he couldn't help but smile at her.

She grinned at him, and thought that it'd be funny to move and sit in her sister's boyfriend's lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck while his face went red and Ruby just started with her list,

"Oh! Well first, I want some new metal components for Crescent Rose in case it needs a repair! I can just text you the specifics, and then, I want one of those big popcorn tins that have those three flavors of popcorn in them, and maybe some chocolate chip gingerbread cookies too!"

Then, in that moment, Ruby gave Gage a bizarre stare as she placed one of her hands onto his back and slowly moved it down his body, and his eyes grew huge as he felt her palm skimm even further down…

"Uh…. What are you doing-"

Yet soon she just reached down to his belt and smiled as she took out one of his throwing picks from the bullet holders on the back of his belt and held it up to his face, really close in fact.

"And lastly, I want you to get me a set of these things!"

He raised an eyebrow, "What? My throwing picks?" He asked the small girl.

"Mmhm! They're so cool! So I want some for myself, and then maybe you could teach me how to use them too!"

"O-Oh….."

Gage looked at her, and pondered for a minute on how bad the Rose-Xiao Long family were going to cripple his bank account this Christmas…. But then Ruby looked up at him as her eyes became large saucers with thanks to her puppy dog eyes technique, and he just couldn't bear it anymore.

"W-Well it doesn't seem… too Impossible. So i'll see what I can do. I do still have to get some things for Yang too you know!"

Coco just chuckled at the two again as she smirked at Pyrrha and Velvet, "Aww….. Yang gets her own younger personal Santa! Now I'm a lot more than jealous of you two…." She cooed.

Her comment both made him laugh nervously, and reminded him of what he was suppose to be doing. To find Yang and ask her about the dance.

"Y-Yeah…-W-Wait! That reminds me, have any of you guys seen Yang around? I was trying to look for her."

"Oh she was in our dorm getting dressed I think. She just got out of the shower, so she'll probably still be there since it takes a while for her to dry hair." Ruby answered as she took Gage's mug.

Gage quickly stood up, and Ruby took a drink of his cocoa as he nodded and looked at everyone, "O-Okay then. I'm gonna go find her so i'll see you guys later!" He said as he held his hand up.

"Okay Gage!" They all said….. Except for Weiss and Neptune. The blue haired boy simple continued to scowl and look away from everyone…. But Weiss just watched Gage intently as he waved goodbye and started to walk away.

"Hmm….."

"Alright! See you later guys!"

…

 **Later…**

...

He left the lunchroom and became kind of irritated that he had to go all the way back to the dorm building, but he thought it was fine since he could probably go out and eat breakfast or spar with Yang after he talked with her.

So he got back to the entrance of dorm building, and was glad to see that the crowd from earlier was finally gone. Leaving the entrance open.

"Thank god…. Was afraid all those guys were going to try and lynch me or something…."

"Gage!"

Gage then turned as he was halfway through the dorm building entrance, and saw that Weiss was behind him, following him slowly as she entered the building with him, sort of shivering from the coldness of the snow.

"Weiss?" He asked as she walked up to him and crossed her arms.

She sighed, "Sorry…. I've just been wanting to ask you something and I forgot to since Ruby came and all that…."

"Uh…. Okay. What did you want to ask me?"

Weiss looked away for a second, and tugged on the collar of her white sweater as she spoke, but looked down at the ground, "It's about Yang… I don't know what you did, but in the last two days, she's just become a lot more happy for some odd reason." She answered him with a large grin.

He felt his heart begin to beat faster, and he crossed his arms as well, but nervously because of the obvious thing that happened two days ago…

"U-Uh. Well I-I've only been here for two days…. S-She's probably just really happy to see me back here again…."

The heiress raised and eyebrow and squinted with a smirked that was aimed towards Gage, making him back up a little,

"That's what I thought at first too….. but she has that hopeful sparkle in her eyes again…. the same one I saw right after you and her kissed for the first time…. So, what else did you do for her?~"

He retreated back a few steps again, and rubbed the side of his arm with his hand before tugged on the collar of his jacket once again, "W-Weiss. Really. I have no idea what you're talking a-about….." Gage stuttered.

She scoffed at him in return, "Hmph! Gage its a you and her thing I know, but I'm not going to tell anyone else! And she's my teammate, so I think I have the right to know!"

Gage quickly winced at the rising volume of her voice, so he put his arm out in front of himself and tried to shush her,"Tsh! Shh! Shh! Okay okay I'll tell you if you'll be quiet! Just… don't yell at me alright?" He said with a little bit of fright in his voice.

"Hmm?"

Weiss watched him closely, and it seemed like the subject was a little too private, since Gage's eyes drooped and he had a blank expression, clearly indicating that this was a serious issue.

"...Okay. I'm all ears Gage."

He finally sighed, and lowered his arms before he looked into the large blue pools that were the heiress's eyes….. before she noticed that his eyes were silver now as he sighed and started to speak softly to her,

"*sigh* …...I could see that Yang was miserable, and I was too….. and all i wanted was for her to be happy. For both us to he happy and the only way I could see that happening quickly….. was if we got something that we both wanted more than anything else on Remnant…."

Soon although, Gage's eyes returned to their turqoise color once he blushed, moved closer to Weiss, and pulled her in close enough to himself so he could whisper and make sure that no one else could hear him,

"So I… asked Yang to marry me. In the future…. when there truly is peace again.. and she said yes."

Weiss's face became a shade of red as well, but then she just jabbed his right arm out of spite and had an astonishingly blank look as she raised her voice and stomped towards him,

"Y-YOU WHAT?!-Mmmph!"

He then put his hand over the her mouth and back her towards a wall until her back was pressed firmly against it while he squeaked and hushed her, "SHHHHH! SHHH!"

The white-haired girl growled at him for a few seconds before she managed to pry his hand off of her lips and pushed him away from herself… as she….. smiled and placed her hands on her hips.

"*pant*...Gage. This is either the best Idea you've had or the worst!" She teased him. "B…..But come here!"

He was shocked at her supportive-sounding answer. To the point where he almost felt like he had to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming…. But still he didn't, because Weiss had decided to pull him into a weak and very hesitant hug, but it was still a hug!

"W-Well Weiss…. I guess we'll figure out whether it was the right choice or not someday….."

Gage then embraced her hug, and he smiled for a few seconds before he quickly noticed a few footsteps stop right behind him and he heard….. Neptune clear his throat sort of aggressively…..

"AHEM! Uh….. what 'choice' Gage?" Neptune asked him.

Him and Weiss immediately broke the hug, and she tried to smile and shut her eyes fast before Neptune could get any other type of ideas, "O-Oh! Neptune! U-Uh it was nothing I promise!" She said as she took a few steps towards the exit.

Gage's smile disappeared completely by the fact that he made Weiss want to leave, and so he glared and sneered at the blue haired boy while she just looked at him and shook her head,

"It's nothing Neptune. Seriously, just don't worry about it."

However, Neptune still remained unmoved as he re-approached Gage with a smile on his face, and almost didn't give a crap that his girlfriend went out into the cold snow by herself even though she was freezing cold out there previously,

"Was it a choice about Yang? Well you can tell me dude! I'm your friend remember? I just want her and you to be happy like everyone else does. Trust me… heh…."

Gage still stared deadly at him, and clenched his fist while he looked at the boy's expression, and remembered clearly what everyone said about Neptune to him after their 'little dispute' in the hallway two months ago…

" _You're lucky. You know that?"_

 _"*sigh* …..I don't know what's going on with him. He got sort of mad that I wanted to come here, even though everyone else was…"_

" _Almost every guy here started to try and flirt with his girlfriend Yang too….. CRDL…. And even that cool_ _blue haired guy_ _too… dont know why since he's with a Schnee though…"_

 _"...I mean…. There were so many boys….. and like you heard, even Neptune… and they just asked_ _me_ _how I was doing… they didn't want to hear about you….."_

…..Gage's metal hand became a fist at the thought of Neptune…. Trying to take Yang from him. And it angered him, because he wanted to try and do it after all of his hard work and everything that's happened to him in the last month, all while he was gone from Beacon and out of Yang's reach, unable to make Neptune leave her be.

"He… He wanted to try and take her from me… try and take…. _MY_ Yang? After everything I just went through?!" He thought to himself.

"Gage….. you okay man?" Nep asked as he got a little closer

Then, Gage used his right hand, moved the right end of his suede jacket out of the way, and placed his hand dangerously close to his revolver's handle….. as he still glared angrily and his eyes flashed red at Neptune without his own knowledge.

"Nep…...…. Keep Walking."

He said that emotionlessly and coldly in a very hoarse and grainy voice, and so Neptune's hands immediately dropped and he took a few steps back as he held his hands in the air.

"W-Whoa. G-Gage. Calm down. I'll go. I'll go! Okay?"

The potential homewrecker backed away and eventually through the door of the building before he put his arms down and started to fast walk out into the snow….. just as a scowl formed on his face that Gage did not actually see…

But now, Gage didn't care. He just….. growled with a small chitter and shook his head, making his eyes turn back to normal once again while he started to head for Team RWBY's dorm room like he was going to,

"No one is going to take her from me…. Let alone him… and next time…. I'm going to make sure that he understands that more clearly…."

…

Gage eventually cooled off, headed upstairs to the second floor and stood information of Team RWBY's dorm.

He sighed as he was about to knock, but then he remembered that Yang had sent him the key code on his scroll so he could enter the dorm whenever he wanted to.

So, he tapped a few times on the screen of his scroll, and the door became unlocked, allowing him to open door without any hesitation whatsoever as he tried to take the dance flyer out of his jacket pocket,

"Hey Yang! I got something I want to talk to you about-GUH!"

"G-GAGE!"

As Gage walked in, he expected to see Yang in her pajamas resting in her bed ever so soundly… but that was completely thrown out of the window…. As he only saw a nude Blake in front of her own bed.

"B-BLAKE?!"

Blake was standing there in front of her bed. Her pale and soft skin completely exposed to Gage's eyes since her pale body and black hair were along with the fur on her black cat ears were all wet, probably because she had just gotten out of the shower…

For maybe just a few seconds, her smooth ample sized breasts were completely visible. Her cleavage and round dotted nipples exposed to his own vision along with every other inch of her body. Her thighs and silky legs, her buns, and also the lips of her sweet passage as well…

Then, she…. Just continued to stay still, and didn't even decide to cover herself with her hands at all. Her face just became a blush while Gage became flustered and just gazed at her naked body as his cheeks were a crazy amount of pinkish red.

"G…..Gage….."

Her ears twitched a bit… and she turned fully towards him, giving him an even clearer view, but caused him to yelp and internally groan as his eyes stopped, went dead, and he just turned back into the hallway, shutting the door as his body tensed up and he put his back against the door as he looked up, and shut his eyes in anger at himself,

"I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! Yang gave me the key and Ruby said she was here, a-and I should have just knocked….. I'm such an idiot…"

Blake although, still sounded calm as her voice came through from the other side of the wooden door…. And it almost seemed like she was completely okay with it, because she just let out a small laugh while Gage covered his eyes in frustration.

"N-No… it's alright Gage…. I shouldn't have allowed myself to just leave everything u-uncovered… i do share a dorm with three other people…"

He still just sighed and lowered his hand from his face, frowning at himself while he tried to get any lewd thoughts of his girlfriend's best friend out of his head,

"Yeah…. I mean shit, no towel or underwear…. No nothing… h-heh…... " Gage laughed awkwardly.

Blake still just laughed, but still smiled and blushed on the other side of the door as she thought of him…. And what he thought of her own body, "Y-Yeah….. But dont worry... I won't tell Yang about this I promise…" she said.

"*sigh* ….Thank you."

They both then let out a small laugh… and remained quiet for a few minutes as they both were on one side of the door, blushing and wondering what the other person thought of them in that one moment, but then Blake finally broke that awkward silence,

"I-It's safe to come in now Gage…. I put something on..."

Gage nodded, and opened the door slowly to see Blake sitting on her bed dressed in her black yukata, so he quickly sighed and approached her, but was still blushing.

She, was on her bed with her pale legs hanging off, and still continued to gaze at him while he came inside, her blush also showing as she stared at Gage,

"S-Sorry Gage….. I would have tried to cover myself…. But it was the first time I've seen you here…. And I didn't know you came back so I was kind of… shocked to say the least…"

He smiled blankly, and looked down at the ground a little bit, "Well… i'm glad to hear that everyone's so concerned about me…."

Then, Blake saw his metal hand become a fist… and he had a dead stare as he looked at the ground… which didn't really seem like a good thing,

"Gage….. are you alright?" She asked him.

Gage still looked down at the floor at first, but then he just rubbed his eyes tiredly before he slowly walked over to Blake and sat down on the bed next to her….. and strangely rested his head on her shoulder,

"...Don't worry about it…. I just have a lot on my mind….. been thinking about the future a little too much you know?"

He smiled once again, and still let his head lay into the cat girl's shoulder blade, which she didn't mind, but it still concerned her as she hesitantly moved her hand closer to his as it rested on the edge of the bed…

"That's understandable... but have you told Yang about this? I mean… she is your girlfriend…. so wouldn't you want her to know how you're feeling?"

Gage shook his head, and felt as her hand skimmed up his arm, and made him become…. Sort of nervous.

"She has a lot on her plate like me right now…. but i've been trying to fix that and so far it's working. I just don't want that to be ruined for her because of me….."

Then he shot his head up from Blake's shoulder, and looked straight into her beautiful and bright amber eyes once she remembered that he had to ask Yang about the holiday dance!

"A-And besides, I've only been here for two days so I can't really say anything yet because it'll probably get better soon…. I mean, That holiday dance and Christmas are right around the corner! Heh, no wonder they call this the happiest time of the year…" He laughed.

Blake giggled at his sudden change in attitude since she thought it was… cute, and then she sighed as she still looked dreaming into Gage's turquoise eyes… and moved her hand up his arm to his shoulder,

"Yeah…. And i'm glad to see you're still you're usual enthusiastic self…. But still….. Gage, if you ever need someone to talk to besides Yang….. I-I'm right here."

He reached over to her… and gave the back of one of her black cat ears a quick scratch before he… moved back a little bit from her since she now moved both of her hands onto his shoulder blades, and squeezed them while she… got onto her knees and tried to move closer to him, while blushing.

"Thanks Blake, I…...W-Wait, B-Blake…"

They both looked deeply into each other's eyes as Blake sort of got really close…. To the point where she was nearly pressing her body against Gage's chest.

He could feel her arms curl around his shoulders slowly, and her face became red along with his… but she still kept moving a little bit closer while Gage felt his heart begin to beat a little faster as he saw her move her body… closer and closer….

"B-Blake?-"

"*Creak*..."

"Care-Bear!" A gleeful and sweet voice yelled.

Gage and Blake both stopped, and she moved away from him as they both saw Yang open the door and come in, wearing her buttoned up galaxy jacket, her yellow tank top under that, and her dark blue jeans and brown boots.

He immediately blinked hard and stood up while the blonde brawler smiled and pounced on her boyfriend, giving him a huge hug as she also lifted him into the air.

"Ughhhh….. Fuhhhh…"

"Morning Gagey!"

"Morn…..ing…"

Blake shook her head, lightly held her cheeks and huffed as she backed away towards her pillow and panted quietly to herself right as Yang set Gage down and just gave him a normal hug instead.

But soon, Yang looked him up and down and noticed his new outfit, which made her smile and give him a sultry stare…

"Hmmm… And I love the new outfit by the way.~" She purred as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, all while Blake watched, which Yang realized soon after, "O-Oh! Hey Blakey!"

"Hi Yang…." She greeted her teammate.

Then, Gage and Yang looked at each other, blinked, and they both nearly blurted out something to each other as they gasped loudly,

"Gage I wanted to ask you about this thing-"

"Yang I wanted to ask you something-"

But immediately stopped as they heard their partner speak, and Gage smiled at Yang before he put his hands on her shoulders and laughed at her and himself,

"Hehe, you first."

Yang nodded, "O-Okay, Well I wanted to talk to you….. about this!" she then smiled with excitement, and she pulled out the same exact same flyer that Gage had taken from that senior student earlier!

"W-What?!" He quickly took out his flyer as well and held it up to her face while they both smiled and laughed at each other. "That's what I was going to ask you about! Hehe, I guess we both knew each other that well!"

"S-So, you'll go with me Care-Bear?!"

"Of course! I said i'd do anything you'd want, and it'll be the first school dance that i'll actually have a date to!"

Blake soon began to slow hwt panting, enough to notice the two lover's funny coincidence…. But deep down she grew slightly jealous as she smiled at their cuteness, and more at Yang.

"They seem so perfect together….." She thought.

Yang noticed Blake staring at her, so she was about to suggest moving out into the hall to talk about this, but then Gage's scroll beeped, signaling that he had just received a message.

So, he raised an eyebrow curiously and took out his scroll to see that….. Jaune had texted him for some… odd reason. And the text said,

"Yo. Head 2 the Arena. Weiss said she wanted 2 test ur new arm! Rn!"

He squinted at that message, and hummed as he looked back up from his scroll and at the two girls. "Jaune just said Weiss wanted to try out my arm's weapons form right now. Weird." He said to them.

Yang smirked, and looked over to her partner while she sighed and put her hand on her hip tiredly, "*sigh* Well, i want to see it, so we should probably head over there. And we can talk about dance plans on the way there!" The Blonde cheered.

"O-Oh. Okay…. Maybe i'll be there to watch you myself…" Blake said a she scooted back towards the edge of the bed.

"Alright! See ya later Blake! Come on Gage!"

"U-Uh! Okay…. Bye Blake!"

And finally, the blonde brawler smiled again, and grabbed onto Gage's wrist before she giggled, and tugged on his arm as she dragged he him out of the room and into the hallway.

"Bye Gage…"

…

Gage was happily dragged into the hall by Yang, and eventually sighed again as he moved his metal hand down her arm and held her hand while they walked slowly to the arena,

"*sigh* So since we're going to that dance…. I guess i'm going to have to go all out for you Yang…" He smirked.

Yang blushed, and smiled as she swayed their hands back and forth with each step, "G-Gage… you dont have to…." she said.

"Hehe, i wont be able to not treat you nicely once I see you in a dress again Taiyo-chan… i mean look at what i did for you on our first date.~"

She looked down, and smiled while she hugged Gage's arm and blushed once again not only at the thought of them being on the dance floor… but also the thought of them walking down the aisle… and her being in that white wedding dress….

"I wonder what'd you do to see me in that wedding dress Care-Bear…"

He smiled… but also looked down at floor. Sure he loved the thought, but that day would most likely be far from now, so he tried not to think about it too much.

"You'll see Yang…. In time."

She simply closed her eyes after hearing his words and felt up his metal arm as she hugged and squeezed it… but then it made her remember why they were going to the Arena in the first place,

"Yeah….. oh! And I wonder what your arm's weapon form is! *gasp* ….Maybe its like an arm cannon or something! Or a rocket launcher or something really cool!"

Gage shook his head as he also grinned, "Are you kidding me? That'd be heavy as hell…. I mean im not Megaman or Samus or something like that….. then again I never played those games…."

Yet she still went on, "Or maybe it's like the arm blaster thing from Ironman! That guy's hot, but not as hot as you Gagey! And it'd be so cool!"

"T-Thanks for the compliment, and it would be cool…. But again, we'll know what it is… in time." He teased her.

Yang instead sighed this time, and groaned impatiently afterwards because of his statement, "Ughhhh…. You're really killing me with that Gagey, you know that?"

Gage just chuckled at her, and squeezed her hand as they walked, "Hehehe, yeah I know… but I still love you."

And soon, they both smiled at each other and walked down the hallway, glad to be in each other's company once again…. But Yang a little bit more than him, since she squeezed his arm even harder while she l sighed heavily, and had to say the three little words back to him, since she loved saying them to him more than anyone else on Remnant!

"*dreamy sigh*….And I love you too Care-Bear!"


	6. The Usual Same Old: Part Two

**Author's Note:** Hey back here again! And I wanted to tell you guys a few things about the stuff that I introduced for Gage last chapter! Specifically, His new outfit name, and his new symbol! First off, for his new outfit name, i'm pondering on whether to give it a codename like how they do in the show. (Weiss's second outfit is codenamed SnowPea. Ruby is Slayer. Etc.) And I was thinking of either the names "Wraith." for the simple route, or "Gangreen." for the weird route. (Cuz it's why he's missing more of his arm. And he likes the color green/sage) And it's misspelled on purpose by the way. For now i'll just go with Wraith!

Then lastly, that symbol I mentioned on the back of his new jacket? That's now Gage's official symbol! (Like Ruby's rose symbol for those who don't know) It's a green leaf w/ a brown stem and a crack in the middle of it that is colored white. (It also hints at something~.) And man, i would love for someone to draw that or Gage for me. But I have no money to pay anyone :( But i'm still crossing my fingers real hard for any fan art if it's possible!

Anyway, now that the announcement is over, go on down to the next chapter and read the fucking shit out of it! OH AND 420 BLAZE IT!

 **Song:** Ambiguous by Garnidelia

(I love KLK!)

…

Yang and Gage sprinted towards the Arena, since their conversation about his new arm's weapon form escalated not that long after they had thought it ended, and now they were both anxious for what Weiss had been teasing them all about!

They ran through the doors that led to the Arena battle circle that was on the ground, and they both saw that Weiss, Jaune, Sun, (who was wearing an open jacket that exposed his abs and it also had a white fluffy hood), and Ruby were on the plate waiting for him, and they also saw that the bleachers were completely empty.

"Oooh! They're here Weiss!"

Weiss then smiled as Gage and Yang both stopped in front of her and panted heavily as she approached Gage and reached for his wrist,

"Good. Now that you're here we can finally-"

"WEISS! *pant* Tell me! Is it like a sword hand or an arm cannon because Yang won't stop with the blaster stuff!"

"*pant* Aw it would be soooo cool!"

"But it doesn't make sense! This thing would weight like a ton!" He said as he raised his new arm up and pointed at it.

The heiress soon just sighed angrily and grabbed onto his metal wrist as she turned and glare at the couple, clearly frustrated.

"Rrrrgh! Well it's neither, and be patient! *sigh* Now Gage, giving me your arm." She huffed.

Sun chuckled at them, and Jaune crossed his arms while Ruby moved in closer so she could watch how the prosthetic worked, as her eyes sparkled brightly. "It's going to be so cool!" She squealed.

Weiss just sighed again, and tapped on Gage's closed metal hand gently before she spoke, "Okay, then let's get started. Gage, open your hand for me."

He looked into her icy eyes, and opened his palm before she went to work, and tapped on his metal palm, making the white holographic circle to reappear.

"Alright. This is the initiate sphere. And now, it can show up on your palm when your heart rate is elevated so it'll be convenient, but now you're going to have to drag it up your forearm!"

"Okay…."

Gage raised his eyebrows for the odd instruction, but soon nodded, touched the white holo circle, and dragged it along his arm until it got smaller and smaller before it completely disappeared at his shoulder blade.

Then, Weiss smirked, and pushed Gage away as he stared at his hand while the plates on his metal finger tips began to shift and move. Specifically where the finger nails would be.

"Whoa! What the?!"

The armor plates on all five fingers then all dipped back so their front ends were slightly more elevated than the back ends, making them become jagged….. but then, at the fingertips, five small silver blades came out. One under all five front jagged plates at the top of each of the fingers, and soon they finally stopped on top of each finger, forming sharp silver pointed metal fingernails at the tips, which apparently was it's combat mode!

Yang watched the metal and armor shift as the sharp fingernails formed, and let her mouth hang open while Ruby's eyes were literally the size of stars by how much her pupils grew.

"Holy crap….. this arm makes me like…..robo-Inuyasha…. Or something. Besides the crazy sword and dog stuff….. but still that's awesome!"

He smiled, and clenched his fingers tightly before he flanked all of the metal nail tips together while Weiss approached him and opened up his palm once again,

"Sharpened blade points fitted as nails. Since I know you love to be so discreet Gage. And they're really-"

Yang then hummed and came closer to him, and curiously tapped on one of the metal nails once before she winced and whined while she pulled her finger away from his prosthetic.

"OW!"

"-Sharp…"

The blonde whined again, as her index finger started to bleed since she cut herself on Gage's metal nails. So, she huffed and put her finger in her mouth while he just turned towards her.

"Aw Yang im sorry!"

She just shook her head and smiled as she mumbled to him, and Weiss glared at both of them for a few seconds.

"No it's okay! I probably should have listened to Weiss first..."

Gage quickly tried to smile back at his girlfriend since she was still smiling as well, but soon the heiress just sighed again and watched as Yang moved away next to Ruby so she could watch her boyfriend from afar.

"Yes Yang, you should have. Now, it's time for the next test Gage."

His eyes opened further, and he moved closer to Weiss while Sun flipped his staff and changed it into its gunchuck form, but Gage's eyes lit up again, ignoring everything else besides the girl's words.

"There's more?!" He asked anxiously.

She smirked, and crossed her arms as she stared back at him like he was a child that just woke up on christmas morning and got exactly what they wanted, but Weiss decided to go ahead and disappoint him

"Hehe, Well not exactly. I just wanted to let you know that the arm is also waterproof, fireproof, and….. Sun?!"

"On it!"

"Huh?!"

Sun then grinned, aimed one of his gunchucks at Gage and didn't even think for a second before he decided to fire, making him yelp, grab onto Javix, and raise his left arm by accident because of his jumpy reflexes…. But there was a small crack soon after.

"*BANG!*"

"*CRACK!*"

Gage jumped, closed his eyes, and thought that he would have been able to feel the bullet's pain by now….. but he couldn't feel it. So he slowly opened his eyes, and looked down at his body."W-What the….. t-that should have hit me right?"

Then Weiss came over to him with a large smile, and grabbed onto his wrist before she turned his arm over, and allowed him to see that the bullet had hit his prosthetics' s armor and it was crushed!

"It should have….. good thing the arm's bulletproof too."

He brushed off the bullet, and it clattered onto the floor as both the Rose and Xiao Long sisters watched in awe, and Sun shifted his weapon back into its staff form while Jaune… gulped nervously.

"What the shit?! That's awesome! I've got like my own mini shield-claw thingy now! Thanks Weiss!" Gage thanked her.

The heiress blushed, and let go of his wrist, and let his hand fall as she backed away and put her hands together while Jaune slowly walked towards Gage, gripping the hilt of Crocea Mors.

"W-Well….. you're welcome Gage. Now, try out the claws on Jaune as a bit of practice, I know it could take a while to get use to using fake fingernails as a weapon."

Gage quickly grinned, and clacked the metal nails again as he closed his prosthetic hand, and clenched his fingers before he turned and looked over at Jaune.

The blonde knight quickly made eye contact, and drew his sword and grasped his shield as it shifted out of it's sheath form, and then he held it close to him while he let his sword's blade hover above the floor.

"Jaune. You up for this?" Gage asked him.

"W-What? Y-Yeah! And I mean, we haven't faced each other before, so there shouldn't be a reason not to!" Jaune stuttered as he raised his shield a little bit.

"Alright. Let's do it!"

Gage and Jaune both quickly walked onto one of the arena's sparring rings, and soon everyone gathered around it. Yang and Ruby both sat down, and Weiss just folded her arms again while Sun leaned on his staff and watched as Gage also activated Cynica's gauntlet, and soon its two blades shot out of the rectangular box on his right wrist.

He just let both of his hands fall to his side, and watched Jaune get into a defensive position. His prosthetic's metal nails being used as a weapon on his left hand, while Cynica was activated, and was on his right.

Both were preparing to charge at each other, but Gage was more distracted by how he could use his new claws as something on par with his other weapons….. so he just kept repeating four names in his head,

"Wolverine…. Sabretooth…. Inuyasha….. Kageromaru, Wolverine…. Sabretooth….. Inuyasha….. Kageromaru….."

 _ **MATCH START!**_

"Kick his butt Care-Bear!"

The two men quickly smiled, and started to run towards each other. Jaune still had his shield up and his sword at his side, while Gage sprinted as fast as he could towards the white knight.

And before they could come into contact with each other, Jaune raised his blade up and went in for a hard slash at Gage's stomach, but Gage quickly stepped back and swayed his arms as the sword nearly touched his waistline.

He took a few steps back and watched as Jaune instead went with an upwards slash, but Gage immediately caught the blade in between his metal fingers and slammed it down, his claws stabbing into the ground and trapping Crocea Mors with it as he looked up, but was suddenly caught off guard just as Jaune bashed his shield into Gage's face!

"Aaagh!"

He recoiled backwards and let the sword free, and that was when the blonde felt confident enough to go in for another shield bash, but this time it was with the sharp thin edge of the shield, and it connected with Gage's upper chest and pushed him back.

It felt almost hard enough to the point where he thought he was going to accidentally fall back onto the ground, but lucky he didn't, so he groaned internally and just smiled at Jaune as he stopped sliding backwards.

"*pant* …...Crap. Pyrrha's been going a little hard on you with the training hasn't she? *pant*"

The knight nodded, "Yeah! And hey, seeing you in the hospital was sort of a big drive too you know!"

Gage titled his head, and put his hand on his chest for a second as he started to run back to him with even more determination than before,

"Aww thanks Jaune!"

He thanked him, and still continued to charge at him, making Jaune raise his sword again and go in for a quick slash at Gage's left shoulder, but he immediately saw it coming and tried to back up….. making the blade clash against the metal edge of his new arm.

They both became locked as Crocea Mors skimmed across the titanium prosthetic, and remained forced against Gage's forearm while he held Cynica against his right side.

Jaune tried to remain concentrated just as Gage was as well….. however, he had a plan forming in his head unlike the white knight.

"If he's using his sword with one hand…. Then his grip on it should be weaker… and his shield isn't as close as before…..…. Good."

He then swung his left arm to the left, making Jaune's sword be pushed back, and while he was distracted, Gage used Cynica's two curved blades as an advantage.

Since the blades were curved, he managed to let them get behind the edge of Jaune's shield, and then he slowly pried the shield away and to the right, leaving his defense open.

Jaune quickly tried to squirm his arm free from his grip, and he also tried to stab at his metal arm again, but he was immediately pushed back as he felt his sword be released and Gage's claws slash upwards against his chest plate, leaving scratch marks right as he kicked his chest plate again and forced him back, knocking the wind out of the blonde.

"Go Jaune!" Ruby cheered.

Yang then puffed her cheeks and stood up before lightly pushing her sister out of the way, "Hughhh!"

"No! Go Gage!"

He looked over at his girlfriend as she waved to him and smiled for a few seconds until Jaune quickly recovered and ran towards Gage once again,

"Grrrrah!"

The blonde boy saw that he was distracted, and use that to his advantage so he could use another downwards slash towards his opponent's feet without hesitation.

Gage did see this although, so he tried to dodge by stumbling out of the way, but he didn't know that Jaune had planned this as well, and then he felt the bottom of his shield slam into his upper chest and send him flying backwards.

"Oh no!" Yang yelled.

He landed on his back, but soon rolled backwards as he slid on the ground and stabbed his metal nails into the ground, stopping him before he could be pushed out of the ring.

Gage painted, and quickly looked up at the blonde knight before he smirked and he got onto his feet again, taking his claws out the ground slowly as he did,

"Damn…. *pant* …..Pyr's really teaching you well Jaune…. too bad _I_ was the one who helped train _her_ when she was younger."

Jaune heard that remark and realized that he forgot that Pyrrha had told him that. And it made him gulp again and made sure that his stance was good enough to take whatever hit was about to come to him…

"C-Crap."

He saw Gage begin to run to him faster than before in a blur, and he just smirked as he deactivated Cynica and saw his opponent wait for a moment and hesitate for a second before they both started to charge at each other once again.

Gage ducked his head, and Jaune went in for one final powerful stab towards his left shoulder…. But soon something else happened instead.

As Gage was about to collide with him, he used his semblance at the last possible second to phase through Jaune and look back at him as he smirked,

"Sorry Jaune."

He then twirled as he landed, and used his claws as he spinned and hooked them around Jaune's ankle, raising his leg up and making him fall back head first.

But as he fell, he felt Gage grab onto his arm, and held him up before his head could slam back against the hard ground. Causing the knight to groan as he heard,

 _ **GAME! SET! MATCH!**_

Weiss smiled and strutted over to Gage as Sun chuckled and decided... to walk away while Ruby and Yang just came from behind him, Yang wrapping her arms around his waist,

"Yay you beat Jaune!" The brawler cheered.

Jaune panted, and looked up at Gage with a smile while he still kept him from hitting the ground, "Ugh…. Crap Gage. What are you, a ghost or something?"

He just glanced over at Weiss, and lifted up his blonde friend before he patted his back and looked him in the eyes,

"Hehe….. Boo Motherfucker."

Gage then looked down at his metal hand and finger nails as Jaune laughed at him and tried to stand back up again.

"Yeah…. still was a good fight though. Anyway, Weiss? How do I make my arm shift back to normal?" The apparent Ghost asked her.

She, smirked again and grabbed onto his prosthetic as he opened up his hand entirely, and Weiss turned his arm so the his top of palm was visible.

"Oh don't worry. Its just as simple as _this!"_

The icy haired girl immediately made a fist, and slammed it down on top of his metal palm as another white holographic circle popped up, and that caused the plates on his metal finger tips begin to shift again and recline back into place.

The armor plates on all five fingers then all dipped forwards instead this time so both ends of the plates were parallel, and at the fingertips, the five small silver blades retracted back under all five of the front jagged plates at the top of each finger, hiding the claws and returning the metal arm back to its normal non-combat state.

"So that's all I have for now. I can send you the blueprints in case you want to make any adjustments, but besides that, what do you think of it Gage?"

Gage shrugged at the arm while it returned to normal, and Yang quickly grasped his new left hand and held it as everyone still stared at it..

"Well it's not exactly an offensive weapon… but it's still cool and makes for a very convenient back up plan. And it's REALLY fitting….." He said as he smirked and squeezed his girlfriend's hand.

Weiss just nodded and crossed her arms,"Well i'm glad to hear that, so now you'll have an extra trick up your sleeve whenever you get into a fight."

Jaune then smiled again and patted Gage's shoulder before he started to exit the arena along with Sun, "Just don't scratch up someone here with it and you'll be fine." He muttered before he started to walk away.

And soon all that was left was Gage, Yang, Weiss and Ruby, and the girl in the red cloak proceeded without haste to bring Weiss closer to the couple and get in between all of them,

"Well now that they're both gone, how about we go find Blake and all have a big Team RWBY-and Gage-Christmas movie marathon?!" She asked them.

"Interesting. I've never seen one before." Weiss asked, curious since she had never seen a Christmas movie. "...I suppose I could watch one…. To see why they're so special."

Yang smiled and rolled her eyes since she already knew Gage would say yes, so she answered for the both of them….. but strangely he was still looking over at Sun...

"Well me and Gage will want to watch some Christmas movies! Right Care-Bear?"

"Um…"

He was still looking at the monkey faunus… before he let go of his girlfriend's hand and nodded to the rest of the group before he decided to walk after him.

"...Yeah sure. But give me a second alright? Just wait for me outside in the courtyard Yang. I won't be long."

Yang titled her head, but nodded as she wrapped her infinity scarf tighter around her neck.

"Oh….. Okay Gage."

…

Gage quicky made his way out into one of the halls, and caught up with Sun and tapped on his shoulder while Jaune just continued to walk away.

"Hey Sun! Is it okay if i… talked to you about something for a second?" He asked as he scratched the back of his head.

The faunus hummed and turned to face Gage as he put his hands in his jacket pockets and stepped towards him slowly.

"Yeah sure dude. What's up?"

Gage smiled nervously and looked down while he just glanced at the man… sort of afraid to ask him his question,

"...Well, out of all my friends, you seem like the guy who sorta… 'is in the know' about a lot of things that go around the school…. And I wanted to ask if you….."

Sun squinted his eyes and grinned at his nervousness, "Ask me if I what?" He questioned him.

"I…. Wanted to know if you knew that Neptune was in that group of guys that were flirting with Yang while I was gone?"

The boy's blonde colored monkey tail wagged for a second before it fell flat, and he sighed as he leaned against the wall shamefully. "*sigh* ...Yeah….. yeah I did. And I told him that you would find out, but he's so freaking stubborn….." He said with a frown.

"Hmm… How?" Gage asked.

Sun then kicked the floor and put his foot against the wall before he answered while looking down,

"Well… after he saw you like _that_ on the night you…. 'died'... he thought that there was no way you were going to come back. So since he was getting into weird fights with Weiss he thought it was a great Idea to try and…. Well, you know…"

Gage just crossed his arms and gritted his teeth at what he was just told… but he still couldn't understand the reason behind all of this. "W...Why would he do something like this now?"

"Nep thought that you weren't going to make it because Yang kept looking sadder than ever every time she had to leave the hospital and come back home….. but I told him that you were going to be fine…. and now he's been a lot more quiet. So now since you're back, I'm sure he's scared of you and Yang. Alot….."

He just huffed at the the thought of the blue haired boy being scared… and he remembered his face when he flashed his revolver at him earlier too. "*sigh* Well… he should be scared." he muttered.

The faunus's blonde monkey tail perked up and became curved be for he looked back at him, "...Why?"

Gage grinned and also looked down at the floor, "Sun, have you ever heard the phrase, 'if you like it then you should put a ring on it'?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Well i… don't like Yang. I LOVE her. So now….. all im looking for is the ring Sun. " Gage stated confidently and without hesitation.

Sun then stood up straight and moved away from the wall he was leaning on, taking a step towards him as his mouth hung slightly open, "So wait….. you….. you asked her to-"

But Gage just nodded again, interrupting him and giving him a straight and assertive answer, "Mmhm. And she said yes…. So now I'm going to make sure that no one gets in the way of that…. And that goes for Neptune too. You know that right?" He asked him.

The faunus stuttered, and put his hands in his pockets before smiled again and looked Gage in the eyes as he answered him,

"Y-Yeah….. I know Gage. Yang's my friend, and so are you, so i've got your back on this. I'll talk to Nep, so don't worry about it too much. Just focus on making yourself and Yang feel at home again."

Gage chuckled to himself, and took a few steps closer so he could smile back at Sun and place his hand on his shoulder,

"Thanks Sun that's exactly what I plan to do when me and her go to that dance on friday. I'm going to make it _her_ night. Since it's something she probably needs after all of this… anyway, i'll talk to you later."

He then patted his shoulder, and started to walk down the hall and to the exit of the building as Sun just laughed and waved goodbye as well.

"You're welcome! And I'm sure she'll love it!"

...

Gage finally exited the arena, and met with Yang outside in the snowy courtyard like he said he would, although unknown to him, Weiss went to go look for Blake while Ruby went back to her dorm to make popcorn and get the movies ready.

He waved at his girlfriend and buttoned up his black suede jacket as she walked closer to him and smiled down at his hand before she grabbed onto it,

"Hey."

"Hey Yang. Sorry I made you wait out in the snow…." he apologized.

But the blonde brawler just closed her eyes and began to drag him towards the dorm buildings, but very slowly, "It's alright. So what did you need to talk to Sun about?"

Gage decided to kind of look away, but stay at an equal footing as they walked in the snow together,

"Uh…. You know…. Stuff…. And thangs. Dance things…."

She then turned towards him and he could feel her excitement at the mention of it, since she had began to squeeze his metal hand hard.

"Oh yeah! It should be really fun! This time i'll actually be having some fun with someone else!"

He looked back at her questionably and moved a little bit closer to her, "Wait, 'this time'? What do you mean by that Yang?"

"Well, there was a dance before Vale was breached, and I took up the whole planning and decorating job… so then I wouldn't have to wouldn't bothered by any guys…. B-But now I have you as a date... and Ruby and Weiss are planning the whole thing too instead!"

They both shared a laugh, and moved closer as they walked and held each other's hands for some extra warmth, and all it did was make Gage smile some more.

"Well I guess it's going to be our first official…. sort of special date, and I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else besides you Taiyo-chan."

Yang tried to hide her huge smile as she blushed and pressed her head against his left arm and shoulder, yet still walked as she giggled…

"Hehe….. yeah…. And I get to go dress shopping, and then i'll get see you in a tuxedo for the first time…~" The blonde purred.

Gage blushed, but still watched her closely. Her Lilac eyes were shining brightly once again while her hair glowed, but still had small white snowflakes in it. So he finally sighed again and walked with her back to Team RWBY's dorm.

"Oh I'll find the best tux I can Yang. I'll probably go shopping for it in Vale after classes tomorrow too."

"Oh yeah…. *sigh* ...Classes.." Yang sighed quietly.

He looked down at her with some worrynessb in his own eyes, and he rubbed the side of her palm with his thumb since he was still holding her hand before he went on,

"Hmm? What about them?"

Yang nearly glared at him for a good minute before she shook her head and grinned at her boyfriend, "Oh its not like you have a month's worth of school work to make up or anything….." She said sarcastically with a smirk.

"W-What?! Oh…. Fuck. You're right…. Buuuut you'll help me with it right?"

She just turned away, still smirking while she jokingly pondered for a moment… and thought of something clever

"Hmmmm….."

"Yaaaaaang….." Gage whined loud and desperately, making Yang giggle again and open her eyes,

"Okay okay Gage…. But on one condition…" The blonde suggested as she turned away from her lover.

"Okay…. What is it Yang?"

Gage then felt her let go of his hand and watched as she walked ahead of him, so he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she stopped, and blushed brightly.

"Well, that dance is at the end of the week and… I…. wanted to know if you c-could maybe….. get me a corsage to wear to it…. You know… as a good luck charm for our first dance together….."

At first, he was confused as to why Yang wanted it even though this wasn't going to be a prom dance…. But it was what she wanted, so he kissed the back of her neck and agreed to it with no questions asked!

"Alright. A corsage that's just as beautiful as the person who is going to wear it! Got it Taiyo-chan!" He said happily.

She felt chills run up her spine as he kissed the back of her neck, and she blushed even harder while Gage continued to embrace her from behind while they walked together.

"S…..So you'll get me one? For the dance?"

He sighed happily, and grabbed onto her hands as she turned around to face him once again, so he nodded again and pulled her a little bit closer.

"Mmhm! Whatever you want. I just want to make our time at the dance special…. hell, you know what? I dont want to make it our night… I want to make it a night just for you Yang!"

Her eyes fluttered immediately, and she too moved closer as she blushed and looked up into his turquoise eyes as she stood on her tip toes and grabbed onto his shoulders.

"W-Wait…. Really?"

Gage then laughed at her surprised demeanor and patted her head softly, "Hahaha, Have I ever joked about those things before Yang? I'm serious!" Then he bent down and kissed her forehead, and made her smile grow larger as she hugged him tightly.

"Aww… thank you Care-Bear! I-Mmph!"

But before she could do it herself like she was planning to do, Gage quickly smiled with her before he looked down at her lips and made theirs connect. Forming a small kiss between them both.

They both stayed idle in that position, feeling less and less cold while they both were melting more and more into their kiss as the time passed, and soon they both closed their eyes for a few seconds before he seperated from her, and cupped her cheek. As the continuous snow kept falling from the clouds above.

"You're welcome. But you dont have to thank me Yang! Because like I said…. it'll always be my job to see that whatever wish and dream that you make comes true!"

Without any more words, Yang simply hugged Gage and laughed happily, all while she just kept wondering how bright and jolly their time of christmas cheer was going to be since they would be spending it…. Together...

"Hehe….. this is going to be the best Christmas ever!"


	7. Gage's Rough Day

**Author's Note:** Holy crap Doctor Strange and Captain America Civil War in the same year? And Cumberbatch?! I love Marvel movies. My favorite was Guardians of the Galaxy by the way, which you've probably seen me reference in Part One of Desertion. E-Ehehe…. heh. Anyway, got another chapter I thought of on the spot that will lead up to Beacon's holiday dance, and it will be a super fluff chapter! And... maybe something lemony too. But only a maybe. Hehe~

 **Song:** Writings On The Wall by Sam Smith

…...

 **One Day Before The Dance…**

…...

"Blablablablabla!-"

"*growl*"

Gage growled, and rubbed his red bloodshot eyes as he was in Dr. Oobleck' s class with Yang and his other friends, and he was frustratingly trying to finish some old class work that he missed because of the fact that he was out of school for a month…

He was in his school uniform, but without his prosthetic since it could now be classified as a concealed weapon, along with Yang, and so were Ren and Nora too as they all watched him write madly into the paper, surprised that he hadn't broken the pencil's lead tip yet, and there was also still a pile of work next to him on the top of his desk along with a paper mache grimm cutout that he had to make as a project.

Yang watched him chip away at his work, feeling bad that he had to do all of this without even a small break because of his injury, so she frowned and looked down towards Oobleck as he rambled on.

"Now students, can someone please tell me the main reason why the people of Remnant started to name their children off of colors after the events of The Great War?" He asked the class.

Everyone remained quiet aside from a few coughs and whispers…. But the loudest thing that could be heard in the entire room… was the volume of Gage's loud writing and tired mumbling, which Oobleck noticed.

"Oh, Mr. Sim, would you care to answer for us?"

Gage however, was staring blankly at his papers and he just kept writing on them as emotionlessly as he could, still not hearing the professor since he was trying to use all the mental power he had in him to try and concentrate.

So the doctor/professor just sighed, and took a sip of his coffee before he tried again and grasped the bridge of his nose in frustration towards him,

"*sigh* Mr. Sim?"

"Hmm…..-Mmm! U-Uh…. What sir?!" Gage asked as Yang kicked his ankle and made him look towards the teacher.

Some low laughter came from the surrounding students, but Yang quickly turned and looked back at everyone with her red eyes, making them all become dead silent while Gage tried to answer.

"Oh The Great War… um…. Didn't they name their kids after colors because they….. wanted to make the world more colourful? I think….."

Then some louder laughs were heard, which soon became louder than the blonde brawler's growling. And Oobleck just sighed at the answer before he took off his glasses and looked up at Gage….

"*sigh* ...Well that answer isn't completely wrong…. But it still Isn't the answer that I was looking for. Hmm….. Ren? Can you answer for Mr. Sim?" He asked Ren.

Gage then looked down and slouched in his seat before he slowly let his head fall and rest on his desk while he just felt Yang rub his shoulder.

And then Ren answered, "They named their children off of colors _in protest_ of the war, and in a way, tried to make the people seem more colorful."

Oobleck nodded, and pointed up to him, but he also kept an eye on Gage at the same time, "So you see it wasn't completely wrong. Just not the exact answer.-"

*RING!*

And as he spoke, the school bell suddenly went off and was followed by the shuffling of papers and the loud cheers of the students, since it was the end of the day….. however, Gage just stayed silent while Yang brushed his hair.

"Alright, that's it for today's lesson, but we will pick up where we left off tomorrow so be ready to take notes once you come in, but please have a good day class….. and Mr. Sim? I would like to speak to you for a few minutes."

He lifted his head up from his desk and just start ed to stutter while his girlfriend looked at the teacher as well,

"W-What? B-But-"

"It'll just be for a minute Gage. I assure you."

Yang nodded at the professor and kissed Gage's cheek before she picked up both of their books and notebooks, "*smooch!* ...It's okay Care-Bear. I'll be right outside." She reassured him.

"*sigh* …..Okay Taiyo-chan…."

He then turned to her, and nodded before he stood up and watched her leave the room. So then he waved goodbye and picked up all of his finished work and the paper grimm project he made before he sighed and walked down to the front of the classroom.

Gage just walked past the professor and set all the work on his desk, and Oobleck quickly went to try and inspect all of it while he continued to drink his coffee,

"Hmm…. Gage, this is barely even most of the work, and it doesn't even include any of the work that i've assigned in the past week…."

The fast talking man who seemed a lot slower than usual then looked away…. And did not look as Gage scowled at him before he whispered to the teacher.

"Well you're not the only class I have to worry about…."

Then, Oobleck hummed and sat on his desk as he turned back to face him, and tilted his head while he began to glare at Gage, letting his glasses lower a bit so his eyes were visible. "...AHEM."

Gage suddenly realized his snarkiness and just sighed again before he rubbed his eyes with his right and only hand before he decided to apologize,

"*sigh*...Sorry… i'm just kind of stressed because…. You know, it's hard to get right back into all of this…."

"*exhale* …..No. it's perfectly reasonable Mr. Sim. From what Ozpin told me it seems like you already have a lot on your plate as of now…" Oobleck replied.

Gage had to blink twice, and took a step towards the professor. He was just surprised he understood him…. Due to his past experiences with teachers in Atlas.

"...Really?"

The man nodded and smiled as he fixed his glasses again, "Why yes. I mean, you did just suffer a… crippling Injury. And you're having to deal with that, your grades, your friends, your mental and physical health, and your relationship with Ms. Xiao Long? It would seem like a lot to worry about." He said as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

The teacher also poured some into another mug, and handed it to Gage, and he grabbed onto it quickly and drank from it immediately.

"*loud sip* …..W-Well… thank you for understanding sir-"

"Mr. Sim. I wasn't finished." Oobleck said, interrupting his student's appreciation out of the blue. "You may have a lot on your plate….. but you must persevere! Because you may have lost one of your arms…. But you still have another one. And another hand to hold a pencil in." He said, finishing his statement rather coldly.

He just blinked his eyes and looked up at his professor with a blank frown while he just stared at the man…. But still Oobleck went on.

"However, since you have just recently returned….. I will try and knock off any worksheets or essays that you need to make up. But, I want every project, test, and quiz on my desk before you go on winter break. Now does that sound fair?" He asked Gage with a huge smirk.

Gage's glare turned into a gleeful smile as he nodded and kinda laughed at bit at himself…. For being angry. "Y-Yeah uh-Yes sir! Thank you."

"Good. I'm glad we could come to an agreement. Now run along and get some rest Gage, because I think Ms. Xiao Long is growing a bit impatient..."

Oobleck then smiled, and pointed up towards the entrance to the classroom and at Yang as she was peeking in from the hallway so she could watch the two men talk… but then she squeaked and moved her head out of the doorway, but Gage just laughed at her,

"Hehehe, well i guess that's my queue to leave….. so see you around 'Doctor'. And thank you. Again."

The teacher just patted his shoulder and walked back to his desk so he could get to work on grading.

So, Gage decided to walk away and up the steps to the door, setting the mug in his hand down on a desk before he peered his head to right out into the hallway, and saw Yang become scrunched up against a wall, blushing.

"Awww. You know it's really cute when I see you being so overprotective Yang! It just melts my heart." He teased her.

The blonde just chuckled nervously and tugged on the little tie of her school uniform tightly while she just looked down at the ground, smiling.

"Uh- Y-Yeah well l-I heard a little bit of what Oobleck said… so i was just making sure that you weren't going to go off on him…"

He smiled tiredly, and leaned against the wall right next to her while she just leaned to the left, and rested her head on his shoulder snugly, "Aw what? I'm usually passive most of the time. What would make you think that?" Gage asked her with a smirk.

"You just seem really stressed is all…. And I know you get kind of cranky when you're tired Care-Bear."

"Well you're not wrong there." He joked.

She put their books under her arm, and used her other hand to tug at his hand, making him smile before he grasped hers and made their fingers become connected. So then, she started to pull him down the hall, and he followed her.

"So… what do you want to do now? Eat lunch… go on a date… watch some Christmas movies…. Or just go and snuggle for warmth in your bed?~"

Gage smiled at her and took her hand, but did not wait too long to catch up to her and answer with a sigh,

"*sigh* Let's just go back to my dorm…. I need to finish some more work, and then we can go and do whatever we want. Is that okay?"

Yang then waited for him to catch up and stay next to her, which he did. So, she finally just squeezed his hand and laid her head down on top of his shoulder once again.

"Yeah….. it's okay. Because then we can cuddle and watch those movies after!"

But then he just shook his head and laughed a bit, "*exhale* Alright alright Yang. But don't be too sad if I fall asleep…..."

…

 **Later…**

...

Later, Gage and Yang went back back to Gage's dorm. She just wanted to get him to try and lay down for the rest of the day with her and have some time to snuggle, but that didn't happen.

Instead, He put his work on his computer desk, took off his school uniform, put on his prosthetic arm, and switched the school outfit out for a dark green and white flannel, and some brown pants before he started to get to work.

So, Yang sighed heavily and laid down on his bed before she started to play some games and watch some videos on her scroll since she became so bored.

And, she was so lazy that she was still dressed in her school uniform. The black jacket, white blouse, little red tie, the small red plaid skirt, and the black skin tight high socks as well. But she had taken her shoes off.

Gage, was sitting at his desk with a pencil in his hand and was trying to take some notes down from one of his history textbooks, but was failing to keep his eyes open.

Yang was lying on her stomach but had her leg bent back so her foot was sticking straight in the air, and she was kind of distracting him since she just kept talking.

"So? You excited for the dance Care-Bear?"

"...Mmhm…" He mumbled.

He gave off a weak smile, and kept writing in his notebook as he continued to read the textbook line for line. And the blonde brawler still went on

"Did you get your tux?" She asked him.

"Yeah….. couplings… bow tie….. everything."

She let her eyes droop, and lowered her foot down against the bed before she flipped herself, and laid on her back, having to look directly up so she'd be able to see him…. And ask another question.

"Yay! And I went dress shopping with Ruby yesterday too! I'm not going to tell you what I got of course, but I did get two dresses for Ruby! Black and Red. But we both don't know which one she should wear!"

And without warning, the lead on Gage's mechanical pencil suddenly broke due to him jabbing it down onto the paper hard.

"Well… her name is Ruby. So the color should be obvious…" He said rudely.

Yang puffed her cheeks at him first… but soon shook her head, realizing that she was sort of bothering him with her questions.

"O-Oh… true….. okay, then i'll text her and say that you want her to wear the red one!"

She then sighed and started to hum as she held her scroll out in front of her face, and started to text Ruby….. and Gage started to feel so drowsy and tired that he had started to draw a continuous line at the end of the sentence he was writing.

"Mmm….. Kay….."

His drowsy writing continued soon after for… a while, and Yang just tried to not disturb him, so she decided to go back to listening to some music and play some more games on her phone. And she was listening to _Ain't No Mountain High Enough_ by _Marvin Gaye._ Since it was an old song her dad had showed her.

~Do you remember the day, I set you free? I told you you could always count on me darling! From that day on, I made a vow that i'll be there when you want me, someway some how!~

…

And even after some more time, Yang just turned up the volume on her earbuds and just laid there on his bed. She stared up at the ceiling, and even she started to become a little tired….. but she couldn't stop thinking about the dance that was tomorrow night.

All while the same song she was listening to played on a loop,

~My love is alive, right down in my heart, although we are miles apart!~

She still just smiled and listen to the classic, but…. Then she looked over at Gage and saw him just frozen. He was in the exact same position he was in five minutes ago. Writing…

~If you ever need, a helping hand, i'll be there on the double, just as fast as I can! Don't you know that there's Ain't No Mountain High Enough! Ain't no valley low enough, Ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you baby…..~

Her eyelids started to become heavier, and she just hugged herself and laid on the side of his bed, smiling happily about what her boyfriend had planned for her

"I hope it'll be a good night…. No, it has to be! Gage's going with me! So it'll be great either way. Hehehe, and some pictures to remember it by too…. But….."

Yang's grin quickly faded, and she began to think about Gage… and the fact that he was feeling restless… and stressed…. It made her concerned about if he actually wanted to go to the dance now. So, she decided to turn towards her boyfriend,

"Hey….. Gage?"

"...*snore*... "

She asked, but apparently he had fallen asleep with his pencil in hand, and he was now resting his head on his desk, and the blonde sighed at seeing him asleep.

Yang then shook her head, but smiled as she got off of the bed and walked over to him slowly, "*sigh* Dang it Care-Bear… you could have at least taken a break…" She whispered.

Gage just shut his eyes even more as he slept, and he unknowingly covered up the paper he was working on… so then Yang moved his arm and picked it up off of the desktop.

At first, Yang felt the urge to just stuff the piece of paper into his notebook…. But that was until she looked at the paper and read it…..

"Hmm….-uh….. what? What is this?"

The brawler was confused…. Because she noticed that he was working on the same paper during class… and weirdly, he titled it as,

" _Songs for us."_

And below that he had numbered a few things, but weirdly, they weren't like notes or word definitions or anything that would be considered academic….. instead…. They were a list of song titles. Along with their artists, and Yang nearly recognized all of them.

However, number one appeared like it was suppose to be being erased, but half of the title was erased. Along with numbers four, five, and seven,

 _Number one: Shots by Imagine Dragons-_

 _Number two: All of Me by John Legend._

 _Number three: See you again by Charlie Puth._

 _Number four: Writing's On The Wall by Sam smith-_

 _Number five: Fireflies by Owl City-_

 _Number six: Iridescent by Linkin Park._

 _Number seven: Gold by Casey Lee Williams-_

 _Number eight: Viva La Vida by Coldplay_

Her mouth almost hung agape as she stared at the paper, and was about to look down at Gage… until she saw the note he wrote down at the bottom of the page that was directed towards himself.

" _DO NOT let Yang see this! Have to ask Ruby if she can do song requests too! So we can make the dance romantic as fuck for Taiyo-chan!"_

Yang almost felt the urge to just wrap her arms around Gage's stomach and lift him in the air with all her strength... but then she would alert him that she knew his plan for the dance…

"Aww! He was going to plan all of this for me! …...But i can't even say an early thank you to him yet….. " She mentally pouted.

He then hummed to himself with his eyes shut, and let go of his pencil before he just fully let his head and arms rest on the desk, and he started to snore quietly again…. So she saw this as a quick opportunity to put something down on his song list…..

Yang smirked, grabbed his mechanical pencil and wrote down a 'Number Zero' above the number one song on his list…. And the song she chose was…. A-A very fluffy song that she has always loved and thought would be perfect if her and Gage were to have a slow dance! (Yeah sort of a tease I know. Hehe!)

She wrote down her song choice, and smiled as she circled the title three times and even drew little stars and hearts around it before she heard her boyfriend snort, which made her squeak and put the paper face down next to him.

"Mmm… what time is it…." Gage asked Yang as he rubbed his eyes.

"U-Uh- It's almost six thirty I think C-Care-Bear!"

Yang giggled at him, and soon turned Gage's desk chair do he could look at him, and then she climbed ontop of him, straddling him while she sat on top of his lap and grasped his shoulders. "Aww….. you look so tired Gage." She said to him.

He sighed since he was awake now, but soon held onto the blonde girl's hips as she sat on top of him, "*sigh* Yeah…..I am….. but I have to finish this thing and some more stuff too….. but it's just so hardddd….."

She noticed that he had tried to turn the chair so he could look back towards the paper on his desk, so she thought quickly and stuffed it into his notebook before he could glance at it, and that action just relieved them both.

Then, Yang sighed as well, and ran her hand up Gage's chest and just brushed his hair with the same hand as she leaned closer to him and frowned at his bloodshot eyes.

"*sigh* ...You don't have to do all this hard work right now though. You've got until winter break, so the end of next week….. and besides, you've done so much today already. So can you just take a break right now? For me?"

"Yang…. I have to-"

And without warning, Yang curled her arms around Gage's neck and growled at his stubbornness as she just brought herself closer and kissed him on the lips deeply while she closed her eyes.

He reclined back into his chair, and let the grip he had on her knees increase until he eventually closed his eyes as well, and let out a soft moan due to the feeling of her lips being pressed against his own.

"-Mmph…."

She captured his lips with haste, but let him melt into the kiss and feel her warm hot breath and saliva before she smiled, and pulled away from him slowly.

"Mmm….. Gage… you're my baby, and my baby looks like he needs some rest…. So can you please take a break for the rest of the day?"

He opened his eyes, and chuckled tiredly at her response as she moved her hands down from his neck, and down his arms to his hands where she grabbed onto them,

"Hehehe….. the last time you said that Yang, you kept me up for the rest of the night with your, 'physical charms'..."

Yang still smiled back at him and started to tug on his hands so he could get up out of the chair.

"Yeah…. But still you slept with a smile on your face for a good nine hours afterwards, so it kind of evens out…."

Gage just grinned at her, but still didn't get out of the chair despite the blonde's constant tugging of his hands. "I guess it does… but i still need to work on that paper…." He said with a smirk.

But it just made the blonde girl blush since she saw his paper already, and then she tugged even harder and groaned, "Gageyyyyy…... No you don't!" She whined at him in a cute squeaky voice, which made him stifle some tired laughter.

And so she sighed heavily… but frowned at him as well, "Just please come to bed Care-Bear…. I'll cuddle with you….." She suggested as her blush deepened even more.

Gage saw her both blushing and frowning at him as she held onto his hands… and the combo of seeing Yang in her school uniform and the promise of cuddles was something that all together brought warmth to his heart and became something he yearned… so he exhaled and looked down at the floor.

"...*exhale*... Okay okay I'll rest…." He said as he finally stood up from his desk chair.

"Yay!" The blonde cheered.

Then Gage shook his head and kept smiling as Yang pulled him up and started to pull him towards the bed, but then she let go of his hands and allowed him to take off his flannel and throw it towards his closet before he slid into his bed, and pulled the warm blankets over himself as she watched him.

"I was going to go to bed after I finished that last paper anyway Taiyo-chan….." Gage said hoarsely.

Yang simply giggled and stared down at her boyfriend like he was a sick puppy, and then she moved over and sat down on the foot of his bed while she continued to stare at him… but her voice started to become quieter for some reason.

"Well good! Because you're going to need a lot of energy for the dance tomorrow. Well… i mean if you still want to go…. "

He shut his eyes and gripped his pillow tightly as he laid his head down on it… but then he opened his eyes a little bit and glanced back at her weirdly. "Hmph? ...Of course I do…. it'd be the best night we've spent together in a long time…" Gage whispered to her with a smile on his face.

She smile her grew larger, and she scooted closer towards him as she hopped up on his bed, "Are you sure..." She asked him, with a little bit of concern.

Yet still, he nodded, and closed his eyes a little bit as he pulled the blanket over himself again… but kept one eye open and locked onto her as he tried to reassure his blonde lover.

"Yeah…. And the only thing i'd have to worry about is my dancing skills….. but I'll just try and ask the DJ to play something slow….. I wouldn't want to end up stepping on your feet..."

Yang had to stifle and giggle… and she also felt his words form a warm barrier of confidence for the events that would take place tomorrow night. But that was to be in the future…. Now she was thinking of wanting to cuddle with him for warmth like she promised him.

So now since Gage's eyes were shut completely while he still grinned, Yang decided to start undressing… to become a little bit more... comfortable.

First, the blonde brawler ripped off the small red tie off of her blouse's collar, and threw it off the bed as she began to unbutton her black school jacket. And when she did, she also threw it off of the bed.

Then she moved her legs so her feet were pointed away from herself, and she started to pull down her skirt until they reached her ankles, revealing her black laced panties just as she kicked her skirt off and they landed onto the floor all with her other clothes.

And finally, she sighed, unbuttoned her white blouse and left it open, allowing her bust and the black laced bra she was wearing to be seen as she pulled her skin tight black high socks up her legs again to try and catch Gage's attention… but sadly for her, his eyes were closed.

However, he soon opened them and felt the bed creak as Yang laughed, laid down next to him on her side, and quickly pecked his cheek with her lips, making his eyes open all the way again,

"Thank you!" The blonde whispered.

Gage chuckled at Yang, and felt her scoot closer to him and kiss his neck, wrapping her arms around his chest as she did so. "...You don't have to thank me….. its just the right thing to do for a beautiful girl like you….. and i'm also getting too tired to speak in full sentences…." He whispered back into her ear.

Then she raised her head up a bit, and kissed him on the lips again quickly, but pulled away soon after. "Hehe, Well too bad! Because i'm going to thank you anyway!" She replied with a small giggle.

"Mmm…. Kay….. now can we snuggle Yang? I can barely keep my eyes open..."

Yang nodded, and let out a blissful sigh when she felt his arms reach around her waist and pull her closer towards himself. "*sigh*...Okay Care-Bear…. i love you..."

"Thank you…. And I love you too Yang….."

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were in their own dorm, preparing for tomorrow night's dance… and they actually intended to just go…. And not do anything evil. It was weird, and it just made Cinder 'burn' brightly with anger!

"Rrrgh….."

Her and Emerald were picking out their dresses, but Mercury was laying on his bed, reading the new issue of X-Ray and Vav comic book while Cinder continued to growl…

"So….. we going to do anything tomorrow night besides playing dress-up? Preferably something bad?" He asked in a snarky tone.

Cinder just sighed with frustration, "*sigh* Oh how I wish we could Mercury, but we have more eyes watching us than i'm usually comfortable with…"

Then Emerald huffed, crossed her arms and rolled her eyes as she looked away from the two, "And not to mention that Sage-colored, metal-armed thorn that's jabbed into our side…" She growled, referring to Gage.

Mercury shook his head, and let the comic book fall onto his face slowly before he groaned, "Ughhh… you both know I hate waiting….."

"*sigh* Mercury if we try and fix what happened to the CCT, then what would we do if they just fix it again?"

"We could just blow it up-"

Cinder's eyes then glowed, and she turned towards the two and stomped over to them both angrily due to their bickering, "We are not going in there again and we are not destroying it!" She yelled.

Emerald immediately backed down and sat next to mercury on the bed, but Merc just sighed and moved the comic book off of his face. But then he looked over at Cinder and decided to ask the obvious question,

"Then what do we do now?"

The sultry woman sighed, clenched the bridge of her nose, and sat down on the bed that was across from her two underlings…. But she hesitated to answer… because she truly didn't know.

"*sigh* ...As of right now, I don't know. But the only thing I do know is that we're going to have wait for quite a while for an opportunity to do something about our problems… and that little green thorn…"

"How long do you think it'll take to do that Cinder?" Emerald asked.

"...Too long. " She answered. Cinder then let go of the bridge of her nose, smiled evilly, and looked up at Emerald and Mercury with a devious sparkle in her eyes, "But, I'm sure everything will work out in our favor soon enough…."

And finally…. Her eyes became as orange as a blazing flame… displaying her frustration and fiery urge to kill every single student that would stand in her way...

"….And if it doesn't… then we'll make sure that none of those 'children' will escape the coming fire!"


	8. Just Another Teenage Dream

**Author's Note:** Before anything else, id just like to say that i'm sorry about the late update. Social and school shit plus my lack of internet access has to do with all of that time gap, but to make it up to all of you… I'm just gonna tell you that this is going to be the longest chapter of RWBY: Desertion that I have made so far! Anyway, So I forgot to set Part One of RWBY: Desertion as Completed so I finally went back and did that…. But then I nearly screamed out loud…. Because I just saw that RWBY: DESERTION JUST HIT 100,000 VIEWS! But now it's at 103,000 cuz its been like two weeks… but still hooray! (Another reason why I made this chapter be bigger than usual!)

And now i'm on the sequel and it's still been growing! And it just amazes me. Because this was the first story I've ever really thought up of myself, but of course none of this would be possible without your guy's support. And a huge thank you to you all who helped me reach this milestone! I love you all. And this helps me so much. Even through the bad times i'm going through like right now.

So... thank you. So much. Hell i almost cried tbh XD. But seriously, if I can do this, then all of those who are afraid to post a story… JUST DO IT. Hell, maybe you could even pm me and ask me anything about it if you're unsure. But anyway, thank you all for the love!

(Btw, about the song that Yang wrote down… it'll show up in this chapter of course, and honestly I chose it because i just thought it's lyrics went along with Gold perfectly… so maybe y'all should check it out!)

 **Song:** …

…

Twas the night of the Holiday Dance.

The weather was cold as small snowflakes fell gently from the night sky, the romantic mood was set in throughout Beacon academy, and its couples were filled with excitement, glee… and some _other_ lovely emotions, but Gage and Yang, Beacon's 'star couple', was filled with all of those feelings…. But... Gage of course had to have some personal anxiety mixed in there.

"Fuck this up and you're fucked. Fuck this up and you're fucked. Fuck this up and you're fucked. Fuck this up and you're fucked. Fuck this up and you're fucked. Fuck this up and you're fucked..."

Just like their first date, he was chanting the ever so uplifting advice to himself as he was staring at himself in his bathroom mirror while he was getting dressed for the dance.

Although, tonight there was also another reason why he was cursing at himself, and that was mostly because **Today was Gage and Yang's** **Six Month Anniversary.** And he had foolishly forgotten.

He looked at himself, and saw that he was wearing a black tuxedo, even with his prosthetic arm. He had smooth black pants, socks, dress shoes, and the black jacket that was over his white dress shirt. You know, like a normal Tux. But it was buttoned up almost all the way.

However, he had four white button cufflinks on both of his sleeves, and he was also wearing a dark green bowtie as well, and when he saw them all in place and neatly fixed, Gage started to become even more nervous.

"*sigh* Okay Okay, Shoes….. cufflinks…. Bowtie….. little bit of cologne, should be all good…"

Then, he looked up at himself in the mirror and pointed his finger sternly at his own reflection as he glared at it as well.

"Alright, as usual, keep any of those suitors scared, but don't be a dick, and make it the night of her life, but be happy at the same time too! And…. *pant* ….don't make a fool of yourself!"

Gage stared at himself with a glare before he closed his eyes, put his hands on the counter of his bathroom sink…. And let out a deep breath as he made a fist with both hands, gripping the marble counter with force.

And soon after, he ran his hand through his hair to calm himself as he took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, which was the song list he made, and opened it up so he could read it…. But that was when he saw the 'Number Zero' that Yang had put down while he was sleeping.

"*exhale*...what the….. when did I write that down?"

He squinted his eyes at the paper, seeing the three circles that were around the title along with the little stars and hearts… and it made him become a little suspicious… but then he remembered that the dance was going to start in less than half an hour, and he still had to go pick up Yang!

So he just sighed, put the piece of paper back into his pocket along with his sage bandana as a good luck charm.

"*sigh* ….Screw it. I don't have a lot of time to figure out what song it is anyway. Now, I need to go pick up Yang…."

He then walked out of his bathroom, picked up a plastic box that contained the corsage that he had promised to give to Yang, and let out another deep breath as he started to walked towards his front door…

"Mom, Dad… Summer… wish me luck."

Gage gave that last sentiment, and finally he opened the door, and walked out into the hall as he popped a mint into his mouth, and left with some anxiety… and some excitement both at the same time as he started to head towards Team RWBY's dorm...

…

After he went upstairs, and a few minutes of fast walking passed, Gage found Yang's dorm and stood in front of the her door, trying to calm his nerves before he could see her in her dress and completely lose his cool like he did on their first date.

He inhaled deeply for a few seconds before before he exhaled and released the air… and looked down at his hands as he held the box containing his lover's corsage tightly, clearing his mind of any worries or stress as he looked down at the flower…

"...Make it seem like something out of a story book….. just for her."

Gage smiled at it, and lowered one of his hands from the box, so he could raise it high enough to knock on the door three times.

"*knock* *knock* *knock*"

Again, just like their first date, he heard some commotion come from the other side of their door, and he took a small step towards it as he could hear a little bit of panicked whispers come from inside as well.

So he thought that the whispers alone gave him the consent to plant his ear against the wooden door and knock on it again as he tried to talk through it to whoever was inside.

"Yang? Are you in there?" Gage asked.

Then, the commotion stopped, and Yang's voice came through from the other side of the door. Sounding both happy, and nervous at the same time. "O-Oh-Uhh, Yeah!" She answered him.

"...Is everything alright in there? You were making a lot of noise.."

"O-Oh…. It was nothing! So don't worry about it! And you can come in now Care-Bear! I'm ready to see you now!"

"Okay…" Gage smiled, moved his ear away from the door as he looked at the door handle and began turn it…. But he stopped halfway. And closed his eyes for a few seconds…. Until he turned the handle completely turned and he opened the door as slow as he possibly could….

As the door creaked and he peered his head into the room while he entered…. it felt like time was slowing down, as the door was now completely open… and he saw Yang.

She was completely visible….. but the sight of her was just truly magnificent.

The blonde brawler was wearing an embellished Yellow chiffon evening gown along with some yellow heels and a black choker that was around her neck as she just held her hands together, and raised her head up until her Lilac eyes became interlocked with her lover's bright Turquoise orbs.

...And his eyes enlarged even more as they traveled and scanned the rest of the blonde's body.

Her dress went all the way down to her feet, the shoulder straps fitted perfectly and had small clear jewels decorating them, along with the sash that went around the waistline of the dress, and the front upper part of the dress gave off a small clear view of her cleavage.

"Hey… Care-Bear….." She said.

Gage was left speechless. His mouth was opened as his face turned red and blushed madly… but he still moved closer to her. Ignoring the yellow flower petals that were scattered on the ground in a straight line towards where she was standing.

They both moved towards each other slowly until they were mere inches away from each other, causing Yang to smile and look down at herself for a brief second before she glanced back up at Gage with a small blush.

"Yang….. you look… amazing. And as beautiful as….. a princess straight out of a fairy tale…."

The blonde's blush showed itself a lot more after that statement, and she decided to take another step closer as she smiled, tilted her head, and looked into her boyfriend's eyes while she moved her hands on top of his

shoulders slowly.

"Then I guess that makes you my prince charming…."

He chuckled at her first before he raised the box containing her corsage up to her chest, and so they both looked down at it. The couple both blushing and smiling at each other once again…

"I'm no prince… but i still know how to love a beautiful girl like you the right way Yang…."

Yang's eyes fluttered as they drooped, and she just stared at him in silence with an impassioned lovely smile on her face while she gazed into his eyes.

So then he opened the box slowly, lifting up the lid, and took out the yellow rose corsage that he had promised to buy for her. So, she held out her arm, and Gage tied the flower around her wrist tightly before he moved his hands down to her waist… and placed his hands onto her hips and moved even closer to her than he already was.

"Well… I kept my end of the deal Yang… just like you wanted me to…." He said as he looked into her eyes. "So…. Do I get anything in return?~"

She laughed back at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in closer so she could whisper into his ear, "Mmhm… and it's just a little surprise from me….so pucker up Gagey….."

The blonde brawler then surprised her lover…. As she brought his head closer to herself, just enough to give Gage the urge to quickly push himself forwards and smother his lips against Yang's while he wrapped his arms around her lower back, pulling her in closer and deepening their kiss as a whole.

And after being locked in their steamy kiss for about a minute, Gage pulled away and smiled back at Yang, his smirk still completely intact.

"Letting me initiate the kiss..… I… guess that is kind of special…. So thank you Yang-"

"That wasn't it…" She cut him off.

"Oh….. then what is it?"

Yang giggled a bit as she moved her hands back down to his chest… but whispered into his ear again, "...This!" And then, the blonde grinned, turned over to her desk, and waved at her scroll which was on its side thanks to the case's stand…. and the screen appeared to be projecting a live feed of a Skype video chat….

"Hi Dad!"

The words 'Dad' immediately scorched its way into Gage's head, and his mouth dropped open as he turned, looked her scroll…. And saw that Yang was in fact in a video chat with her dad Taiyang. As in…. Right that very second.

"U-UUH-"

Taiyang on the other end, was slouched up in a chair with his arms crossed and was glaring right at Gage while he had his head tilted and gave a small aggressive smile as he put a hand up and waved to him,

"HI Yang. And HELLO to you too Gage. Seems and looks like you're both doing really well today…."

"Mmhm!" Yang smiled back, and hugged Her boyfriend's arm tightly as his eyes showed clearly that he was more than scared for his life now….

"Y-Yeah. J-Just kissed my girlfriend right in front of her dad… doing terrific! E-Ehehe And uh….. Yang you didn't tell me you were going to video chat with your dad…." Gage stuttered.

Taiyang just lowered his arms chuckled to himself as he sat up. "Yeah… Yang wanted me to see you and her before you went to the dance and to take pictures and all that stuff. She really wants to treat this like a prom….." He said.

Gage nodded, and sighed as he grabbed and held one of Yang's hands and held it, revealing his prosthetic hand to Taiyang for the first time. "Y-Yeah…. That's what I said." He chuckled.

"Well that's good Gage! Because then you must know how special this night must be for her!"

"O-Of course!"

Yang watched them both converse with each other, and she could tell that her father was trying to mess with him, so she sighed and glared back at Taiyang while she still held onto Gage's arm.

"*sigh* ...Can you stop psyching my baby bear out Dad? He's been really stressed lately… and tonight is suppose to be a break for him…"

The older Huntsman suddenly saw that Yang was holding onto her boyfriends prosthetic arm instead of his real one…. And he sighed with her as he just grinned and waved her and Gage off. "Yeah yeah…. Hehe, you know I just like to poke fun at people Yang! Anyway….."

He paused for a second, and took out a small camera and held it up to his web cam before he smiled at the couple and shouted, "Picture time!" At them, making his daughter smile again.

"You never seem to disappoint Dad."

"Yang you're my daughter I'm not suppose to disappoint! Now get into one of those cute poses!"

"Okay!"

Then Gage just laughed at them both, and opened up his arm so Yang could hook and link her arm around his own before they both stood next to each other, and looked towards her scroll as Taiyang started to take pictures like he was apart of the paparazzi.

"*click!* *click!* *click!*"

He even sat up from his chair and moved a bit closer, still snapping some pictures of the couple as Yang just nudged her head into Gage's shoulder and rested her head on his shoulder, making them both smile happily while the camera kept snapping pictures of them.

The snapping went on for a bit, and Gage grew a little rushed, so he changed the position by letting Yang instead wrap her arms around his chest, and allowed him to put his left arm around her and also put his other hand into one of his pockets, just as Taiyang eventually stopped after about five minutes.

"Aaaaand there!"

He held up the camera and waved it towards towards screen, signaling the couple that he was finished. "Now I can scrapbook it! Or do something more manly…. but yeah! Looks like you two are all set to go!"

They both broke their pose and sighed as they walked closer to Yang's scroll and she picked it off of the desk,

"Thanks again Dad!" Yang thanked her father as she held her scroll. Gage then grinned and took a step closer as well. "We'll take some other pictures later to send you…. And then we'll get to see you at Patch over winter break!"

Taiyang nodded, and put the camera away as he looked back at Gage and Yang with a smirk, "Alright Gage. I can't wait to meet you for the first time and to see Ruby and Yang! Anyway, I should probably go before you two are late for the dance!"

Gage just smiled again "Alright. See you then 'Sir'." And Yang squealed as she her hand in front of her scroll and waved at her dad, "Okay! Bye Dad! I love you!"

He waved back with another smile,and decided it was time for their little pre-dance moment to come to an end.

"Alright firecracker! I love you too! Now you two have a fun night together okay? And be safe." And Taiyang then smiled weakly…. And he saw Gage's arm. But tried not to stare at it too long. "Both of you."

"Now bye!"

And without hesitation, Taiyang's video signal cut out, and the call ended between them, So Yang sighed and turned her lover once again as she smiled and grasped his shoulders again as well,

"*sigh* Well…. I think we've waited long enough…. So… shall we go now Gagey?"

"Hehe….. yes. Yes we shall Yang." He answered. Then Gage moved her hands away from his shoulders, and held onto her hand as they both started to walk towards the front door.

So then they got to the door, opened it, and finally left for their special night together. All while Gage…. Was still somewhat worried about the outcome of the night…

"Please….. let this be a night that we'll always want to remember…"

…

…

…

Outside, the sky was dark along with the night, and snow continued to fall as Beacon was covered with a white blanket of snow and remained silent….. except for the all the commotion and music that was coming from their glorious ballroom, because as of now….. their Holiday Dance had finally begun.

The doors were opened and countless couples and other students flooded into the Ballroom, all dressed in either Tuxedos, Suits, Dresses, and evening gowns, and were excited to have one last party before the year was going to come to an end.

Gage and Yang eventually ventured through the cold together and arrived at the front doors, both shivering a bit, but they were warmed up a little but thanks to the brawler's fiery aura.

They walked up to the front, and she was holding onto his left arm as they both stopped since there was a pedestal being used by the senior student that Gage had encountered six days ago. And she was delighted to see them both.

"Oooh! You're both here! That's great!"

Yang smiled awkwardly, and kept holding onto Gage as he did the same, "O-Oh. Hehe, yeah! The star couple is here!" He chuckled as he handed her two tickets that he had paid for earlier in the week.

"Oh goodie! There's no doubt you two will be a highly rated couple for the dance's King and Queen!"

He then glanced back at Yang and whispered to her quietly, without breaking eye contact with the other girl behind the pedestal. "Uh… you're not into that type of thing right?" He asked the blonde.

"Not really…. But It'd be cool if we won still!"

"Good to know…"

After that, he looked back at the girl as she ripped the tickets in half and handed them back to the couple with a huge smile. "Alrighty. Here you go! Have a good night, and I hope you both win!"

They both then smiled and waved back at the girl as they passed her and kept close to each other while they were holding hands

"Thanks!"

And so they walked inside of the ballroom, relieved to feel the warmth of the room's heater hit them and warm their bodies like a warm blanket…. But then, as they sighed with relief…..the couple looked in front of themselves and gasped in awe.

There were red, green, and white balloons all blown up and tied together in small groups of each other and were spread around the room, along with a giant christmas tree that was lit up and decorated neatly behind the dance floor, which was surrounded by round tables that had silky white table cloths over them, along with some chairs, a table for food and drinks, and even a DJ booth that was placed in the back in front of the christmas tree!

"Wow….." they rejoiced silently.

The music was on fire as the students cheered and dance in front of them, and the song _Dream Come True_ by Jeff Williams was playing a loud at that time too!

~Whenever I think of you, and how i wish you only knew, that you might be my Dream Come True! …..What do I have to do to make you my baby?!~

They didn't pay attention to the song however, as their eyes glistened at the sight of all the holiday decorations, and the huge crowd that had occupied the ballroom, which also smelled like gingerbread cookies!

"So much Christmas in one room…..." Yang whispered.

Then, at the other end of the room, the DJ booth to be specific, Gage saw ….Ruby run to the booth, and pat the DJ on the back as she picked up a microphone and smiled once she looked across and saw him and Yang at the entrance.

"*gasp!* ...Okay everyone, remember to vote for the couple to be nominated for tonight's dance King and Queen! Also, the nominees are…. Neptune Vasilias and Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos, and my sister Yang and her boyfriend Gage!"

The crowd just stopped for a second and cheered loudly at her announcement before the music continued, and Yang internally screamed with joy because she was actually nominated!

But Gage laughed at the blonde, and started to pull her towards one of the tables, since he saw Ruby leave the booth and head back towards where he thought the rest of their friends were. "Of course Ruby would nominate us…." He said as he grinned at Yang

"Hehe…. yeah. But who knows, maybe someone else will win…... oh look!"

She followed him past some of the tables, and that's when she saw three tables in the corner of the room, and they were all occupied by their friends!

Team JNPR and CFVY were all sat at one of the very right while Team SSSN were sitting in the back, occupying the farthest table, while the one remaining table was left for Team RWBY to sit at.

Everyone was dressed formally, the guys all in tuxes with a bow tie to match their unique color, and the girls were all dressed in beautiful dresses, which also matched with their own specific color.

"Hi you guys!"

They all then looked up as they laughed, greeted, and waved at Gage and Yang before Sun and Scarlet both stood up from their seats,

"LOOKING FRESH DRAGONSLAYER!"

And yelled that out as Blake, who was sitting next to Sun, lightly punched the monkey faunus in the leg, but also had to laugh since Gage and Yang's smile turned into an annoyed glare.

"*sigh* ...Sun I told you not to call me that….."

"Aww come on! It's been a while!"

"Just don't go crazy with the nicknames tonight." The brawler warned him. And she also looked back and just pecked Gage on the cheek. "Tonight is my Baby-bear's little break, so you better not make him mad!"

The rest of SSSN, Except for Neptune, snickered at the couple and tried not to burst out laughing, "Hehe… 'Baby-bear'."

Ruby finally made her way over to her friends, and sighed as she took a glass of punch off of her team's table and waved at everyone else. "*sigh* ...Hey everyone!"

"Hey Ruby!"

Yang smiled, "Hey little sis! So how'd the decoration process go with Weiss?" She asked her.

"It was Excellent!" Weiss said as she appeared behind Ruby and gave everyone a huge smile. But the small girl soon turned to her icy partner with a smirk,

"Hahaha! Weiss, you're only saying that because I let you use doilies!"

"N-No I-... Well… maybe. But still, look at what the two of us did to this place! It looks absolutely marvelous!"

"So you two really planned this entire thing?" Gage asked them, clearly surprised that nothing went wrong so far.

Ruby nodded, "Mmhm! Weiss handled the dining sets, average decorations, and the, 'cutlery'-" She said, using over exaggerated air quotes. "-While I handled the rest thanks to my Christmas spirit! Oh, and thanks to me, I bumped you guys, Beacon' 'star couple', up the list for the dance king and queen nominees!"

Gage and Yang both internally groaned at the mention of their apparent title, and so he sighed once again with a slight smile as he turned towards his lover.

"Ugh….. I'm starting to hate it when people us that….."

However, the small girl still kept her upbeat mood, as she just put her hands on her hips and looked up at him with fire in her eyes.

"Well deal with it because you're going to be called that once you two win the crown!" And then she swiftly grabbed another glass of punch off of the table, and started to move back towards the DJ booth again. "Now if you'll excuse me, Daft Junk needs something to drink. So i'll talk to you guys later!"

She then walked away, and Gage immediately jumped and ran after her for some reason, pulling out the song list he made, as he had forgot to mention the thing to her. "Oh-W-Wait Ruby hold up!"

…

Gage walked over with Ruby and started to try and talk to not too suspiciously, but since he moved over to the small redheaded girl, he left Yang and Weiss alone together.

And oddly enough, Yang noticed that her icy-haired teammate kept turning her head towards Gage…. And Neptune. Who had gotten up… and appeared to be talking to some other girls in the corner of the room.

The blonde noticed this almost on the spot, so she moved closer to Weiss, and stood next to her as Neptune waved to the girls and went to sit back down at SSSN's table.

"So…. How are things between you two?"

She however, gave off a fake smile as she looked down at the floor, "*sigh* …...We're falling apart."

Yang looked back at the blue haired boy as well, and frowned too before she looked back at her teammate "Weiss…. For what it's worth, I'm sorry…- "

"No. It's okay. I…. I should have known more before I threw myself at him…. Beggars can't be choosers…"

"Weiss…-"

The heiress just shut her eyes and put up her hand, signaling Yang to stop. "It's alright Yang. Really…." She then looked over at Gage as he showed the song list to Ruby, knowing that Neptune was looking at her and Yang right now. "Now I can focus on being a better friend instead of a good girlfriend….. so it works out."

They both glanced back towards the tables, and at him for a few seconds before Yang asked, "...Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm going to tell Neptune we're done once the night is over…. Then i will be…" She answered.

That caused the to blonde look directly at Neptune as he sat there…. And he just…. Grinned at Yang. But it angered her to the point where her eyes turned blood red, and she increased the intensity of her glare, causing him to look away nervously, since Gage had also started to move back towards the group.

"Alright. I'm back. Now what were you two talking about?"

Weiss just turned to him with a smile and started to step towards the other side of the room. "O-Oh. Nothing important! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go check if the food still tastes sufficient…"

"Okay. See ya Weiss…"

And so she walked away from the couple, leaving Gage to wave at her as he noticed a small frown on his lover's face. "Hmm. Yang are you okay?"

Yang had to change her expression quickly, so she flinched as she panicked and smiled at him. "M-Mmhm! N-Never better!" she stuttered.

"Oh. Good! Because I was thinking that maybe me and you could…. Go over to the dance floor?"

Then all of a sudden, a hand tapped him on the shoulder as a nonchalant voice said his name in a questionable manner. "Gage. Whats this about the dance floor?"

"Huh?"

Him and Yang both turned around, and saw that Pyrrha was behind Gage, and Jaune was standing right next to her, smiling, causing them all to smile at each other.

"Oh. Hey other couple!" Yang said as she waved at them.

They both raised a hand, and smiled back as Jaune greeted them. "Hey… you guys?" But Pyrrha just laughed at Yang and lowered her boyfriend's hand. "Good Evening!"

"Hey Jaune. Hey Pyrrha." Gage crossed his arms and laughed before he grinned at them as well. "Glad to see there's another couple here to take the spotlight from us!"

Pyrrha giggled, "Hehehe, we can try but i'd doubt it. You two just seem more openly intimate than ourselves. And I suppose it's more of an, 'attention-grabber'."

Jaune simply stood there, holding Pyrrha' s hand as he pulled on the collar of his tux nervously. "Y-Yeah…. But it's fun to just go on like lots of dates…. And other things."

"Hmm…. Maybe we could all go on a double date of some sort?" The redhead suggested.

"Oooh! That sounds like fun!" Yang replied. "Buuuut… how about like… a couple's sparring match?" But strangely, she took back that thought almost immediately…. As she smirked. "Oh wait… no… no.."

Gage and Jaune looked at her strangely, since they basically were obliged to go if their girlfriends both liked the idea….. and also, Pyrrha took a step forward and looked at Yang with some concern. "What is it?"

"Oh…. It's just that I don't think the fight would be fair for you Jaune."

"Hmmm?"

Everyone else just stared at Yang, yet Gage's eyes were a lot wider than the other couple's, and he looked a lot more scared as Yang went on. "Yang-"

"It's just that you know, Me and Gage's fighting skills are kinda equaled out, while Yours kinda towers over Jaune's!"

Pyrrha's eyes suddenly opened even more, and she took a step towards Yang… while she unknowingly clenched her fist as she…. Smiled aggressively at the blonde, but then Jaune stepped in almost immediately. "Y-Yeah well we can all just go on a normal date can't we?!" He asked with a nervous chuckle.

Gage smiled as well since he saw his girlfriend cross her arms and continued to go on, and it made him start to worry. "U-Uh, y-yeah! Can't we just like… go out into Vale or something?"

The Spartan shook her head and still smiled angrily before she turned back to Jaune and Gage, all while Yang tried not to laugh.

"Oh no Jaune, I think this sparring match could be an excellent rematch between You and Gage….. and I envision that fighting Yang will be absolutely FUN!"

The two men simply took a step back from her in fear, and Gage just jabbed Jaune in the side, even though he was holding Pyrrha's hand, and whispered to him. "You're up dude…. She's your girl…"

"But Yang started it-"

"She likes to tease people, I think we all know that! J-Just handle it Jaune! I got your back."

Jaune sighed, "*sigh* ...Fine. Just follow my lead." And then he spoke even quieter to his friend. "And don't hate me…"

Jaune then let go of his redhead girlfriend's hand… and looked over at Gage and Yang as he took a step towards Gage slowly, and chuckled nervously.

"A rematch? H-Hehe, H-Hey Gage…. since there's more people here… h-how about me and you have the rematch h-here?" He suggested with a very fake smirk.

Gage looked nervously around at all the people dancing as part of the act… and became confused at the knight's proposition. "U-Uh, a sparring match? Here?"

"Pfft! N-No! No fighting of course….. I had a… different type of battle besides an actual fight in mind….." Jaune assured him.

Pyrrha became confused as well, and looked at her black boyfriend as she tilted her head questionably towards him, "Then what other fight were you thinking of Jaune?"

Jaune then smiled, looked over at Ruby since she was next to the DJ's booth, and snapped his fingers loudly as he raised his arm in the air…. Which was soon accompanied by a sudden scratch.

But then the DJ continued to play the next song… but instead… the next song started to play… which was _O-O-OH Child by The Five Stairsteps._

~Oooh child, things are gon' get easier….. Oooh child, things'll get brighter…. Oooh child, things are gon' get easier….. Oooh child, things'll get brighter….~

And so, Jaune grinned, looked up at Gage, and took another huge step in his direction, bent on beating the ghost in the only way he knew how.

"Y-You may have the best fight style out of all the guys….. but do you have moves like these?!"

The knight quickly jumped to the side and had his body turned towards his opponent as he suddenly pointed his arm outwards and waved it like a backwards current, which seemed to travel through his body from the right side and to the left before his body flowed through the current, and stopped at his left arm before he snapped both of his fingers at Gage as well.

"Let's have a dance off!" Jaune then smiled again and pointed towards Gage without hesitation, "Me versus You!"

Gage sighed at first, and thought, "...Really? Am I really going to do this?" Although, he soon forced himself to smile, let go of Yang's hand, and grin back at the blonde boy with a competitive glow in his turquoise eyes.

"This really is the best day ever! This'll mark the day that Jaune Arc came to me and said, 'Dance off Bro! Me and you'!" He said, mocking Jaune clearly.

"H-Hey! I didn't say it like that!"

"Whatever! You're on Jaune!"

And as Yang and Pyrrha both smiled watched, Gage shrugged his shoulders and held his arms out in a 'come at me bro' type of gesture, but not before he shuffled his feet backwards against the soft floor, waved his left arm like a wave for a second before he closed his eyes, let his arms fall to his sides, and bent his knees.

~Someday…. We'll get it together and get it undone…. Someday it'll get much lighter… Someday, yeah, we'll walk in the ways of a beautiful sun… will be brighter!~

Then, he looked and bent down as he rolled his shoulders forwards twice, stopped as he went bent down halfway, bent his knees forwards once, and started to lean back up while he rolled his shoulders backwards twice and stopped once he stood straight up again, signaling Jaune's turn.

~La la la la la la la la la. La la la la la la la la la!~

So, Jaune smiled, put his hands together, and started to move his joined hands around in a circle as he kept sidestepping and bend his knees with every rotation of his arms, which looked like he was stirring a pot.

That moment of coordination made both Yang and Pyrrha laugh as the spotlight quickly moved over to Gage and Jaune, exposing their dance off to the rest of the students, but it still made them all laugh.

" _Whoa! A hottie and a total nerd are having a dance off!"_

" _Yang and Pyrrha are two lucky gals!"_

" _Jaune kick his butt!"_ Nora yelled.

" _Jaune you should have worn your dress again!"_

" _I wanna see Gage in a dress now!"_

" _...Wait, the fuck?"_

The students just laughed at them but kept watching as Gage hopped in place, touched the floor and randomly kicked his leg into the air and waved his left arm like a wave once again be for he looked over at Yang and held out his hand to her,

"Yang?!"

Sadly though, the brawler smiled and shook her head 'no', causing Gage to nod and turn back to Jaune quickly.

"No? Okay then… Now bring it back!"

He then smiled at her, and she watched with a blush as he stomped on the floor, and slid his foot back before he put his other foot in front, and repeated the action as he slammed his right heel into the floor in front of him, moved it back, jumped in the air again, but slammed his palm against the ground and used it to push himself back up, making the crowd cheer.

Yang and Pyrrha both watched and laughed while everyone started to crowd around them, and even Coco and Velvet walked next to them and cheered, while Sun, (Trying not to be racist towards the faunus here,) laughed loudly, and howled like a monkey along with Scarlet.

"Gage don't break an ankle!" Velvet yelled. Then Coco smiled too, and creeped up behind Yang so she could grab the blonde's shoulders, and push her outwards. "Yeah! You still need to show Yang a good time!"

"-Whoa!"

The crowd just surrounded them as Yang was pushed towards him, and so Jaune laughed and hid in the crowd, causing Gage to stop and look at his girlfriend while he panted with a smile.

Yang still was nervous, and she blushed heavily. Gage had decided to get closer to her, and they both just laughed at each other, clearly embarrassed by the situation. "*pant* Hehe, so…. want to show everyone how Beacon's 'star couple' does it?" He asked her.

"You mean…. To dance?"

"More or less….. and I think Ruby might just know what to play for us…"

He said that, mostly because he was looking over at the DJ booth. Ruby had pushed Daft Junk out of the way, and was looking for a song to play…. And soon after she stopped fidgeting, the _O-O-OH_ was cut off, and replaced with a different song… which was _Radio Ga Ga_ by _Queen_.

~I sit alone and watch your light, my only friend, through teenage night…. And everything, I had to know, I heard it on my radio!~

That was when he turned towards Yang and smiled, since he knew the song well, and held out his hand to her as he moved closer and looked her straight in the eyes. "Come on….. I don't want to make a fool of myself without you."

~So don't become… some background noise…. Backdrop for… the girls and boys, who just don't know, or just don't care, and just complain… when you're not there!-~

The blonde giggled at him quietly…. Before the crowd cheered, and made her take Gage's hand as she looked back up at him, smiling happily,

"...And you'll never have to!-"

Then in that exact instant, he pulled her in close, enough so she could smile and latch onto one of his shoulders as he used his metal hand to hold onto left hand, and twirled her for a second before he turned and dipped her, making her laugh as the song finally hit it's high note!

~You had your time! You had the power! You've yet to have, your finest hour! Radio….. Radio! -All we hear is, Radio Ga Ga, Radio goo goo, Radio Ga Ga, All we hear is, Radio Ga Ga, Radio goo goo, Radio Ga Ga!-~

"How the fuck am I doing this?!" Gage thought.

The crowd cheered in an uproar, and the rest of the students started to dance to the song as well while the spotlight was still on the couple as Gage raised Yang back up, yet she was panting for some reason, and her face was bright red.

"*pant* …...Gagey…."

"*pant* I have no idea how I did that…"

Her mouth hung agape with a slight grin when she pressed her body against his chest.. and soon kicked off her yellow heels, leaving her barefoot. "Well don't end it right there." She said.

"W...What?"

~Let's hope you never… leave old friend, like all good things, on you we depend, so stick arooound, cuz we might' miss you, when we grow tired, of all this visual!-~

Yang smirked at him, and smiled as her eyes drooped… and she decided to lean close enough to whisper into his ear as she pressed herself against him.

"The night's still young. So let's make it our own!"

He blushed as well… but soon his face returned to its normal color before he backed away from Yang, but held her left hand as both the air arms were outstretched, and pulled her closer, allowing her to twirl herself as she smiled, and turned her back to Gage as they held hands. He then hugged her from behind… grinned, and finally whispered back to her...

"... As you wish.~"

~YOU HAD THE TIME! You had the power! You've yet to have, your finest hour! Radio….. Radio! -All we hear is, Radio Ga Ga, Radio goo goo, Radio Ga Ga, All we hear is, Radio Ga Ga, Radio goo goo, Radio Ga Ga...~

…

 **Later…**

…

The dance was starting to tone down a bit, but the crowd was still there, as the dancing had begun to slow down as well along with the music as Yang was trying to teach Gage how to slow dance. She Just giggled at him, and he was smiling nervously as he looked down at their feet, but also felt relieved that Yang had put her yellow heels back on.

However, Blake and Sun were sitting down, and were watching the couple from afar, feeling happy for their two friends and fellow couple as they danced.

"This is the first night they've really had a good time together since everything happened…. And now they look so happy..."

Sun grinned at Blake and crossed his arms as he sighed, "*sigh* ….Yeah. But why can't we have some fun? This is a dance after all Blake."

She smiled, and held onto his arm. "Our dancing was humiliating from the last dance though. I can't imagine doing it again."

"But this is a slow dance. It's wayyy different."

"Hmm….. maybe…."

"Blake come on…. Please? I actually want to do something romantic with you …" Sun whined loudly.

"*sigh* …Okay Sun." She sighed with another smile. "But hands _above_ the waist. Is that clear?"

"Yeah I got it…"

They then smiled, took each other's hand and made their way to the dance floor while Gage and Yang started to ease into each step as they danced with each other, right before the song _Like I'm Gonna Lose You_ by Meghan Trainor played aloud.

~...I find myself dreaming… in silver and gold… like a scene from a movie, that every broken heart knows… we were walking on moonlight, and you pulled me close… split second and you disappeared, and then I was all alone…~

They were still both looking down at their feet and were smiling, happy that the slow music had finally arrived, despite Gage's lack of skill… but still he tried his best for his lover as he nervously made sure each step didn't land on Yang's toes.

~I woke up in tears with you by my side, a breath of relief, and I realized… no, we're not promised tomorrow, so I'm gonna love you… like i'm gonna lose you… and i'm gonna hold you… like i'm saying goodbye…~

They were looking into each other's eyes… and held onto one another as the song continued, and they laughed a bit. Yang had her arms wrapped around Gage's neck while he had his hand placed gently around her lower back while they just stared into each other's eyes.

"So…. Tonight's been pretty eventful… right Yang?" Gage asked her.

Yang nodded. "Mmhm…. And also It's been really special so far… thanks to you Care-Bear."

Gage then sighed while he smiled sheepishly sheepishly his lover. "*sigh* ...it'd probably a lot better if I actually knew how to slow dance before hand. Hehe, sorry about that." He chuckled.

The blonde shook her head before she sighed and just kept smiling at him once again, "It's not that hard… you just… keep stepping in a circle basically… but all while you're with the person that you love."

He still grinned, and glanced down at his own feet again quickly, "Yeah, and it pushes you more to not embarrass yourself by stepping on the other person's foot…."

However, Yang noticed where his gaze went down to, and so she smirked before she tapped his chin, and made him raise his head back up as she giggled.

"Hehe, You know Gage…. You always said you had to go to like Schnee banquets back in Mantle or Atlas or whatever…. So I was sort of surprised when you said you couldn't dance."

"Well…. Puberty sorta hit me like a bus, so yeah… never really got the chance to dance with a girl. But… now, there'll never be another girl as sweet and as beautiful as you that i'd rather dance with.…"

Yang blushed once again, and just nuzzled her head against his chest tightly as she moved her hands down and grasped his shoulders instead… and she was still smiling of course. "Gage? You know that whole, 'teenage dream' thing that you see a lot in the movies? Where the girl's dreams always come true..." She asked him with her eyes closed.

"Yeah?"

"You're making that a reality for me..." She whispered. Then Yang pressed her body against Gage's as he pulled her close and smiled as he watched her… and the sight of her just made him think a bit before he replied. "Well… Good. That means i'm doing my job as your future husband the right way…"

She giggled happily once again in response… and sighed as well as they continued to dance the night away in silence. But… They knew theat the room basically had their eyes planted on them. Gage ignored it however, and just thought about everything that's happened in the last six months. About how much he's actually grown and changed…. And it made him laugh at himself quietly. "Hahaha…"

And Yang soon opened her eyes and looked up at him, questioning his chuckle as she kept smiling… "Hmm? What are you laughing about?" She asked.

He looked up, but also pulled Yang in closer and tighter before he looked back down into her lilac eyes with a grin. "You know…. It's kinda weird….. because right now, even after everything that's happened with The White Fang…. This is honestly the first time I've ever really felt like an actual teenager…" He admitted.

"Really?"

"Mmhm… I'm struggling with school and my grades, being present for The Collectors can sorta count as trying to keep a steady job, i'm trying to keep my reputation clean… and lastly, I have to try and keep you, my girlfriend, as happy as you can be."

She then laughed again, "Haha! Don't forget about the fact that we fight an evil cult every once in awhile… so yeah, not the average teenager….. more like… a Spider-Man type! You know, with the whole 'vigilante' thing." She joked.

That made Gage laugh even louder, as it honestly sounded completely ridiculous, but also slightly true. "Hahaha! So what am I now Yang, Prince Charming or Spider-Man?"

Yet… Yang's eyes drooped again, and she smiled as she pecked his cheek once before she stared into his Turquoise eyes and rested her head against his chest like she was earlier...

"Neither… I just want you to be you Gage. That way… we can always have amazing nights like these… for the rest of our lives."

Gage let the pace of theur steps slow even more than it already was as they danced together… but then he smiled at her as he ttied to give a response.

"I think there's still one more way I can make this night better…"

Then, He he looked back towards Ruby as she was in the DJ booth, and nodded to her. Causing the small reaper to jump, and squeal as she moved past Daft Junk once again, and screwed with the music that was playing… until the song finally changed yet again.

This time… the song cut out abruptly, and was replaced with a different one. However… Yang's smile widened, and her eyes grew a tad watery… since the song she had written down on Gage's list started to play. And that song was,

 **Everything's Alright by Emily Scholz**

 **(It's a Cover)**

~...Short steps. Deep breath. Everything is… alright. Chin up. I can't… step into the, spotlight.… she said, 'i'm sad'... somehow without any words. I just… stood there. Searching for an answer…~

Now, the room and the other dancers and couples actually did stop, and were fixated on Gage and Yang as they became the center of everyone's intention, and apparently the spotlight's as well, which was shining the color blue…. The color that is crossed from Green and Yellow.

Yang laughed at herself, since she saw her little sister cover her mouth and watch in anticipation… but Gage still kept his focus on herself as he pressed his forehead against hers, letting them both stare back deeply into each other's eyes…

~When this world is no… more. The moon is all we'll see. I'll ask you to fly away with me…. Until the stars all fall… down. They empty from the sky, but I don't mind, if you're with me… then everything's… alright…~

She laughed shakily as she closed her eyes, and the crowd continued to watch in silence… as Yang sniffled and tried to speak as her song went on and echoed throughout the ballroom.

"You know… *sniffle* ...I wrote this song down on your list while you took a nap… and I didn't think you'd actually choose it to be honest… heh…."

"Was wondering how it got there… but then I listened to it, and thought that it matches with your taste in music… and even your voice a little bit. So I had to play it."

~Why do… my words… always lose their meaning? What I feel…. What I say, there's such a bridge between them..… he said... I can't, really seem to reach you. I just, stood there, never knowing what I should do…~

They still gazed at each other, their eyes un-moving as Yang's continued to tear up more by every passing second, and she tried really hard to fight against it as Gage brushed her cheek gently, and it made her open her mouth again, but this time her voice sounded like it was about to crack for sure.

"That's….. that's one of the reasons I love you Gage….. *sniffle* ...You listen. Even if it's something hard to understand or pay attention to…. You try and do it anyway…. And just for me…"

His eyes opened up more as he watched a tear roll down her cheek, and smiled again, watching as she cried, and didn't even think about looking at his feet to make sure wouldn't step on her toes in front of the entire school...

"Someone like you shouldn't be ignored Yang… and you'd always do the same for me…. so of course i'd return the favor…. But it's okay… you don't have to cry." He said, trying his best to console her as best as he could.

Yang took in a small breath, and nodded slowly before she just continued to gasp quietly. "*sniffle* ….It's not that… it's just….. I want to know, did you try and make this special for me because today's our… sixth month anniversary?" She asked him.

Gage tried to keep a straight face… but he could not, as she had partially figured it out…. But not entirely.

"Well…. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a factor…. But it definitely wasn't the only reason. It was just that you were so excited about this thing after everything that happened…. So I wanted to make it the night of your life….."

Then, he looked back into her eyes, and wiped one of her tears away from her eyes before he decided to ask her,

"...But did I succeed?"

Yang suddenly paused. And even stopped dancing. Her lilac eyes fluttered and shone thanks to the glossy effect her tears had left behind... since all the build up made them leak and fall down from her eyes. But… her smile appeared everlasting through the rollercoaster that was her emotions. And she unknowingly became flustered, in a happy way, as her favorite song… _their_ song, still went on.

~When this world is no… more. The moon is all we'll see. I'll ask you to fly away with me…. Until the stars all fall… down. They empty from the sky, but I don't mind, if you're with me… then everything's… alright…~

The crowd of students moved closer to them without haste and watched in utter shock, as she just pushed herself towards him, and kissed him with all the force she had left as her tears fell. And soon everyone gasped and cheered, while Ruby grabbed onto a microphone and almost screamed into it, a lot louder than everyone else.

"That's my sister! And guess what?! She's won the title of dance queen!"

Gage's reaction was priceless, as he became shocked, but also pulled her in closer as they both gasped and made their kiss ever so clear and to be remembered from this day forward…. Since Sun, Nora, and Ruby ran through the crowd to them, and each were holding some sort of prop.

Sun was carrying a backdrop of pink curtains and placed it behind the couple, Ruby had their crowns in her hands, and Nora had a camera ready to snap a picture of them at any moment, but of course she had to take one of them smooching!

So she took it, and the flash knocked them both out of their private little world, and they quickly realized what was going on.

"I uh... guess we won." He said.

Nora raised raised hand in the air, "Darn right you did! Now put on that crown and hug her like theres no tomorrow!"

Yang gasped and still tried to process what was going on as her little sister walked to her, and held out her tiara…. But the blonde raised her arm towards Ruby, and waved her off.

"*sniffle* ….No. I don't need that Ruby. *sniffle* ...I feel just as special… thanks to my Care-Bear."

She then turned to him… and looked him in the eyes, which were also sort of in the same glossy and watery manner as hers now… but he just smiled back at her and hugged her… while she tried to get into the same position they were in before.

"Yang, please… tell me… is all of this turn out as special as you wanted it to be?" Gage asked.

Yang took in a heavy and shaky breath… right as she finally gave him a straight answer this time.

"I'm crying tears of joy…. So yes… you made it more than special…. More than I can ever thank you for… but you don't have to push yourself anymore…. Because like the song said…. 'As long as you're with me… everything will be alright'…"

Gage laughed… and tried to say something else, but Yang kissed one more time before he could even utter a single word. And this time, the crowd screamed along with their friends… their apparent family. So they closed their eyes as Ruby finally announced,

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Beacon, make some noise for your, 'Star Couple'!"

And so, their embrace and passionate kiss lasted longer than they expected while more people continued to cheer them on… and their song drew to a close… just as Nora's camera flashed, capturing this moment of theirs forever!

~...As long as you're with me… everything will be... alright…~

…

 **Hours later…**

…

The school's holiday dance finally ended around nine o'clock at night, and the students all got their belongings, said goodnight, and left back to their dorms as the snow still fell outside.

Gage and Yang had done this as well… and they strangely went back to their separate dorms for the night.

Yang did this to get out of her dress and take a shower, and Gage did the same, but didn't expect her to come back, since he thought she would have tired herself out from all the dancing, and the tears along with all the attention.

And now, he was at his window, wearing his usual Black shirt and brown jeans.. but he was resting his prosthetic arm on the window frame... and kept staring at it while the cold air soothed his skin, since he had just gotten out of the shower.

He was thinking of the past…. The present…. And the future; as he stared at his metal hand… and turned it into a fist while he looked up at the shattered moon and started to… talk to himself.

"I… remember. The night I… died…. That place, Summer's grave site… I couldn't keep my tears away. I didn't want to spend eternity alone… but hell, I couldn't even figure out if that place was real or just a dream…"

The wind howled… just like it did when he was there. Sitting at the edge of the cliff… looking at the photo of himself and Yang... and was crying hysterically while the snow wouldn't stop falling.

" _...I want to show you a new world Yang…. *gasp* …...I want to make it a reality for you….. for us… *gasp* ….Please Yang….. *sniffle* …...Please… just let me show you…."_

Even though he pulled through that…. Lived, and prevailed… Gage didn't say that because he was just desperate and scared. He meant it. And now… he couldn't go back on it. Not since he knew that Adam, Cinder, Roman…. And other mystical forces continued to roam the World of Remnant.

...Like Summer. This special night that him and Yang had experienced... may have not been possible if it wasn't for her.

But he couldn't say that was one hundred percent true. Since he didn't even know if she was just some part of his imagination.

She was something he couldn't comprehend when he saw her. Or even the things she said. How he was 'special', or if it was actually her that brought him back to life… Gage had more than a few questions left to ask her. Like when he told her that he'd be forever grateful if he was to come back to life… and all she said after that was,

" _The day will come when you won't be…"_

What did that mean? And what did she mean by saying that there'd be 'everlasting consequences'? There were so many things he wanted answers to… but now, to go back to that place…. That cold and barren tyga…. It was beyond his power.

"I can't go back there to figure out what she meant. Ever. Just to get there…. Just to get there again and see her…. would make me something else… something more than a man, and maybe even something... inhuman… but that doesn't mean I can't ask myself that one important question….. 'Is it really possible'?-"

"*knock!* *knock!* *knock!*"

Then all of a sudden, someone knocked on the door three times loudly before the door handle turned, and it opened abruptly, which made Gage stifle his words and turn around as quickly as he could….

"...Hey Gage…"

He feasted his eyes, as Yang entered his dorm and shut the door behind herself. She was wearing her usual Yellow tank top, black short shorts…. And strangely, she was also wearing her orange high socks as well while she blushed and smiled at him.

"Oh…. Hey Yang. I thought you were going to sleep in your dorm tonight."

Yang looked down at the floor, and smiled as she nervously put her hands together and took a step closer towards him. "Yeah…. It's just that I remembered you said that this was suppose to be 'my night'... so this is what I wanted….. and…. I…."

"And…. What?" Gage asked her.

She tensed up for a moment… and looked up into his eyes before she took another step closer, and placed her hands onto his stomach as she did so. "I…. Wanted to thank you!"

Then she ran to him as fast as she could, and hugged him with all her strength, and gave him another quick kiss on the cheek, which made him smile, and forget a bit about what was troubling him.

"Tonight was a lot more than I thought it would be… even after you said that… you wanted us to get married, I was still blown away…"

Yang then moved her hands down his sides, and grinned as she looked up at him… and brushed his cheek with her hand. "So…. Yeah…. I don't really know how to thank you in the, 'conventional' way…"

He looked at her weirdly, since she was now blushing, and he smiled at her soon after she put her arms around his waist, "What… do you mean by…-mmmph..." After that however, the blonde grew impatient, and silenced her lover with a quick and steamy kiss.

Their lips didn't depart from each other at first… as Yang's skillful tongue couldn't help but descend it itself into Gage's mouth as he did the same to her, and made her moan loudly while he hesitantly grabbed onto her sides and broke the kiss.

"*pant* Yang….."

She smiled with a flustered face….. and became intrigued as the feeling of lust had returned to her after what felt like an eternity that she had to force her sex drive away from Gage...

But… she didn't care anymore. She wanted to feel his loving touch again, so she

pulled him back towards the foot of his bed… as her hand lowered down slowly towards his pant's fly.

"H-Hey… You don't have to do that… if you don't want to…." He whispered to her softly.

"No Gage… I want to… it's been so long… and besides… this is my night remember? So…. I at least want to end it with this… to make it feel even more special than today already was.."

Gage turned, switching places with her so she was the closest to bed… and strangely… he looked away from her.. with worried frown. "But… remember what happened last time? We… Sorta had a scare. And I almost thought I got you pregnant…"

Yet still, Yang smiled at him, and kissed his cheek before she decided to whisper into his ear,

"Gage…. stop worrying….. i'm starting to make sure that im… on the pill nowadays…. So… we should be okay if something happens..."

His eyes widened at her statement, and he looked into her lilac eyes while he wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. "Y….You started to take that… why?"

"B-Because…. I wanted to make this night special…. For the both of us. So... it's okay Gage….. just… love me."

She then smiled again, and took a step back towards the bed until she felt herself hit it's edge… and so she started to pull her lover toward herself while he smiled again, "You know I already do…" He said to her with a gentle voice.

"Then show me Care-Bear."

And so, Yang blushed and smiled at Gage again before she let herself fall back onto his bed, and used her arms to prop herself up as she scooted back towards his pillows.

He however, blushed as well for a few seconds before he turned towards the light switch that was near the front door, and he waved his metal hand towards, causing the light to be switched off, leaving the room in darkness.

"...With the lights off?" She asked him.

He smiled nervously, and rubbed his prosthetic arm before he answered "I just… think it adds more emotion... "

And Gage said that as he moved his Metal arm back down the mattress off his bed, trying to keep It out of sight as he kept looking down at his lover…

"You're weird." She said with yet another smirk

That made him glare down at her, but he also tried not to to laugh at himself while he moved closer to the bed and responded with a clear stutter

"N-No… You're weird."

He soon climbed on top of the bed and hovered above her, still blushing sort of nervously as he tried to smile with some ounce of confidence. But then she moved her hands up his chest… and stared up at him with bedroom eyes.

"We're both weird…"

And at that moment, they both grew tired of their rambling, so they both smiled at each other and eased into a slow and deep kiss… causing Gage to use his metal arm to hike her left leg up a bit so her knee was bent as Yang put her arms around his neck and moaned quietly.

He tried to break the kiss soon after, although Yang huffed and pulled him back down and nipped at his bottom lip, clearly wanting access to his tongue thanks to the friskiness that was shown clearly by her impatience.

Gage couldn't help but grin as she used her other leg to kick their blanket away from the two of them, and she grabbed onto his hand, soon pulling it down towards her waistline, and made sure that the palm of his hand made contact with her special place… however, her short shorts seemed to be an obstacle they'd have to get rid of.

He gave her another deep kiss before he leaned up, and started to unbutton her shorts

While she smiled and let her hands fall to her sides… clearly enjoying the sight of just… him.

"*pant* ...Give me a second Yang, hehe…. It's hard pulling these off such curvy legs when all i want to do is ravish them…"

She panted and tried to laugh as he finally unzipped and peeled them off her silky thighs… and brought them down to her ankles before she kicked them off as well, leaving only her black panties in the way.

Then, he placed his hands on her thighs… as he put his knee in between her legs, making her smile again and spread them before he leaned his head down towards her stomach and let out a small breath.

Gage's smile widened, and he closed his eyes right as he puckered his lips, kissed her waistline and slid his tongue against it… however, he heard Yang stifle a moan… so he moved his tongue down, still kissing her the hot skin of her waist… and she felt his hands begin to pull her panties down to her feet.

"...Hah….."

The blonde raised her head up and watched as Gage took her underwear off and discarded it before he looked down… and saw that the lips of her pussy had opened a bit… and were wet and moist. So he smirked, and continued to trace his tongue down to her special place…

"Mm….mmm!"

She kept watching her lover closely as he went on… and finally licked his way down to her crevice…. Dabbing his tongue against her opening, and soon after he started to kiss the lips of her pussy sloppily with his tongue as well, creating a mix between his saliva and her glistening warm juices, which made her gasp.

"...Oh! M… More…"

Yang's head then fell back against her pillow, and she shut her eyes in bliss while she started to pant quietly…. Which made Gage let out a muffled laugh as he grasped onto her thigh… and rubbed his thumb against the orange fabric of her sexy high socks before he closed his eyes and made sure that his sloppy tongue coated the lips in his own spit….

And she felt it. Every sloppy second as her essence and his saliva would drip down from her special place and onto the sheets of his bed. It was an electrical, but tingly sensation at the same time.

"Aah… G….Gage…."

The brawler suddenly bent her knees in pleasure, and since she had called his name, in response, Gage hummed, put his hands on both of her thighs, and pushed his tongue further inside her, and swished it around, making Yang shut her eyes even more as she gasped loudly.

"*gasp* …...oh!"

In her moment of ecstasy, the blonde's panting became less and less quieter… as she let her own hand creep up her tank top, and she started to squeeze and milk her own tit slowly as she used her other hand and placed it on top of his head, keeping him in place in between her thighs.

Her reaction was just enough to make him believe that she was already approaching an orgasm, so… he pulled out the big guns, and started to just kiss and lick her opening as fast he could, switching between the two actions and increasing the thickness of his saliva on purpose.

And not long after, he just drenched her pussy in his spit as it left him with a trail of a certain substance going down from his lips and dripped onto his bed, both with the mix of her juices and his own drool being the substance.

"Oh…. M….Mah….."

Yang eyes opened up again eventually, as she thought all the wetness that was dampening the sheets was her own… but she realized it was also his own slobber once she started to hear her pussy make loud squelching noises as he kept lapping his tongue against her opening.

It made her nearly scream as she tried to raise herself off of the bed and look down at him, and right then she covered her own mouth and felt a small stream of her own substance let loose from her snatch by accident. It squirted out, but Gage immediately took care of it, as he chuckled again and licked it up before he finally raised his head back up and wiped his lips and chin clean.

"*huff* ...Still no warning huh?" He joked.

"Sh… Shut… up..." She replied, clearly appearing impatient and wanting more of him.

Gage continued to smile, and crawled and hovered above his girlfriend once again. Then he looked down at her thighs and grinned at the sight of them. Covered in whatever was the combination of spit and vaginal juices, but then she let out a deep breath and moved her hand away from her breast, making it fall to the side and onto the surface of the pillow she was resting her head on.

They were both panting still however, as the cold winter winds filled the room they were in….but, all it did was fuel them both. As Gage leaned down and kissed Yang again while he placed his metal hand on top of her hand… and squeezed it.

"*smooch* …..Aah….."

"Mmm… You don't have to hide it Yang… it's your night…. So squeal and scream all you want… I'll happily be there alongside you…."

Even despite how unsanitary it was, Yang used her other hand and grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, pulling him downwards and allowing him to take control just as their tongues started to engage in another battle for domination.

The blonde's eyes remained opened halfway, becoming entranced as she felt Gage's wet tongue begin to explore every inch of her oral caverns… and he enjoyed every second of it as did she. But… he felt her hand begin to trace itself down his chest and towards his pelvis… so he broke the kiss immediately, and the couple both pulled away from each other as they tried to catch their breath.

He looked down at Yang, and placed his metal hand on her stomach, sending chills down her spine which made her hum silently and squeeze his other hand even tighter than before…

Then, he grinned at his lover… grabbed onto the end of her tank top… and lifted it up so her breasts were completely exposed, making her blush as he slid his hand towards her squishy orbs of flesh, but continued to look her straight in the eyes. His hand stopping right below her cleavage before he started to whisper to her yet again…

"*pant* ...It's been too long... hasn't it?" He asked her.

She nodded, but also continued to huff as she smiled back at him, "*pant* *pant* ...Too long…" She panted.

"I can't tell…. For a second there, it seemed like my tongue was going to be all that you needed…."

They both smiled at each other…. As they clearly yearned for the feeling of each other's lips, hands, and other parts before the night was to end… but the blonde brawler turned out to be the one who wanted it more, as she soon tugged on Gage's pants, and it caused him to cup her left breast with his metal hand, making her back arch slightly once again…

"Ah…. *pant* ...N-No….I… i want to feel something _else_ of yours inside me first before I cum Care-Bear….."

His smile then faded… and a more serious stare appeared as Gage leaned down towards her chest and licked her right breast… making her body tense up while she let her head fall back onto the pillow and she stared up at the ceiling, her eyes barely open at all now.

*Mmm... Whatever you want... Taiyo-chan…."

And so her eyes immediately shut, as she felt him begin to nibble gently on her nipple and he started to unbutton and unzip his pants slowly until he finally got them open, and lowered his boxers, exposing his hard member to her as she moaned, wanting it to be inside her...

Then… he moved closer to her, his bulge beginning to become impatient along with Yang's urges as well, and he began to tease her by sliding his length against the lips of her pussy… and slid his tongue upwards, against her throat while he nearly started to pant like an animal…

"Mmm….. Aah….. Taiyo-chan…."

Goosebumps formed all across the brawler's body after he muttered his nickname for her in such a lustful tone… even for him it was shocking… but then his tongue eventually made its way across her throat, and he began to suck on the side of her neck, all while he continued to rub his cock against her clit… a little aggressively.

Her chest rose and fell continuously as her heart started to beat faster and faster by every passing second… and she could barely control herself anymore as she tried to look down and watch as he sucked and nibbled on her neck… which also started to feel a bit rushed.

And for a second… she looked into Gage's eyes before he shut them and became engulfed in the moment… but strangely…. She thought she had seen his turquoise pupils change color… and become dark red for a quick moment.

That was until however, he huffed one last time, and uttered the three special words into her ear before he lowered his hands to her legs, and spread them apart for her…

"Yang…... I love you….."

"*pant* ….I …..I love you too Gage…."

Then, he let out a small breath as he gently slid the head of his penis into his lover's pussy… until he heard her moan in return, so that's when he groaned and thrusted hard inside of her.

"-Aah!"

A loud slap echoed through the room right after, and Gage winced from the feeling of finally feeling the walls of her succulent crevice after so long… so he smirked deviously, and bit down onto the side Yang's neck playfully as he unleashed another powerful thrust of his cock into her and made her yelp again.

After that, he let out a shaky breath and started to penetrate her deeper… but instead took his time with each thrust so he could watch her enjoy every slow second of that intense and amazing feeling with a small grin across his own lips.

"Ohhhh!"

She whined loudly as she bent her legs, and her toes curled as well every time she felt his warm and hard cock enter her, making her pussy squelch and soak his penis in a deluge of her juices.

So, the blonde just kept watching Gage as he smiled, and pushed his body forward, resulting in another quick blissful moment of feeling her special place being stuffed by his pleasing and yearnful cock.

"Hah…. Hah….. Y… You're so tight… and it feels… amazing…." He huffed, in between thrusts.

Yang tried to laugh… but she couldn't as she was entranced their love making, which was shown clearly since her eyes drooped, and she kept squealing with every thrust until could no longer keep her mouth closed.

Her legs still continued to buck, and her breasts bounced in rhythm with the small slaps of their bodies as well while her moans started to become higher and higher in their pitch.

"Ahh… Aah…. Aah! Aah!"

Her noises only made him pick up the pace, and Gage eventually found the confidence to raise his head up and hover over his lover once again before he suddenly stopped…. And blushed madly as he stared at her legs... and her orange high socks.

"*pant* …..Yang….. I…. I…. Want to do something to you… *pant* …that I've always wanted to do... badly…."

He then slowly moved his hands down to her thighs…. And used his metal hand to lift her left leg up so her foot rested on his shoulder… and he held her other leg under his right arm as he just stared at her left foot… feeling completely caught up in his lust that he didn't noticed that his face was turning red.

"...*gasp* ….G...Gage…"

The action was so sudden… as he closed his eyes… stuck out his tongue… and started to thrust his cock back into Yang, fucking her slowly as he pressed her left leg against his chest and began to lick her left ankle up and down slowly.

He would also occasionally kiss it after a few seconds, even though her high sock was blocking his tongue from her warm, silky and pale skin...

"Oh….my god….. Mmm….."

She gasped quietly, and bit her lip as she looked away and felt Gage's pelvis pound against her pussy and thighs while she bent her left leg, both were also trying not to show how much they truly enjoyed what was happening…. But she proved to be more resilient than her lover, since he had started to pant like a hungry dog and just sucked on the side of her ankle hard as he bent her leg back more.

"G…. *pant* ...D …Don't stop…."

Of course to her request, he bit and nibbled on her calve before he started to thrust into her at the same pace as before… but he went in until he couldn't push anymore into her as he lifted her right leg up and made both her feet rest on his shoulders.

Then he put his arms around both of her legs and started to pull her closer to himself, continuing to drench her sock in his saliva as he licked it, and that at feeling of him finally achieving his kinky wish along with the sensation of Yang's pussy started to make him feel like his body was pulsating…. Though she felt as if she was about to overflow…

"Oh-h-h-h-h! F….F….Fuck!"

Yang's back arched yet again, so she looked up at the ceiling as her eyes started to water and cried out, and Gage inhaled sharply as he felt some liquid begin to ooze all over his pelvis.

All he did though was squeeze her legs harder, causing her to use one hand and grasp her pillow as hard as she could, all while his gaze remained exactly the same. Fixated on her curvy figure. The bouncing mounds of silky skin that were her breasts, her leaking and overflowing pussy, her lilac eyes, and lastly her beautiful blonde hair that was sprawled across his pillow as she laid on it.

She was so beautiful…. And she was his girl. He belonged to her… and she to him. The sexy, curvy, and sought after blonde vixen was on her back….. naked… wanting to scream his name as she felt and wanted every single ounce of his seed plunged and implanted firmly inside of her womanly depths… because she loved him. And he loved her back.

With each smooth and slimy thrust into her pussy… he remembered each and every waking night of snowy silence he spent in that hospital, and the lost feeling he had during that time returned to him. But… in that moment…. it made him forget about everything else, aside from Yang.

"*pant* *pant* *pant* ...Yang!"

The heat and intensity began to catch up with him, so he quickly let her legs hang on his shoulders as he reached down, and nearly ripped his shirt by how fast he pulled it off and threw it across the room. So after that, Gage growled, lowered her legs, spread them far apart, and slapped her left breast with his metal hand, leaving a red hand mark across her teat.

"*smack!*"

"*gasp* …..Aaaaah!"

Then she screamed, and clenched her pillow with so much force that her hand unknowingly glowed yellow thanks to her aura… and she burned slightly it by accident as she fell flat on her back with a loud huff. Right as she looked back up at Gage with her watery lilac eyes.

"*pant* *pant* ...Gage….. I'm….. I'm gonna cum…." She panted.

Her sentence seemed to have flipped a switch in his head… as he looked down at her and replied immediately with,

"*pant* ...M… Me too…."

Those two words made Yang move her hand up, using it to skim her fingers across Gage's cheek and brush his bright brown hair delicately, which was accompanied with a small whisper from the blonde girl soon after.

"Then come here…."

So, he smiled again, and moved in for another kiss ….but this time with a little bit of spit on his lips as he suddenly buried his cock inside of her wet walls exactly as he also forced himself into his lover's mouth.

"Aaah! -*gasp!*"

She was now too weak to keep up with him as he started to sloppily tongue out her throat while he grabbed onto her thighs and bent her legs back, soon making a flood of their connected saliva drip down from their lips and onto Yang's tits.

"Mmm….. Mm…."

Only small mumbles came from her thanks to her boyfriend's exquisite tongue… but then they turned into loud and sort of…. Forced moans. As he had bent her legs, and began to repeatedly smash his body against hers.

His member being pushed all the way inside of her… and for her… it started to feel both a little painful… and also irresistible as she shut her eyes and started to squeak with each round that he pounded into her pussy.

"Mmm-Mmm-Mmm-M-Mmm-M-Mmm-Mmmph!"

Her pussy's salty substance had become a very useful lubricant for him, and he used it to his advantage… though now, Yang couldn't contain the massive buildup of her cum anymore… so she embraced it by wrapping her legs around Gage's waist and pulled him even closer.

This started to stretched the limits of how much of his cock Yang could take… as she began to feel the head begin to stretch her wet walls so much that she wrapped her tongue around his, and salivated all over it.

"Mmmm-Gage!"

And finally…. She hugged his waist with her legs, using almost back-breaking force as she escaped from their most passionate kiss yet, threw her head back against her pillow, and screamed Gage's name as loud as she could right as her pussy's walls close in on his dick, and her cum nearly exploded all over his pelvis.

"*gasp* ...Aaaaah!"

It squirted out of her and onto him. Six. Times. Her glistening cum coated every inch of his dick as he slammed it into her one last time while she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him as hard as she could… and all that left her body shaking slowly from the aftershock as her scream ceased.

"Hah….. Hah…. H-Hah… Hah..…."

He was panting as well… but was still inside of her and he didn't cum yet. He had just stopped and started to suck on her neck again gently. But he felt…. Sort of mad at himself because of how much he thought he pushed her capabilities….

"*pant* *pant* …..I'm sorry… I…. I just-"

"...S-Shut up!"

His sentiment was cut short, as Yang grunted, grabbed onto shoulders, and flipped him to the left so he was now on his back, and she was on top this time instead, and was still panting.

The fatigue from her climax did not consume her yet, as the feeling of his cock still inside her, and the knowledge that he was close to his own release made her become hungry for his precious seed…

"S…..S-Shut up and let me make you cum!"

The blonde yelled that at him, and took off her yellow tanktop as she was now sitting on top of Gage, straddling him with her knees bent while his dick was still inside of her.

And also, it started to feel like she was almost hyperventilating because of how much she was panting, so Yang looked down at him, into his turquoise eyes before she placed both of her hands on his stomach, and took in a deep breath.

"Now….. just let me love you in return….."

Then, she forced herself down onto him, earning a small squeak from her as his dick was thrusted upwards into her pussy again. But that one thrust urged her to crave more... Even after her climax.

So she shut her eyes, and pressed her hands down harder onto Gage's stomach as she began to ride his cock as hard and as fast as she could, with her gentle smile remaining on her face the entire time.

"Ah…. Ah…. Ah….."

"Yang….. oh my…..-f…...fuck….." Was all he could muster.

His eyes were now nearly closed while he could feel his now completely soaked dick as her crevice slammed down onto it, her walls enclosing on his meat every single time their bodies smashed together in a thick, loud, and sloppy slap…. And just the sound of it….. that steamy and loud sound of love made him groan in pleasure.

"...Fuck!"

"Hah…. Hah…. Mmhm…... Cum for me Care-Bear… in…. Inside of me….. just this once…."

Gage's low moans grew louder, and Yang went on as she started to slam down hard onto his pelvis… her ass slapping against his thighs each and every second….. as she began to feel his pre-cum leak out of him…

"*pant* ...Just once…. *pant* …..S...So I can finally feel it! Once and for all!"

He could feel it coming…. And the feeling of pure ecstasy made every hair on his neck raise up as he gasped loudly and whipped his head back against his ever so soft pillow, worried and happy that he was about to cum for her.

Yang's body trembled with an intense feeling of power as she started to stroke her hips back forth against his body, and kept moaning in rhythm with her boyfriend as she gave off a blushing and lovely smile, and he winced in pleasure before he grabbed onto her waistline and grasped her sides, guiding her body as he suddenly started forcing her down even harder onto his cock until all he could hear was the steamy and sloppy slaps their bodies made, and now, Gage couldn't even think of letting go of her.

"*gasp* ….. *gasp* …... *gasp* …..I….Its... so much to handle… that... I can't k.. keep up…. Anymore….." He whispered.

She almost ignored his remark… as she suddenly grabbed onto his hands and forced them away as she slowly moved them and screamed at him silently while she pinned him against the bed in a rush of desire,

"Then let it out! Just let it all out for me…. Please…. I want it! I…. I want it so much!"

Her ripe ass continued to clap against his legs, and her body was still rubbing up and down his cock as it remained sheathed inside of her snatch tightly…. But then he gasped, and looked up at her with concern. As his member and body began to feel like it was pulsating just as fast as his heart was beating…. mostly because he knew that he could no longer keep his seed inside of himself….

"...W….. Wait, Yang stop…. I'm…. I'm about to-"

"I don't care!"

She screamed at him again with teary eyes as she grinded her pussy as hard as she could against his body to fight his rebellious cock before she dove down and kissed him on the lips. And despite his struggling, he soon melted into the kiss as he moaned, and groaned internally… just as his strength eventually gave out, and he gave up on fighting it.

And in a quick rush of love, gasps, and moans… Gage broke the kiss, closed his eyes, leaned his head back, and yelled out loud as he finally let his cock loose and allowed himself to cum inside of Yang, sending his largest load of jizz to date into her womanly depths just as she too bowed her head and screamed along with him.

"Aaaaaah!"

She felt his thick load fill her to the very brim as she came again….so she slammed down on him one last time, making him unleash even more inside her before the globs of his semen started to seep out of her, and down his member until their combined cum flowed down gently into his lap

That was when Yang finally let her tears fall, and rested. Sitting on his wet, slimy, and now cum covered cock as they both tried to calm themselves…. And they did after a while. But…. Then she looked down at his lap, and her water works still kept going.

"*pant* *pant* ...Y….You finally let me know what it feels like….."

Yet all he could do was smile back at her and nod…. Since he seemed to have had the biggest release between the two, and it tired him to the point where he felt like he was going to pass out any second now as he tried to say something…

"*pant* *pant* ….I have done so much for you in the last six months that we've been together… and… *pant* ...I'm sorry that I didn't do that for you sooner…"

Her hands moved down from his wrists and slowly made their way back down to his shoulders… and he watched her slowly begin to cry as she advanced towards him, and rested her own forehead against his own again...

"I….. missed you….. *sniffle* ….So much. But it's okay… because you're here with me now…. *sniffle* ...And i'm so happy. B...Because you've made this the most amazing night of my life! S….So…"

...Until Yang's tears dripped onto his face…. And she pushed herself back down, giving him another kiss… before he kissed her back without hesitation, to try and help them both let out whatever sorrowful, or blissful feelings that had been collected overtime since Gage's return.

"*sniffle* ...Thank you!"

And Thus, began another enduring and slow showing of affection between the two lovers… their gentle kisses growing slower, but more passionate throughout the night. It even felt like It was going to continue almost ceaselessly….. but soon their eyes closed… and they clung to each other as if it was going to be the last night they'd ever get to feel each others warmth.

So they cuddled and snuggled… and finally fell asleep under their blanket… just as the storm outside ended… and the sun started to rise over the snowy horizon.

…

 **The Morning After…**

…

Silence had fallen upon Gage's dorm as the couple's nightly escapades came to a close, and they both fell asleep soon after… letting just the sound of winter in. However, as the morning approached, the wind stopped howling. And the soothing sound of simple snowfall was all that could be heard as the couple rested under the covers of Gage's bed.

They were both naked, (of course), and were snuggling closely with one another, holding and embracing each other as their heads rested on two separate pillows…. Although, Gage was starting to groggily open his eyes.

"Mmm…..-H…Hmm?"

He opened them… but was immediately met with the sight of Yang laying in front of him, with her eyes wide open. Watching him closely as she was completely in the nude, but had his blanket covering her breasts, and most of her face, except for her eyes, so he couldn't see her blushing.

"G-Good Morning!" She mumbled.

"Morning... and why are you staring at me like that Yang?" Gage asked her, sounding kind of weirded out.

"O-Oh….. It's… just that I kinda thought you look cute when you sleep…"

He smiled tiredly, and yawned as he rubbed his eyes before he laid them back upon her shining Lilac orbs once again, "Oh… okay. So, how long have you been awake for?" He asked her.

"Not that long. I was just thinking of waking you up so we could maybe take a shower together… but I didn't want to disturb you…."

He then nearly laughed out loud at her response as it felt so weird to him, "Hehe…. Why do I feel like our roles should be swapped? You probably look a lot more cuter than me when you're asleep anyway…"

Yang just shook her head at his remark, and smiled at him again. "*sigh*...Shut up….. Mwaah." She then lowered the blanket from her face, leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek once before covering her face again. "Cute or just hot i don't know… but you're one of those…"

That made him smile, and he let out a relaxed sigh soon after that as he scooted closer to her. "*sigh* ….Right back at you beautiful…"

Then, since he could tell that she was blushing, he moved the blanket away from her face and lowered it down to her stomach as he grabbed onto her hips and pulled her closer to himself, trying his best not to look down at her breasts since they were no longer covered.

"So… how's Momma-Bear feeling after last night?"

Her face turned a brighter shade of red, but she still scooted closer to him too, pressing her cleavage against his chest while she wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his Turquoise eyes again.

"Carefree and happy… with a mix of being physically relaxed… thanks to you Gage. Hehe…~"

The blonde girl saw the chance again, so she kissed her boyfriend on his left cheek yet again, and right below his eye, making him chuckle to himself and hug her tightly,

"Well…. I think we both needed that after the flurry of emotions that's showed up in the past month…. And so we can get it out of the way before we go spend winter break at Patch with your dad…."

That reminded her of their plans, and it made her sigh heavily… especially because of how mad she thought Taiyang would be if he knew that she was no longer a virgin… and if he knew that last night definitely wasn't her first time either.

"*sigh* ...Don't remind me of him right now.." Yang sighed, which was followed by her resting her head on Gage's shoulder as he hugged her. "He'd be so pissed at me if he knew we did things like that regularly…"

And all of a sudden, she moved her head back from him and look him in the eyes as she grabbed onto his shoulders, "Oh that reminds me why I wanted to wake you up! I was thinking we could head into Vale and do some Christmas shopping!"

Gage nodded… but looked like he could barely keep his eyes open. "Sounds like a plan…. Buuuut, lets hold it off for like… three hours…. I don't feel like moving the lower half of my body right now thanks to you…"

Yang giggled at his response, and booped his nose with her finger, making him roll his eyes with a smirk soon after. "Okay….. and you're welcome for that by the way.~" She purred.

Then, she smiled back at him for a few seconds, and decided to kiss him again. This time on the lips, however it was only for a few seconds before she pulled away…. But…. Gage used his metal hand and placed her cheek so he could look at her closely… and bring her into another quick lip-lock.

And that's when he noticed that her eyes darted away from himself... and to his prosthetic for a brief moment before she closed her eyes, and broke the kiss. Still smiling, but… the smile didn't look real to him. So he became concerned… and began to question why she was really staring at him earlier…

"Wait... Yang... was there any other reason you were staring at me earlier?" He asked her, trying not to appear too worried.

"What? N...No…"

"...I saw you. For a second there, you were looking at my arm again….."

She looked away from him, but continued to embrace him as she buried her head into his bare chest and began to whisper to him, with a shaky voice,

"*sigh* ….its….. it's just that…. Every single time I've woken up and saw you in bed next to me since your accident…. I kept wondering if you're real… or apart of just some dream…. And every time I fall asleep i just hope that you're actually there with me the next morning…..."

Gage then backed up from her, and made her look at him as he moved his hand across her cheek… and soon ran his fingers through her blonde hair with ease while he spoke softly to her.

"Hey…. I'll always be here when you wake up."

Yang smiled again, and just hugged him back even harder… so he kissed the top of her head and pulled his blanket up to their shoulders like before as he went on,

"Whether I make it a promise or not… you know i'd try my best… but you don't have to worry about that anymore… because i'm here… and i'm pretty freaking real if you're able to kiss me."

"...Yeah…. I guess so…. Hehe…"

He saw the happy and joyful girl return to him as she laughed again, and so returned his smile as well, which made him just pounce on her and began to kiss her cheek repeatedly, making her laugh more.

"Hahaha!"

"So where did you want to go again... Like a mall or something? Because I think i'll be up for it now after hearing you laugh again…"

Yang then shook her head, "Actually… I'm kind of starting to feel a little bit tired myself…"

"*sigh* ...I guess my laziness is catching onto you… just like how you sorta half-infected me with your love for puns…"

She quickly smiled again at his joke, and curled up next to him, feeling happy to be warm underneath his blankets and in his arms once again after such a fantastic night together.

"*exhale* ...Just hold me and shush up so we can go to sleep…. Okay Care-Bear?" The blonde whispered, trying to hide her smile.

And so, Gage returned the warm and fuzzy feeling as he kissed Yang's cheek too, right before they both finally closed their eyes… and started to drift off back to sleep, happy that they were back together and feeling the warmth of each other's bodies… now for six months going strong!

"Alright alright… oh yeah, and Yang? Happy six month anniversary… hehe…."


	9. The Intermission

**Author's Note:** Have a slightly small chapter here for y'all. Well small compared to the last one of course, and i'm just gonna say that it's three hours after where the last chapter left off. But i also have to say, it is kind of random, because i'm just trying to set up the next story arc i have planned, which begins in the next chapter! So anyway, here's the next installment. So please read it, hopefully enjoy it, and hopefully review it! And a huge thank you if you choose to!

 **Song:** Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop

…

Gage was sitting in his dorm room, on his bed to be specific, and he was getting dressed in his Wraith outfit, since he had promised that he'd go christmas shopping with Yang when they woke up naked in bed together three hours prior.

He was there sitting on his bed, waiting for her to come back since she said she had to… get some clothes for herself, but he felt she was taking a lot longer than she should have been.

But soon, he heard the door handle jiggle, and it opened as the blonde came inside with a smile as she was holding a white and purple, and rather heavy laundry basket that was filled with her clothes.

"I'm back!"

"Hey…."

She was wearing her alternate Hunter outfit as she sauntered inside of his room, and placed the basket next to him before she started to go through it, so it made him look at what was inside of it.

There was a set of her usual clothes, three yellow tank tops, an achievement hunter shirt, her galaxy jacket that Gage had bought for her two months ago, three pairs of black short shorts, and some black and yellow pajama pants…. And…. Two pairs of yellow bras and panties. And that made him think that it was weird she brought this much for some reason….

"...That's a lot of clothes Yang… you sure you have to leave some here? I mean all you're probably going to here is just sleep over…."

She just messed with her clothes before she turned to him and stared at him with an odd look in her eyes, "...Its not that much…" She said.

Gage squinted at her again as he just fell back and laid on his bed with his hands behind his head, and was even starting to return the odd stare towards her own direction. "Maybe…. But I mean you're going to end up in your dorm with the rest of your team most of the time anyway…"

"Yeah…. But I like it here…. Its a lot more quieter than a dorm with Weiss, Ruby, And Zwei in it…. And I have you, so that's an added bonus!"

"Yeah… i guess….."

Then, Yang's smile went away, and she climbed and sat on top of Gage as he moved his hands away from his head and held onto hers, their fingers connecting as they were just staring at each other. "*sigh* Gage….. am I being a little pushy?" She asked him politely.

That made him sit back up, open his eyes a little bit more, and put his arms around her her lower back as he stuttered. "W-What? No! It's nothing like that… it just that…."

The blonde's lovely grin returned, and she nuzzled her head against his chest as she gripped his shoulders tightly. "Just what…."

"It's just that…. I don't want my team to see a basket of girl's underwear In my closet the day they get here…. They'd probably think i'm a weirdo or something….."

She just laughed at him, and pressed herself harder against him as she looked back up into his eyes.

"Hehehe… well you're my weirdo… and they'll find out about me eventually. I'll make sure of that…"

"Yeah… then I'll get three noise complaints every single night from that point on…" Gage joked.

However, she let out a sweet breath… and smiled as she suddenly reached into her laundry basket, and threw one of her yellow bras at his face with a giggle…

The action made him flinch and cringe all in the same instant, as the left cup was on top of the right side of his head, and the front strap went across the bridge of his nose, right as he looked back at her with a small glare… Just as Noodle also popped out from under the bed and looked up at Gage.

"*squeak!*"

"W-What the hell-"

"Wait a second!"

And Yang topped it off soon after, as she helped their pet ferret onto the bed, and pulled out her scroll before she took a picture of Gage with a huge smirk before she waved the scroll in front of his face.

"There! Now you can send this to them when we decide to practice our 'physical charms' on each other!"

He still continued to glare at her, so she huffed and sat back on his lap, looking into his Turquoise eyes as she put her arms around his neck… and then she picked her bra off of his head and placed it back into the basket.

"...You're lucky that you're cute. You know that?" He said as a smile kept onto his face once again. "Same goes for you too Noodle…"

"And for you Care-Bear…. Hehe…"

Gage eventually hugged her, and… jumped as he kissed her on the lips as quickly as possible, as he couldn't resist her presence and was afraid that she would've pulled out the puppy dog eyes sooner or later as a silent apology.

He pulled away soon after, and let out a nervous sigh while he pressed his head against her neck… making her hug him back immediately as he blushed too and kissed her on the neck before asking,

"Okay… t-there… so c-can we go now before this leads to an intense make-out session…"

"...No…"

She then stood up, and backed away from him a bit before she placed her leg up on the bed in front of him, her foot going in between his legs as he sat there. He saw that she was basically exposing the skin-tight black stocking she was wearing to him…. Which made him look up at her with a strange look on his face again…. But he blushed for some reason

"...What are you doing?" he asked.

Yang's expression changed, and she blushed madly as she looked down at him, and moved her knee a little bit closer to his face…

"...Don't think I forgot what you were doing last night to my legs …. Because I sure didn't… and it felt so special…"

"Y-Y…...Yang….."

She was filled was joy… since he didn't deny it immediately…. And she started to think that she wasn't the only one with a kink in the relationship…

"...Where the hell did this come from?!" He asked, clearly embarrassed since he was a bright shade of red.

"That's what I thought when you started licking me…..~"

Her swift turn on his own words made him groan, both internally and externally as he looked at her stocking…. Seeming intimidated by it.

"Guuuuh… don't use this against me….."

Gage continued to whine for about a minute, before Yang huffed and suddenly placed her boot on his chest, bending her knee so it would have to be more than just right in his face… and she saw that his became fixated on her black boot and leather stocking as he asked,

"...I-If I kiss it…. Then can we go?"

"Maybe… but it depends on how well you kiss it~"

She said that as she winked at him and noticed that his eyes wouldn't move away from her leg while he whined like a hungry puppy… but then he grabbed onto her ankle… and blushed as he moved towards her leg and huffed.

"Hmphhhh….." He whimpered. Then… he finally cracked and just slowly kissed the front of her leg… bed or he growled again and slid his tongue up her stocking a little bit before he pulled away, and sighed.

"T-There…. So can we go now?!"

Unknown to him, she had smiled, opened her mouth, closed her eyes, and had placed a hand on her own cheek and had gotten a little too carried away... but he soon noticed, and it snapped her out of it.

"*sigh* ….-*gasp!* ….U-Um Yeah! O-Of course!"

She quickly jumped back and spoonful straight while he did the same, and he still glared at her, but were both an equal shade of crimson as they started to head towards the front door…

"Let's go Christmas shopping!" She cheered.

So he opened the door for her, and puffed up his cheeks as Yang grabbed onto his hand and pulled him into the hallway, looking both shy and happy while he closed the door and followed her closely.

"Bye Noodle! You better not go through my panties!"

"*squeak!*"

However, his face wouldn't wouldn't back to its slightly pale color soon, so Gage rushed and put his dark green hood over his head, right as his girlfriend hugged his right arm and pressed her head against his shoulder tightly… but then he mumbled something to her.

"...Y-You suck….."

That was all he had to give, even though he wasn't trying to insult her fully, more as a joke in reality… but she managed to turn that against him. Again.

"Hmm… maybe next time I'll do that to you, since you did all the licking last night Care-Bear!"

But all it did was make his dignity implode, and caused him to let out another loud groan and rest the side of his head against hers as a sign that he didn't like that she was teasing him…

Yet, that didn't stop her. Because she could tell that he wasn't enjoying this, and it became a very funny game to her… as she said her next sentence in clear sing song voice,

"Hehe…. ~I know your fetish!~"

And thus his whining continued as they walked down the hall, and eventually downstairs and put the front door of the dorm building.

"Yang…. Whyyyyy…"

"I'm sorry! You just make it too easy!"

…

 **An Hour Later…**

...

"*SCREEECH!*"

The sounds of Vale's subway system was unfamiliar to the couple, as they had just exited their train to Vale's very own Eve's Square, a very popular, exotic, and world-famous commercial neighborhood, intersection, and shopping center that was all in one.

They both ascended up the steps of the subway exit, and ended up on the surface as they stepped on the sidewalk and Gage looked up in awe.

There were massive buildings with holographic signs on them, and they just lit up the entire neighborhood, although the large line of honking cars that were going across every direction on the intersection were already enough to wake everyone in the surrounding area up.

"Damn….. I've heard about this place but i've never actually seen it for myself…."

Yang just smiled and continued to hold Gage's hand as they started to walk down the sidewalk, and to a huge and tall building that was called "Shawcross Center."

"I've been here only a few times, and I actually went dress shopping here with Ruby! In Shawcross Center at least."

He kept looking at the bright signs and loud cars… and it just felt weird for him to be here, since it…. Sort of reminded him of being in college back in Mantle…. Three years ago. And even now, after being back in society for six months, it was all still slightly new to him… but he didn't know why.

"It feels…. Weird to be here."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be right here to help you get use to it again. Now come on! It's getting cold!"

She began to pull him along the way once again, and he indeed felt felt some snow fell on top of his head and saw it get into his girlfriend's blonde locks as well…. And it made him wonder….

"Okay… oh, and I also wanted to know, why'd you choose that outfit if it was going to be this cold outside? It just kinda makes me worry..."

Yang smiled, and just blushed as she looked down at herself… thankful that he concerned about her well being even if it wasn't something to really be concerned about.

"Because this is a lot warmer than my regular clothes, and besides…. This outfit of mine definitely won't become an eyesore for you…~" She whispered as she rolled the sleeves of her cream and black colored jacket down.

"N-Nope. No it will n-not…"

And strangely after that, Yang's attitude changed and she smiled widely again as she continued to grasp and hold onto Gage's arm very hard as she cheered,

"Oh! And since we're both wearing black it'll be matching!"

"O-Ow… hehe…. Yeah… back and black I guess…. egh..." He winced.

They walked through the crowded streets, on the sidewalk, and passed a lot of other people until they eventually reached the entrance to the apparent mall, stopped in front of the entrance, and looked around as they entered.

Gage smiled, as he looked up, and just saw multiple floors filled with stores and other shops, along with the huge Christmas tree that was in the center of the floor they were on, and the rising escalators that surrounded it. Which were also covered and decorated in red, white, and green Christmas lights.

It was just ripe with noisy children, thousands of footsteps, talking, and of course the wonderful christmas songs that were playing throughout the entire mall!

"Man…. I really need to get out of the dorm more…." He said.

He then walked inside, so Yang kept holding onto his hand and pulled him in as she started to scan the room as well.

"Yeah you do, now come on! Where should we go first?"

They both asked themselves that same question as they looked around around ground floor… but something soon caught Yang's attention as she squeezed his hand again and pointed over to the far left corner of the floor.

Over there, was a store that had a small Christmas tree outside of it, along with a small sign that said 'Holiday Sale!' on it, and that's when Gage saw that the store was called, "Hullum's Holiday Store."

"Oooh! Let's go there first! It's a holiday store after all!" The blonde yelled.

"Okay, whatever you say Momma-Bear!"

…

They entered the store together hand in hand, and all the christmas stuff in the store made Yang's expression soon changed from curious, to an excited stare as Gage saw her eyes nearly took the form of giant lilac stars.

There were about five aisles inside, containing rows upon rows of Christmas themed candy, Christmas cards, small decorations and ornaments, a small collection of christmas themed clothes, and even a rack of ugly christmas sweaters!

"Gage! Look! They have snowglobes and popcorn tins and multi-flavored candy canes! *gasp!* ...And even those ugly Christmas sweaters!"

He sighed with a smile, and let go of Yang's hand and picked up a black basket near the entrance as he watched her run into one of the aisles like she was a little girl in a candy store.

"Don't run too far ahead of me! I don't want you to get lost in here without me Taiyo-chan! Hehe." He teased her.

"Shush up Care-Bear! Or i'm not buying a real piece of mistletoe for us!~"

She said that passive aggressively, and with a sing song esque tone as well before she shuffled merrily over to the ugly sweaters, urging him to follow close from behind.

He simply shook his head, as he remembered saying that he himself was crazy about the holidays, specifically Christmas too, but Yang was just out playing him at this point. And it made it hard to not smirk at her joyous self.

Gage then smiled again, and stood behind her as she stopped walking, and looked up at a dark green ugly Christmas sweater… and took it off the hook it was hanging from before she turned back to him and handed it to him.

"Now look at this Gage! It matches you perfectly!"

He took it from her…. And sort of cringed at the sight of it. The ugly sweater was indeed dark green, and had little knitted mistletoes going in a pattern across the front of it, and there were several lines of that pattern as it went down the front of it.

"Ooh! There's even one for me too!"

And then, Yang took another one down that was a golden yellow color, and it even had patterns of little knitted snowmen on the front of it too!

"That's so cute! Oh I know, let's wear these when we go visit my dad! To be matching and to show some Christmas spirit! Plus i'm sure that my dad would think that it's cute."

He gave her a fake smile at first, since he'd always remember how the christmas sweaters would itch when his mom would buy them for him when he was a kid… but… he just couldn't say no to Yang. She had gotten to excited for him to deny her request.

"O-Okay…. But don't complain if it's sort of itchy Yang. Now, I think there was some candy that you needed to get too right?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Mmhm! Everyone's gonna love them!"

…

After about fifteen more minutes, Gage and Yang came out with two very heavy plastic bags, which he had to hold for her as she had wandered out of the store while he had to pay the cashier.

In the bags were their ugly Christmas sweaters, about four packs of candy canes, a big popcorn tin since Gage had remembered that Ruby wanted one, and a small reindeer antler headband that the blonde had picked out for Zwei.

And now, he was coming out of the store and started to look around for Yang…. But he sort of became alarmed when he finally saw where she was.

The blonde was now glued to a glass window of an adjacent shop to where they just were… however, Gage started to come up from behind her… and that's when he noticed that she was looking in the window display of a very well-known and very expensive establishment…. Which was,

"Eberle Family Jeweler."

And Yang, was actually staring at a set of… engagement rings. And they were being displayed along with the price tag, which was a real eye opener for him once he saw it went into a range that would completely take care of everything saved in his bank account…. So he tapped on her shoulder to get her attention.

"U-Uh…. Yang?"

But, she didn't acknowledge him at first, as she was just staring and smiling at the pair of rings while she continued to daydream about the future with him that she had thought up when they had just started dating…but that was soon interrupted as his voice finally came through.

"Yaaaang..."

"Oh! Sorry." She said as she turned around and tried to cover the window with her own body. "W-What were you trying to say Care-Bear?"

"Uh…."

He thought quickly, and so he looked to the right and towards the food court be for he soon got an idea, since he saw some dude standing at the entrance selling caramel apples.

"...Do you want to get some caramel apples and maybe something else to eat? I'm kinda hungry, and I know you didn't eat breakfast yet either."

She paused with her mouth opened as she tried to process everything that happened in that brief moment… but then she sighed and nodded as she smiled at him. "O-Okay… sure. I'll get us coffee too, and you can find a table for us!"

"Perfect!" Gage thought. And in that instant, he looked at the entrance of the Jewelry store and saw a man… that had a stack of business cards in his hand. So, he handed a lien card to Yang, and pointed her towards a Starbucks that was next to a large very large window that gave off a massive view of the snow city outside.

"Alright. I'll meet you over there."

""Okay!"

As the blonde turned and went over to get the caramel apples and coffee, Gage quickly sidestepped over to the man at the Jewelry store and waved at him to get his attention, and of course nearly jumped at the opportunity to talk to him since he just saw Yang looking at the window.

"Psst! Hey you!" Gage whispered.

"Oh hello! So I couldn't help but notice that your girlfriend was looking at our fine collection of-"

The man tried to clearly advertise their rings, but Gage cut him off immediately, as he felt annoyed that they were out of his price range…. Yet he knew of something else that he could possibly do for Yang.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, not looking to buy any rings right now. So I want to know…. Do you do custom orders by any chance?"

"Yes we do. But its better over the phone or in our online store… and I can tell you're short on time, so here. Take this."

The Jeweler then handed Gage one of his business cards, and looked away from him soon after to not try and attract any unwanted attention, as Yang was still not out of their sight.

"Thank you." He thanked him, but then looked at older man in the eyes as he lowered his voice as well. "...And thanks for being discreet."

"You're welcome. And I expect to hear from you soon…"

"Yeah you will…"

Then, Gage looked down and read the card before he turned around and started to head back towards the food court in a hurry, as his girlfriend was now ordering the coffee for the two of them.

He stared at the paper card and read the information on it… sort of scared how much he was thinking about their future… and a bit of the price for the rings as well while he smiled and let out a small and happy sigh,

"*sigh* ...I think I'm too young for this shit…."

But then… he suddenly remembered something his dad had told him a long time ago about women. Something that he felt would make sense in this situation.

" _Gage, if you really love a girl, then the price of something doesn't matter as long as her happiness isn't the thing being spent."_

That memory made him smile as he put the card away… and reminded him of how much he really missed having those types of talks and being given that type of advice from his dad. And… it made him realize…. That it would be the two year anniversary of his death in one week.

Gage felt a little chill consume him… and he felt a little melancholy as he walked along the tables of the food court…. Trying not to remember the last time he actually spent Christmas with his dad.

"He's right….. but he'd probably freak out and kick my butt if he knew that I'm technically engaged….. *sigh*….still though…. I miss him…."

...

He eventually made his way to the table that he saw Yang sitting at, so he sat down in front of her… and she could clearly see that something was bothering him. So, she took a bite out of the caramel apple she was eating and booped his nose with his caramel apple as she held onto the stick.

"Boop."

That made him just look up at her and caused him to grin a bit, so she smiled back and slid his drink that she brought over to him slowly.

"Here you go Gage! I got us hot chocolate instead, since it could wake us up, and… you know. Christmas time and all that."

Gage nodded and picked up the cafe cup before he took a small sip from his hot chocolate, "Thanks Yang…. It should probably help me wake up… since you tired me out completely last night…." He thanked her.

"Yeah well… it was definitely an early Christmas treat for you…. And for the imaginary viewers of our life story."

U-Uh… Her weird comment made him smile, but squint at her as he took his caramel apple from her, bit into it, and asked,

"*munch* ...Imaginary viewers? What are you talking about? ...And Who'd even want to read our life story?"

"I dunno…" She shrugged, and sipped her hot cocoa as well. "But they'd probably be really dedicated if they've stuck it out this far with us. And that's really sweet of them!"

"...I guess…. But I don't think it'd even be allowed to be an animated PG-13 Internet show or something like that…. It'd probably be like…. A fanfic or something. But eh… still would be fun to read…. Even if it is mostly Smut, Fluff and some Action…."

She just laughed… and blushed a little a she took another sip. "Yeah… *sip* …But anyway. Why did you look so… 'iffy' on your way over here?" The blonde asked him.

Gage looked down at his cup, and squeezed it with his right hand as he answered."I was thinking about my dad… since he… 'went away' around this time…" But then…. He suddenly looked around the room, as his left metal hand was exposed since it was holding the stick his caramel apple was on.

He paused, because he and Yang both did a three hundred and sixty degree turn, and saw that nearly everyone around their table was looking… at Gage's prosthetic limb.

"...And then I…. Almost started to think about the white fang… and Adam…. And my arm…. so…. Yeah…. Real mood killer." He added

She heard him speak… but it almost felt like he was trying really hard not to acknowledge all the people that were staring at him. That's when she looked and suddenly saw that a mother and her son were staring at his hand as well...

" _Mom look! That man's hand is all shiny!"_

" _Shh! Don't point it out! That's rude."_

" _Oh… okay."_

Then…. He just sighed, and looked back up into his girlfriend's eyes, still trying to ignore all of the other people. "...and I'm sorry Yang." Gage said, before he looked back down at his hot cocoa.

At first she became saddened by how depressed he looked, and by how fast his mood and attitude changed… but then, once she heard him apologize… she thought he was actually apologizing for putting her in that position with him.

The thought just lingered of him feeling so ashamed of himself… and it made her feel bad as well, so that was when she quickly turned, looked at all the onlookers, and turned back to Gage as she grabbed onto his metal hand, leaned across the table, and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips.

And that made everyone look away immediately, so she felt accomplished while they were in their lip lock, since his eyes opened up a little bit also, allowing him to see all the other people just look away..

And some even smiled.

So, after a few seconds, she pulled away, and brushed his meta hand with her own and placed hers on top of it as she smiled at him again,

"...Don't be. I mean… we can't just ignore them. Because whether Adam is alive or not, we still need to find our answers. But still…. I'd at least wait until you're done recovering fully before we go back to searching. To be safe."

His face was blank for a few seconds, still in shock from their kiss, but soon he processed what she said… and smiled… glad to see that her overprotective side had kicked in once again,

"Thank you."

"It's alright Gage. And I was thinking that we should start around mid-january since our semester should be over by then. We'll have less to worry about then!"

Gage chuckled to himself, and held her hand with his right hand instead as he nodded, since he was glad that she was able to cheer him up.

"Yeah. That sounds good to me!"

"Good!" Yang exclaimed. After that however, she took another bite of her caramel apple, and let her elbows lay on the table a she looked at him. "Now…. Im bored. Because I can honestly get everything else on my shopping list online."

"Yeah… same here." He then pondered for a moment… but quickly realized that it's nearly Christmas. So there's bound to be a weird type of festival going on for it somewhere in town for them to screw around at. "Hmm….. Wanna go to like a stupid, but fun, carnival thing? Because I think I heard people saying that there's gonna be one downtown." He asked.

She just grinned and stood up, raising her drink and caramel apple in the air at the same time. "Hehehe, Stupid and fun? Let's do it!" She giggled.

He laughed in response and watched as she started to walk merrily over to the exit on the other side of the food court, so he just drank the rest of his cocoa and happily followed her as she walked.

"Alright….. w… wait Yang at least let me show you where we're going first before you start walking ahead of me again!"

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage and Yang both headed back into the subway and took a ride all the way down to downtown Vale… but they had not arrived yet. Instead, they were holding hands, leaning against one another as they gazed into each other's eyes for while…

That was until their train managed to exit the tunnel it was in and made its way back to the surface, allowing the magnificent view of he City of Vale to be seen by the couple as it was covered in snow… and it made Gage realize that winter break was less than a week away.

"*sigh* ….Just realized. Six days until I have to meet your dad Yang…" He said, sounding like he was dreading the day.

Yang just sighed too and nuzzled her head against his shoulder blade, hugging him as she looked at him. "Sounds like you're kind of scared Gage. Why?"

"Because the last person I had to impress was my four foot tall boss back at the CCT in Atlas… and now it's a full fledged Huntsman that trained you, someone who can kick my butt easily, to fight. And he's also your father. Who's also overprotective."

His voice was also a bit worried…. But even what he was saying sounded a bit odd to Yang, as she's never really remembered her father getting ticked off before.

"Just don't stress about it! He's a nice guy…. Okay, he can kind of get annoying when it comes to being safe, but he's still nice."

She watched as he looked away from her, and just whined as he looked out the train window, "I don't know…. I just hope he's nice to me…. I did a pretty good job of keeping you happy like he wanted me to… it's just that I don't think it was the way that he wanted to go." He admitted.

The blonde then hugged him back to try and console him. "You're gonna be fine Gage." And then she leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek, "He won't care how you did it as long as long as i'm happy."

"Okay… good. " He said with a small exhale. "And thank you again. Hehe... I promise I'll try to make it up to you for my bitching…"

Yang continued to lean her head on him, and cupped his cheek after he said that, "You don't have to Care-Bear. You'll already be doing a good job of that by being there with me." She whispered.

"Alright…. And it should be great. I'll make sure that it is for you!"

Then finally, he kissed her head, and brought her close enough to where she laughed at how hard he was hugging her.

"Yay! Hahaha! I love you!"

"Yeah. I love you too."

After that, they both sat on the train together as they headed back home… however, Gage felt more than relieved on the inside now. Mostly because he now could try and prepare for meeting Taiyang…. And also that he knew when he could resume the search for his father's killers.

And whether his foe Adam Taurus was alive or not… he didn't care. All he cared about now at this time was his family. His new family. And since he thought he did a pretty good job at protecting them before, he felt confident enough to do it again. As long as Yang was apart of that family...

"Just one more month….. and then... the hunt begins. Again."


	10. The Ghost of Christmas Past

**Author's Note:** *sigh* ...Again sorry about these late updates. I just finished school and i'm slacking since i'm trying to do all i can before I have to go to summer school. It's like an opposite for me, cuz I usually post more during the school year. Weird. Anyway, again, sorry. Hopefully this chapter will make up for my absence… and the basic filler I posted before this. Anyway, read, hopefully enjoy, and leave a review!

 **Song:** Heroes by Alesso feat. Tove Lo

…

Gage, Yang, Ruby and Zwei were all waiting on an airship that was currently on its way to The island of Patch that was off the coast of Vale.

Ruby was almost asleep, along with Gage, as he was just relaxed and happy that he was stress free for once this month, since he managed to turn in all his missing work to Professor Oobleck and his other teachers, and he was also happy that Velvet asked to take care of Green Bean for him while he was gone.

However, Yang was just wide awake, and had rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as Zwei slept on Ruby's lap.

"I'm so glad this is happening….. I can finally introduce you to my dad!"

He just put his arms around her and yawned as he closed his eyes slowly, "*yawn* ...Mmhm… and I get to actually celebrate Christmas again for the first time in three years…."

Ruby then perked up, and rubbed her eyes too. "Hmm? What do you mean? Didn't you spend it before you….. left Mantle or whatever?"

"i was really depressed because I was alone… so not like... to the fullest extent..."

Yang thought he was about to let out a heavy sigh, so she jumped and decided to ask him another question. "Oh. Well…. Then when was the last time you celebrated Christmas anyway?"

His eyes fluttered, as he finally woke himself by trying to remember that day. "Hmm…. About three years ago. When I was still in college."

Ruby suddenly laughed at him, "What! Almost my age and you were in college? That's crazy!"

"Eh… i got educational privileges thanks to my dad's job since he worked under Ironwood… but it didn't help me much."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

Gage just smiled as reminisced about those days… but soon he just rolled his eyes as the smile quickly went away. "I wasn't that special. Hell there were even people younger than me back then… and I mean sure I had good grades… but I honestly hated it."

Ruby scooted up a bit as she looked over at him, and soon glanced back down at the ground after, "Oh yeah… you told us how you'd deal with bullies… and mean girls…"

"It wasn't just that." He said as he scooted to the edge of his seat as well. "It was just boring… and… it may have not seemed like it back then… but, I really just wanted to do something more exciting with my life."

Then Yang laughed too, and looked over at her boyfriend with a bright smile. "Now why wouldn't you seem like someone who wanted some excitement?"

"*sigh* ...Because…. I was just that one kid in the back of class listening to music..."

(* _Lover Alot_ by _Aerosmith_ begins to play*)

…

 **Three Years Ago…**

…

~ _Ah!_ Don't you know that she loves you alot?! _Why_ don't you know, don't you know what you've got?! _I_ even know that she loves you alot! _Why_ don't you know, don't you know- don't ya... ~

That song was _Lover Alot_ by _Aerosmith_ , and it was the song that Gage was listening to through his crappy half-broken convenience store earbuds as he walked down the halls of his school.

He was wearing a black shirt, a dark green cargo jacket over that, some black jeans with his sage bandana in his back pocket, and a pair of grey skate shoes, and he was wearing a pair of black reading glasses as well.

And to top it off, his face was shaved clean, and he wasn't his normal 195 pounds, almost six foot tall self from the present. Instead, back then at this time, he was 140 pounds and 5'8, so rather slim compared to his present self.

" _Remind me never to show you any pictures of myself when I was sixteen Yang…"_

He walked down the halls slowly, trying not to bump into anyone else around him as he looked down at the ground… and sighed as he saw that he was approaching his classroom, since he really just wanted to go home already.

"*sigh* ...One more class then i'm finally out of here…. might as well just not give a shit and sleep through it…"

~Ah there's a chill... in the summer time air!  
You get a thrill... from the smell of her hair!  
You get a high…. from the taste of her wits  
It's certified, but but, but you ain't getting there yet!~

This was his usual attitude, since besides studying and his job as a tech guy back at Atlas's CCT would always cut in with spending some time with his father, who was about to get off work as the same time Gage was going to leave… and he was sort of excited, but chose not to show it.

So, he walked quietly into his next classroom, and the students in there just greeted him with a flurry of low chuckles that he knew were somehow aimed at him… but he just chose to ignore them as he glared down at the ground.

"Another reason to just sleep…."

Gage thought that, and walked all the way to the seat in the back left side of the room, that was next to the window.

So, he took off his dark green single-strap backpack that had two straps on the front, which was holding his old Rooster Teeth branded Skateboard, and set it down next to the desk's legs as he sat down, and heard the song he was listening to come to an end.

 _~Ah!_ Don't you know that she loves you alot?! _Why_ don't you know, don't you know what you've got?! _I_ even to know that she loves you alot! _Why_ don't you know, don't you know, don't you know what ya- DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU GOT! ~

He began to get settled… but he noticed some of the girls in the front of the class were looking back at him and whispering to each other… and even some guys looked back too and laughed quietly.

However…. There were two other guys who both looked at him weirdly. One, who was sitting next to the girls, was a man named Osiri Abyss. He was twenty one, was the tallest person that Gage had ever seen, and he was covered in Tattoos and Piercings that were all over his body….. and he was also the person that Gage despised the most in that class.

He had red and golden hair, which Gage was sure was dyed, and he also had eyes that were red and gold as well, and was believed to be just eye contacts by the Ghost of Christmas past as well. But the man also apparently loved to wear the color black, as it was all that he was wearing.

(Yeah I just called Gage that…)

And the other boy… was a complete opposite. He was a smaller, slimmer, and younger teen that was fourteen, had purple hair that was lightly gelled to the side, lilac colored eyes, and was recognized as a canine faunus thanks to the purple colored wolf tail that was sticking out from his rear end.

He also wore black glasses, always wore really good blouses, and shirts to school, and had a New Yorker-Esque accent along with his slightly high-pitched voice, but he was also known as being called cute by the older girls in the school despite the racism that was regularly prominent in Mantle and Atlas at that time.

His name was Malice Mauve. But people mostly just called him Mal for short.

Osiri was smirking at Gage… but Mal just had a very sorrowful look in his eyes… almost like he felt bad for him in that moment… but Gage just glared back at them and rolled his eyes as he looked down at his scroll.

The next song on his current playlist, was _Go All The Way_ by _The Raspberries_ which started up as he laid his head on the desk, put his hood up, and strangely began to hear the earbuds cut out…

~I… never knew how complete love could be… Till she kissed me and said, 'Baby, please… Go All The Way… It feels so right  
Being with you here to-... -night'….-~

Then, they cut out completely, and suddenly the song began to play out loud in the classroom at full volume from Gage's own scroll!

~-Please…. Go All The Way! Just hold me close… Don't ever let… me go….~

That, made him lift his head up, and become a little scared as he jumped and scrambled for his scroll as the volume increased… and the class soon took noticed of what was going on, so they laughed. Very loudly.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" he muttered to himself.

"Hahahahahaha!"

A few of the girl's faces became bright red as they heard the lyrics become more clear to them, but that was right as he opened his lock screen and turned off the music with a loud growl that was aimed towards everyone else in the room. "Grrr!"

Although, Osiri stood up from his chair and appeared to be laughing the most out of everyone… and then, he looked at Gage and yelled out at him.

"Oh my god, do you even have a Y-Chromosome? Haha, seriously! Because it looks like you don't, so grow a pair and start listening to some better music like metal!"

He just continued to glare at the older student, clearly ticked off for making fun of his taste in music. "Yeah… Yeah I'll do that when I decide that I want to go deaf when i'm older…"

"Sure is alot better than that shit either way..."

He turned back around…. And Gage just growled as he picked up his broken earphones and threw them and hit Osiri in the back of the head with them.

" _I thought you'd be into like classic rock songs, but not the ones that talk about love Care-Bear. That's so sweet!" Yang said, in present time._

 _And present Gage smiled at her. "Yeah i love em. And not just the rock ones. Also, that's one way I learned how to try and become a romantic. Sort of. But anyway…" And then he continued with the story..._

At first, Osiri let out an annoyed sigh as he picked up the headphones… but then he laughed and turned back around while he chuckled and looked at the earbuds right as their professor walked inside of the room

"Ninety-Nine cent store earbuds! Nice dude. But I thought you and your dad both have jobs Gage?"

Gage rolled his eyes and just kept staring daggers at the older man. "Its called making your single parent's life easier. I give him all my money to help pay for our groceries and other crap. Now can you please stop talking about my family?" He asked him.

"Yeah i think that it'd be better to end the conversation right here." Mal said to them, joining in on their conversation.

"Aww come on Mr. Pretty boy. Don't be a buzzkill! It'll ward off all the chicks that are in your little entourage!"

The wolf faunus just shrugged and kept an eye on Gage…. But he was having none of it, as he just rubbed the bridge of his nose in an irritated manner.

Osiri saw this and just started to push further, and with a grin of course. "You know... I think that it's kinda weird that he hasn't showed up here after all the black eyes you've gotten over the past three years."

That was Gage's breaking point, as he suddenly raised his head back up and sneered at him angrily. "I try not to make him worry about me alright?! Jesus…." He nearly yelled.

The professor just sighed as he entered, and sat down at his desk, not looking at either of the two men yet. "Settle down everyone…"

Yet they still both ignored him. "A parent that doesn't worry about their children? Really? Some dad that would be…" Osiri said sarcastically.

But then…. Gage looked to his right, outside of the window and into the snowstorm that was raging outside as he growled… and muttered something that he knew…. Well, that everyone knew was sensitive towards his opponent.

"Whatever. At least my dad is still around…"

And in that one instant, everyone in the room turned to Gage in less than a second as some 'Oooh!'s' were whispered, and a lot of the students gasped. Even Mal turned, and covered his mouth with a fist as he was so baffled by those words that he was blowing air out of his mouth.

"P-Pffff…."

It took Osiri a second to process what he said… but when he finally figured it out, he jumped out of his chair, flung it to the side, and gave him a red-eyed death stare.

"W...What did you just say?!"

Gage just snickered a bit, and looked up at him with another grin. "Oh you heard me? No wait of course you did. Those stretched ear lobes of yours probably helped you too." He fired back.

"You FUCKING CUN-"

That was when the professor finally stepped in however, and slammed his hand down onto his own desktop.

"Okay thats enough! You're both in College! Not kindergarten! So can you please both try and settle this like men on your own time so you won't interrupt us any further?!"

Osiri looked like steam was about to erupt from his mouth, ears, and nostrils as he growled and took a step back towards his desk, and Gage just smiled at the professor and gave him a salute along with a wink at the same time.

"Yessir!" He said.

"Thank you! Now, if Mr. Abyss can sit down, then we can finally begin our lesson. So can you all please take out your notebooks at this time?"

The older student growled again…. But eventually sat back down in his desks… although, Mal simply leaned over to Osiri and whispered to him as everyone else got out their school supplies,

"T-To be fair…. You did kind of drag it out longer than it should have been… so… instant karma maybe?" He suggested.

"*sigh* ...Fuck off Pretty boy."

And now at this time, Gage was in the back of the room writing, but he kept mentally repeating a few words inside his head at the same time.

"Run when the bell rings! Run when the bell rings! Run when the bell rings! Run when the bell rings!"

…

 **Later…**

…

And sure enough, Gage did just that as he put his scroll and pencil in his pocket, immediately grabbed onto his backpack and put the single strap around his chest and he started to sprint out of the room as the bell rang.

"Okay okay… gotta head to the subway entrance and then I should be all good. Just gotta hurry."

At first he just smirked and ran out of the room, nearly knocking a few people over as he ran out of the room…. And Osiri started to push some people out of the way in an attempt to follow.

This happened as Mal watched and sighed… since he knew Gage couldn't be able to outrun a tankish person like Osiri. Because if Mal couldn't, then he wouldn't be able to either.

"*sigh* ...My mom's gonna kill me…."

So he sighed, and started to follow, but distanced himself from them both on purpose to try and make sure that they'd never see him coming.

Meanwhile, Gage just kept running. He turned to the left and was thankful that the classroom was so close to the entrance of the school, so he turned the corner and kept running until he saw the front doors of the building, and used his shoulder to bash them open.

He could hear some really loud and angry footsteps coming from behind him, so as he reached the top level of the steps that went down all the way down to the public sidewalk, he jumped, and started to carefully run down the railing until he was able to jump again, and land on the sidewalk.

"Come on! *pant* *pant* ...i'm just getting started Ossy!"

Gage said that as he landed and rolled, quickly darting to the left again and running down the sidewalk as he ran and Osiri followed.

"Don't you fucking call me that!"

He let out another tired chuckle and continued to sprint down the sidewalk and across the snowy concrete, passing through a lot of other people and students along the way.

Every time he heard someone yell at him, he turned around to make sure that it was Osiri, and It just entertained him as he stopped at the edge of the block and looked back, quickly giving the older student the middle finger.

"Bitch! I'll call you what I want as long as you can't touch me!"

They just stared at each other for a brief moment as they both remained idle on the sidewalk… but then suddenly, Osiri turned to his right and just ran down into a random alley way, which made Gage smile once again as he turned and ran down to the corner of the sidewalk until he was able to turn the corner one last time.

"That ally is like a maze…. So I should have enough time to make it to the subway entrance!"

His plan was to stall his pursuer by running around in the underground station until his train would start to depart, and then, he would board it last second by using his semblance, and that felt nearly foolproof as he made his way around the corner and could the subway entrance, which had a lot of people going down it's main staircase.

"Fuck! Nevermind! Home stretch here I come!"

That was when he just took in another deep breath and started to sprint as fast as he could towards the descending steps, preparing to just jump and run down the middle railing again.

However…. As he was approaching it…. He ran past an opening to the alleyway…. And then Osiri suddenly charged out of it, his golden eyes and hair glowing as he just completely demolished Gage with his force, slamming into him with a massive shoulder charge and causing him to crash into the side of a taxi cab that was parked along the sidewalk, leaving the door dented and the window glass completely shattered as well.

"RRRAGH!"

He cried out as he felt some of the vertebrae in his back crack and he fell down onto the hard concrete ground, hitting his head against the pavement.

"Got you now you cocksucker…."

Osiri then grabbed Gage by the back of his head as he felt glass plunged into the side of his arm, but then the older student threw him into the alleyway along with his backpack.

He fell back and rolled onto the snow, feeling pain across his entire body as he tried to stand up and look at his attacker…. But then Osiri started to… speak to someone, as he turned to his right and appeared to be speaking to no one.

"Why? You heard what he said! He deserves this… *sigh* ...Fine Reaper. I promise I won't kill him this time since he's 'too innocent'."

He was even making hand gestures as he looked frustrated with whoever he was speaking to… but Gage just groaned in pain as he stood back up, taking his glasses off before he just looked at him.

"*sigh* Just my luck…. The one dude I decide to fuck with turns out to be a total nutjob!"

That made Osiri turn and stomp towards him, pointing his finger at him as he balled his other hand into a fist. "Hey! Don't call us a nutjob! This is a semblance defect!"

Gage just stood there and put his glasses away as he growled and clutched his bleeding arm tightly. "Yeah… definitely a defect…"

The red and gold hair man huffed and yelled at him once again. "Shut the fuck up you green shrimp! This wouldn't have to happen if you kept your mouth shut!"

"*pant* ...Or if you didn't have such a shitty temper-AGH!" Gage tried to make some sort of remark, but it was cut off almost instantly by the impact of Osiri's fist smashing against the right side of his face, knocking him back.

He spun and nearly fell onto the snowy ground, but he used his hands to stop himself last second… but he still was on the ground with his back turned to his pursuer.

But then, he suddenly pushed himselg upwards and turned as fast as he could with a hard fist that was aimed towards the man in black's chest.

The blow did make contact with his chest…. But the punch barely even moved Osiri. At best it was only a few steps back, yet he soon grabbed Gage's fist before smirked and threw him back, against a brick wall that was behind them.

He hit it and winced, but opened his eyes as he immediately ducked under another punch that was sent his way, and the dodge caused Osiri's hand to collide with the brick wall, cracking the bricks. And it also made Gage stutter.

"...Oh S-Shit…"

After that mumble, Gage quickly rolled to the side and sent a quick jab into his enemy's side… but it was useless. Because all it did was make him growl and kick him back in the shoulder.

"Don't fucking bother trying!"

"Ugh!"

He was pushed back down onto the snow covered cement and next to his backpack, and that was when he noticed that the strap that was holding has skateboard had opened… and it gave him an idea.

Gage had it forming in his head… and he even started to lift himself back up from the ground yet again… making Osiri collectively sigh.

"*sigh* ...Come on dude… just stand down and take your beating like a man. There's no shame in it."

His words didn't phase the 'ghost' at all… he just stood straight up on his own two feet as the taller man sighed and made a fist with his hands again.

"Gage. Stay down. Final warning."

Gage just shook his head, and stared straight back at him with a bleeding nose before he also wiped the blood from his lip…. And held his fists out in front of his face as he just huffed out his reply.

"*pant* *pant* ...I can do this all day."

Then, he threw a punch but withdrew it immediately, faking out Osiri so he could roll to the right, grab the deck of his skateboard, and slam one of its rugged edges into his stomach!

"Rrrrgh!"

The older student coughed and gagged from the blow, so Gage knocked the boards trucks into face soon after, making him grow and hold back a yell as his nose now began to bleed as well.

"Grrr! Fucking cheap shot!"

Osiri saw that the board was going to come back towards his face again, so he barely roared out loud as he turned and caught it, yanking it out of Gage's hands before he chucked it aimlessly into the snow behind them.

The ghost huffed quietly and took a step back in response. Holding his arm and looking at his opponent with a tired glare as he looked him in the eye…. But that's when he noticed something strange.

And that, was the fact that both Gage and Osiri didn't hear the skateboard hit the ground.

"Hey buddy I think you lost this!"

Then suddenly, it came back to them and landed next to Gage, so they both turned and saw that Mal was standing there behind them. Staring at Osiri mainly. But… he just sighed.

"*sigh* ...What? Did you get lost or something Pretty boy?"

Mal sighed back in response…. And took a step towards him as he took his glasses off and put them in his jacket's front pocket, "*sigh* No. I'm probably making a bad decision right now, but i'm gonna help end this anyway." He said.

Gage also quickly noticed that as Mal was walking towards them… he was raising his hand up…. And his fingernails weirdly grew a tiny bit. Their edges becoming more sharper and jagged.

"Fine by me…. Now I have an excuse to kick your ass for once!"

So, he closed his hand and turned his back to Gage and he thrusted himself forwards as he turned, send what seemed like a devastating punch towards the canine faunus's way. And he didn't even go to dodge it.

Instead, it looked like he had predicted it, as he stopped, lurched his hand forward until he suddenly caught the man's fist, and stopped his attack!

Gage had to pause and watch in awe, because then after that, Mal bent and twisted Osiri's left arm down and to the left, to the point where it felt like his wrist was wrist be broken.

"Agh! ...What the hell? How can you even move my arm!"

Here they were. An average built fourteen year old gentleman facing off a nineteen year old gothic brute. But somehow the struggle appeared to be within the younger man's favor.

"...Let's just say I don't play well when i'm a little steamed." Mal replied with a glare.

He said that, and continued to twist his opponent's arm until he started to bring him down to ground, and held one of the sharpened fingernails that were on his other hand against Osiri' chin.

"Yo…. Can you end this here and take the good guy route? Just this once? It'd be real nice of you."

"N...No way!"

He tried to push the younger man's hand back further since he was still holding his fist, but that urged Mal to pull it forward.

Then, he suddenly turned, looking away from Osiri as he a his elbow into his face, and turned yet again, smashing his other arm against the back of his head, making him fall onto the snowy ground and roll onto his back.

And finally, Gage saw an opportunity and finished him off, as he sprinted towards him, put two fingers in the air, and simulated a football field kick, which went right into Osiris nose.

"Rrrrgh! Fucking Metal head!"

"G….Gage!"

Mal immediately pulled Gage back and got in between him and the man on the ground, and his grip was really hard as well. "Hey! Chill!" He yelled.

His interference made Osiri attempt to get back up…. But behind him, at the entrance to the alleyway… some people on the street were looking at them, so, that made Mal get even more angry since he heard Gage growl as this happened.

"Rrrgh…. *pant* *pant* ...Get out of the way!"

So…. That's when Mal looked down, covered his eyes….. and growled back as he turned towards Gage and yelled at him.

"NO. YOU. STAY DOWN. Both of you!"

He immediately took a step back…. Because he saw that Faunus's wolf tail was bent slightly downwards and that the hairs were frayed as well….. but the thing that caught his attention the most? Was that Mal's arm and body muscles appeared to have grown quite a bit… along with his fangs and fingernails, which looked sharper than usual.

"Gage, Osiri, You forget a thousand things everyday! So how about we make this one em? HUH?!" He huffed.

Both of the men tried to move a few feet away from him… but Osiri held his ground ground he stood up and sneered at both Mal and Gage,

"You're defending him after what he said about my dad? …*huff* ...What the hell is wrong with you Mal?!"

His outburst just made Mal's veins begin to appear on his arm, so he took a step forwards and pushed the older student away towards the alley's exit.

"if Gage's dad was dead instead of yours then you probably would have said the same thing! So don't deny that you'd be a hypocrite!"

Osiri grunted and took another step back, and chose not to say anything, even thought Gage was smiling a little bit as he was behind Mal.

"*pant* … *pant* ….Grrr…."

"Osiri… Keep Walking."

All three of them just fell silent for a few moments so the citizens watching could leave… and after that, Osiri simply huffed one more time and started to walk back out into the street, pointing at Gage as he grasped his bloody and now broken nose,

"*Huff* ...Fine…. But this isn't over Gage. This will never be over. *pant* ...You hear me?!"

The only thing the ghost did was smirk and spit a clot of blood onto the snow, and then he watched as his opponent finally walked away and left.

And after he finally calmed down and returned to his normal non-muscular and passive state, Mal turned to Gage and just sighed as he put his glasses on.

"*sigh* ...So…. That was a thing."

"Damn right it was. You had to use your semblance. That's what the muscle and claw shit was right? Gage asked him.

And he nodded. "Yup... *exhale* ...Hooray for genetic semblances… anyway, you're welcome for that." Mal replied as he picked up Gage's skateboard and handed it to him.

"Eh… I could have handled him….."

That Mal laugh, and just walk towards the sidewalk as Gage picked up his backpack and joined him. "Pfft! Seriously? Dude that fight was like an Andrew Garfield Peter Parker Plushie going against a vicious three-headed dog. That's insane. And on fire."

He just waved the faunus off and took his skateboard from him as they both exited the alley and started to walk to the subway entrance. "A few more minutes and I probably would have gotten some sort of plan going in my head….. probably."

The faunus shook his head and picked up his knapsack that he took off and put against the corner that they were turning.

"Sure you woulda…" He muttered.

"Mmhm… but yeah, why did you help me anyway Mal?" Gage asked him as he put his skateboard under his arm.

"*sigh* ...Because you said something wrong…. And you thought you were in the right. So I thought that if I helped you then you'd listen to what I had to say."

They then both walked and stopped at the staircase that went down into the station, which was where Gage wiped his lips of any blood and sighed again.

"*sigh* ...That the only reason why?" he asked him.

"*sigh* ...No. The other reason…. Its because I always see you alone and by yourself outside of class…."

That made the ghost laugh, and put his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the stairs railing. "Hehe…. Younger and more popular kid wants to be my friend… that's a first."

"Yeah, well, I was thinking that you didn't have to do this whole 'college thing' solo, cuz I mean….. you're a nerd with glasses, i'm a nerd with glasses. We could work together pretty easily-"

At this point Gage had an expression that showed that he was clearly weirded out, so he raised his hand, signaling Mal to stop his rambling. "Alright you're making it sound like a job now Mal, which is no fun." He said coldly.

"Oh uh…. Heh. Sorry…"

The faunus tried to laugh it off, but his now sort of new found friend stayed completely silent. "Well…. Then…. Uh…. Wanna like…. Go do something Gage?"

That made Gage's smile widen as he looked at the younger and apparently more awkward man, and he finally just laughed at him.

"Hehe… hell no! It's Christmas day remember? I gotta head home and say hi to my dad!"

"Oh…. O-Oh you're right!" Mal said as he looked away and pushed his glasses back up. "Yeah that means I have to go see my mom too…. Almost forgot.."

Gage smiled again, and looked down before he nodded at Mal and just started to walk down into the subway without him, "Well… you go do that, and I'll start thinking about your little offer of friendship… so see you later."

However, Mall suddenly jumped and started to follow Gage again. "Oh Shit! Wait! Hold up a second!"

"Ugh… what is it Mal?" He asked as he turned back around.

Mal sighed, and for some reason, reached into his pic and took out what looked like a circular container…. Of… make up.

"Make up?" Gage asked him.

The purple haired boy then pointed at his face and gave him a somber look at the same time. "It's concealer. And i'm giving it to you because your face is bruised." He told him.

That's when the ghost decided to touch one of his cheeks, and it did indeed hurt. So, he flinched and look up at Mal. But just… stared at him before he went on,

"It'll help your dad relax easier if he doesn't know that you're getting into fights…. And that stuff really works on hiding the marks….. trust me…"

He said that, and just smiled as he took a step back, up back onto the top of the steps before he turned and looked away. "So uh…. Yeah…. That should help…. But… A-Anyway, I'll uh… see you around Gage."

And that was when he finally turned around, and started to walk back down the snowy sidewalk and further into the city… but not before he turned back and said one last thing….

"Oh and uh…. Merry Christmas."

Then he waved, and walked away. Leaving Gage to wave back at him, turn around, and walk down into the subway… but not before he strapped his skateboard back onto the front of his backpack.

But as he stepped down into the station and eventually made his way onto waiting platform… he looked at the container of concealer and just smiled.

"...Smart kid….. *sigh* ….if only I wasn't too much of an asshole….."

…

 **Later...**

...

After catching his train, figuring out how to put on the concealer, and skating all the way back to his suburban home in the outskirts of the city, Gage eventually wound up at the doorstep of his old home.

And, he was very excited, since he saw that his dad's Tesla was parked out in front of their garage.

So, he smiled, took out his house keys, and unlocked the door before he burst the door opened and yelled,

"Dad i'm home!"

Their home was a mostly modern type of style besides the Christmas decoration that Gage's dad had set up.

Gage entered and placed his backpack on the floor before he walked past their den and made his way to the living room and that's when he saw his father Gaigus

But… strangely, he saw Gaigus as he was lying down face first on the carpet… while their vacuum cleaner was next to him.

"Uh… dad?" Gage asked him.

He stayed idle on the floor for a few seconds, but then Gaigus suddenly looked up at his son with a huge sparkle in his eyes as he tried to raise himself off of the ground.

"Oh shit. M-Merry Christmas Cub!"

Gage then laughed at him. "Merry Christmas… Um…. what are you doing? I kinda thought you had a heart attack or something." He asked him.

Gaigus then turned and looked back at their couch before he used his hand to reach out, and make a pulling motion with it, and then suddenly, his body dissipated.

Gage watched with a sigh as his father disappeared from sight, and reappeared on their couch in a bright flash, which allowed him to get a better look of his senior.

Gaigus had bright green eyes and long light brown hair that went down past his shoulders, and he also had a matching mustache and connecting bushy beard that surrounded the bottom of his lips, and ended at the bottom of his chin.

And, he was wearing a black beanie, a crappy dark green ugly Christmas sweater, and a pair of dark grey jeans.

"Nope. Was just admiring the fucking _magnificent_ job I did of vacuuming the carpet!" Gaigus admitted.

And It made him sigh, since Gaigus appeared to be lazy mostly because he just wasted his semblance, which was teleportation. "*sigh* ...You're weird dad."

But, the older man laughed it off and slouched further into the couch as he reached to his left and took a sip from a carton of eggnog,

"No. *sip* ...You're weird."

"We're both weird…."

Gage rolled his eyes along with his closing statement, and strolled onto their kitchen, which was behind their living room couch, and just chuckled as he saw that his dad already had made him and himself a steak dinner along with some turkey and cranberries.

But what made him laugh? Was the sight of only two plates being set this year. Again.

"So…. You're not gonna introduce me to that blonde girlfriend of yours that you've been telling me about?" Gage asked.

Gaigus just groaned and tried to move Gage's presents away from under their Christmas tree, which was next to their couch, as he answered the question,

"Eh…. Couldn't work out that well. She had to move back to Vale. Something about her going back to her teaching job at Beacon…"

His son smirked and just shook his head as he tried to get some glasses out from one of their cupboards, "So she's a Huntress too? Heh… Mom always said you were a guy looking for excitement…."

"Yeah well…. You know who I am."

Gaigus's smiled faded at that statement. As he looked at the plasma screen tv in front of him along with the stack of Christmas movies that were on the on the coffee that was in front of him… but…. Then he looked up.

And what was up there, was a plaque. A wooden plaque, that was made for his late wife Miriam. A.K.A., Gage's mother.

On the plaque, was her name, and small picture of her, along with the pull-action Model 1887 shotgun that she used throughout her career as a Huntress. Named Mistletoe.

That sight made him look down, sip his eggnog, and turn back to look at Gage since he was preparing to sit down at their kitchen table,

"*sigh* ...Gage. Come here."

He then paused as he stopped pulling his chair out from under the dinner table, and walked back to the couch with curious look aimed towards his dad.

"Yeah?"

He was afraid that his dad was gonna give him one of his slightly buzzed eulogies once again like he would always use to give him when around the holidays…. But his fear was soon put to rest…

"...I know who you are too. And I know that you're impatient… so… here "

Gaigus smiled at him, and handed Gage two presents. One, was what looked like a shoe box, and the second was what clearly looked like a new skateboard deck. Which were both wrapped in red and green wrapping paper.

"Holy crap…"

Gage immediately opened up the deck, and was filled with joy once he saw the green star and joystick that was accompanied with the logo of Achievement Hunter!

"I saw some cracks show up on that old thing of yours… so I decided to get you a new one to see how long it'd take for you to scratch it up!"

"Thanks Da-"

"Dont thank me till you're done." His father blurted out, still pointing at the box that was under the deck.

"Alright…"

So as his dad watched, Gage put the skateboard deck down and ripped the paper off of the box…. But first, of course he had to ask…

"Wait… are these shoes?"

Yet his guess just made Gaigus roll his eyes and smile. "*sigh* ...Gage. you sound like you're nine years old again." He teased him.

"H-Hey! I'm just curious!"

So, that urged Gage to remove the lid of the box… and he was greeted with the sight of about ten tiny plastic boxes that all had a brand new pair of earbuds inside of them.

"And uh… heh… wow. That's so ironic." He said, remembering his encounter with Osiri from earlier.

His dad just smiled and patted his shoulder with a smile, "Well I know how much you like music… and how annoying some people can get, so go wild with these things!"

Gage laughed as he reached in and began to pull out one of the many pairs….. but then he noticed that there was also a small envelope at the bottom of the box.

"Cool…. Wait… what's that?"

" _That…._ That is a note from your mother. From when you were just a baby… but before you open that… I have something else to tell you."

His son's face froze completely… and his smile too faded… so, Gaigus let out a deep breath as he took another folded piece of paper out from his pocket.

"Remember how you were telling me that you wanted to quit school and try and become a Huntsman again? Well... look at this."

Gage took the sheet from his father and unfolded it.. and noticed immediately that it was one of his training academy transcripts. Which he's seen before.

"It's just my sanctum transcript. What about it?"

"Look at the bottom of the page."

He squinted at his father before he looked back down at the paper… and had to get a closer look to make sure what he was seeing was actually real… Because, at the bottom of the sheet, it said,

 _Gage Sim_

 _Academy Entrance Exam Status: Eligible_

And that, made him look up at Gaigus with yet another cheerful grin upon his face as he nearly crushed the paper by accident,

"W...Wait a second... I'm… i'm eligible to take the Huntsmen academy entrance exam?!"

"Yeah." Gaigus said with a nod. "And I talked about it with your Boss and guidance counselors. They said you can take the test once you're seventeen."

"Oh... well… least I can take it eventually. Right Dad?"

"Mmhm." He answered and he took the letter out from the bottom of the shoe box. "And she wanted you to read that letter whenever you needed a little confidence boost…"

Gage just looked down at the letter for a few seconds, thinking about how wonderful his mother Miriam was…. And how much she was willing to teach him so he could become a Huntsman/Huntress like herself… but... then he sighed, and lowered the envelope… thinking about how hard the journey there would be...

"Well… then I think i'm gonna wait to open this until i'm actually there." He said as he put the letter back into the box. "Because once i'm enrolled... i'm gonna need that boost to keep on going."

At first, his father paused for a few seconds… be then he just smiled, and put his arm around Gage. "Heh… you really are a smart kid…"

"Yeah. But you're a smart dad too."

They both then laughed at each other, and held the embrace for a good fifteen seconds… unit Gaigus patted his back and took another sip of his eggnog...

"...So…. What did you get me for my present Gage?"

"U-UH-...Um…. Well…. I...I-It's uh, coming in the mail…. Soon… i think..."

…

 **Present Day**

...

As Gage told his story to the two sisters and their dog, they managed to kill the entire time of the flight to Patch, and he finished just as they grabbed their stuff and started to walk out of the Airstation.

And outside, was a small snowy countryside road, which had what looked like an endless amount of white trees that went up and over the distant mountains.

Yang, smiled at Gage while Ruby and Zwei followed, and the three eventually stopped at the side of the road as they exited the building and put their stuff down as they began to anxiously wait for Taiyang to pick them up.

"Well… that was a good story Care-Bear! Your dad sounded a real cool person." She said as she held his hand.

"Yeah… He was…"

Gage just stopped at the road, and squeezed his girlfriend's hand as he looked down at his sage ugly Christmas sweater…. And smiled once again.

"Hehe…. So, did he get mad at you for not buying him a present?" Ruby asked him with a giggle.

"Nope! He said he didn't need one since I came home to him. And that was all that he wanted…" Gage answered with enthusiasm.

"Awww. That's cute!"

"Yeah…."

Then they all stayed silent for a few more moments afterwards in the snow as it continued to gently fall onto the top of their heads… but that was until Yang broke the awkward silence…. Since she had just noticed something,

"Hey Gage wait… when you got home in your story, your dad called you a cub…. But… why?"

Gage stood in place, unmoved for a few moments as he thought about that one instance… but… then, it made him laugh… as he thought about Yang's iconic nickname for himself. Care-Bear.

"Because his parents were Bear faunus… and they adopted him, so… he'd always tease me with that name."

And then, his smile widened even more as he turned to his lover, and kissed her on the cheek.

"*smooch* ...I guess the world works in strange ways."

The Blonde stared at him for a few seconds… and simply rested her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes with a cute smile across her lips… but then…

Ruby suddenly heard her scroll beep, so she took it out of her pocket and nearly screamed as she looked over at her older sister and her boyfriend, "*gasp* …Yang! Dad said he's here!" She yelled.

Her shout made Yang let go of Gage and look to the left, trying to see through the snowy mist to try and see her dad's car… while he was honestly trying to hold his breath at this point.

"What? Where?!"

"*HONK!*"

And that… was when Taiyang's truck came into full view, charging through the snow as he honked again and appeared to be approaching them in slow motion…. In Gage's eyes at least.

The Ghost felt nervous as he saw the truck... mostly because it was a huge Ford F650, and it was armored as well, and colored black. But also had yellow skirts, along with two yellow smokestack exhaust tubes pointing upwards from behind the roof of the truck's interior. And it was puffing black smoke as well.

Gage gulped as his eyes widened…. And for some reason heard the sound of church bells inside of his head along with the opening to the song _For Whom the Bell Tolls_ by the band _Metallica_ as the truck came closer and the engine continued to growl like a tiger. Which definitely made him become even more afraid.

"Hi Dad!" Yang said as Ruby waved.

The truck eventually came to a stop in front of the three, and Gage almost felt his body tighten as he let go of Yang's hand, and her and her sister both stood in front of him. And then…. The passenger door flew open, and Taiyang stuck his blonde and scruffy head out as he looked at his daughters… and his eldest girl's boyfriend.

"Hey Everyone!"

Yang and Ruby both climbed into the l seat and gave their dad a massive and heartfelt hug… but at the same time… Taiyang smirked, and looked down at Gage. Making eye contact with him at the same time as well.

And now, as he looked his possible future father-in-law in the eyes… Gage had only one sentence that he could think of in that small amount of time that could give himself one last small ounce of courage before he would have to meet the overprotective Huntsman. Which was,

"Gage. F-Fuck this up... and you're fucked…"

…...

 **Author's Note #2:** Annnd that's a wrap! But, before this is finished, i'd like to thank my friend here on the site, **Artorias Abyss** , for letting me use his OC, Osiri Abyss in my story. And i'd also like to thank you guys for waiting for each update. You guys give me the courage to publish, so I'll make sure to keep making the story better and better from here on out! I promise! So until then, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	11. The Ghost of Christmas Present

**Author's Note:** Shit. I missed my deadline for uploading this chapter by three days. Im kinda trying to post every two weeks or less. Hopefully I can improve on that, but we'll see now won't we? Anyway, Yay Gage is meeting the in-laws now! And hopefully he's nice… well... you'll see. Right now in fact! Also ha! I can make that Christmas in july joke now!

Now go enjoy the chapter and review if you can!

 **Song** : All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

…

Gage was standing there in front of the Massive black and yellow Ford F650 that was owned by Yang's father, still awe struck as to how awesome, and frightening it looked as Yang and Ruby released Taiyang from their hug, and hopped down from the truck.

Yang hopped down and ran behind her boyfriend as she heard Taiyang get down as well…. And he eventually made his way around the truck until he stopped dead into Gage's view.

Taiyang stood there, smirking at Gage with his blonde hair, facial scruff, and lilac eyes as he was wearing a black leather jacket with most of the right sleeve cut off, along with an old white shirt under that, an orange bandana around his neck, two fingerless black leather gloves on both of his hands, and a pair of dark brown jeans.

The Huntsman approached Gage and stopped before he looked at his figure from head to toe, but soon smirked again after as he extended his hand towards the ghost.

"Gage. I'm Taiyang. Man, It's good to finally meet you."

Ruby and Yang just watched in silence as they threw their bags into the bed of the truck… So, Gage had no other choice but to reach out and shake the man's hand. But as hard as he could with his non-metallic one,

"And uh… you too. Yang's told me so much about you."

He felt the father's grasp on his hand increase, and he was clearly trying to test if Gage was able to give him a true man's handshake, and thankfully he was able to provide one.

"Ditto." Tai said before letting go. "Now, Hurry up with your bags. I don't want to get caught in a storm before we get home."

"O-Oh. Yeah sure thing!"

He let go of his hand, and immediately grabbed one of his bags, and tossed it in the back of the truck. However, he brought two, since one was filled with everyone's presents…. Well, mostly Ruby's.

However, the small rose took the second bag, which was a rolling suitcase that he had yet to touch, and stared at what clearly was a big popcorn tin that was wrapped in wrapping paper, and strapped to the front of the case.

"...Gage? Can I have it now?" She asked him politely.

He looked down for a few seconds, walked over to her, and just sighed, "*sigh* ...Yeah sure Ruby." And then he took the strap off of the tin for her.

That made her take the tin from him, ripping off the paper that covered it as she smiled at Gage, "Yay! Thank you!" She thanked him.

Yang smiled along with Taiyang as the small girl put one arm around his chest and tried to hug him before she let go, and walked over to her father happily.

"Alright, but don't eat too much. It'll spoil your dinner." Tai said as he started to walk back over to the driver's seat.

Ruby nodded, and hopped up in the passenger seat, so Yang threw the last bag into the back of the truck, and grabbed onto Gage's hand,

"Dad can me and Gagey sit in the back?"

Her father's smile faded as he heard the spin on the ghosts name, and he just looked back at the two as he was climbing up into his seat…

"...'Gagey'? *sigh* ...oh boy…."

The couple heard him mumble that… and Yang felt Gage's grip on her hand loosen as he looked down at the ground, so she growled and dragged him over to the truck and started to climb into the back seat,

"Come on dad…" She said to him.

"What? Hehe, I'm sorry Yang. I can't not tease you guys when you're giving him names like that."

Tai then smiled as he said that to his daughter, and finally sat down and shut his door before he started up the truck.

All while Yang glared at him as she sat in the back, Gage was next to her but remained silent, and Ruby just ate some popcorn while Zwei said on her lap.

And once the engine turned over, he stepped on the gas, and they started to drive off down the icy road as the wind began to blow a little bit harder.

The icy feeling just made Gage look out the window and tug on the collar of his Dark green ugly christmas sweater…. But… then he turned to Yang, and saw that she was now resting her head on his shoulder, and was looking at the ceiling of the car.

"Hey... Yang? What are you looking at?"

She smiled again, and pointed up at the ceiling, so Gage looked up and noticed that there were old pictures that were either glued, stapled, or taped above them both. And they were all pictures of both Yang and Ruby.

They were scattered, but the pictures ranged from their baby pictures, toddler years, tweens, and their early teenage years. And there were also other pictures such as birthday and holiday family photos too.

"Wow..." He whispered.

She nodded, so Gage smiled, and just started to look around at all of the old pictures… but then he suddenly stopped, and looked right above himself.

As she did that, Yang blushed, as her boyfriend suddenly noticed the picture right above him of herself when she was just a little girl.

And in it, the small blonde girl was in a large beautiful field of grass smiling as she was holding a small puppy Zwei, and she was wearing small black boots with little orange socks, ragged black shorts, a ruffled brown shirt, and a small orange bandana around her neck.

But then Gage laughed a bit, as he noticed that the tiny Yang's hair had pigtails with little orange ties around them in the picture!

"Awww Yang! You had pigtails?! That's sooo cute!" He cooed.

"G-Gage..."

…

The couple started to have a conversation about how Yang didn't want Gage to make fun of her, but he said he couldn't help it since she was too cute, and so they started to go at it back and forth about it.

With him just continuing to tease her with a smile, and she begged him to stop in an embarrassed tone as she clung onto his arm and nuzzled into his shoulder, but tried to remain silent at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the front of the truck, Taiyang was trying to keep focus as he had his eyes fixated on the road, and his hands pressed firmly against the wheel….

But… soon, he sighed, and had to turn to Ruby as his other daughter and her boyfriend's moment went on,

"So…. What do you think of him?" He asked.

At first, Ruby gave her father a weird stare as she fed a popcorn kernel to Zwei before answering him.

"*munch* ...He's great!" She almost yelled with her mouth full. "He's like my best friend next to Weiss! ...If she would let me call her that."

His eyes widened, and looked back towards the road once again. "Hmm… and why's that Ruby?"

"Well…" She started as she looked up at the roof. "He knows how to take care of me and Yang, even if we're crying, and he's really into cool weapons like me too!" And then she put a hand against the side of her mouth, as she tried to say something else to Tai, but quietly.

"And he's like a teddy bear…. From what Yang says to me…"

That made her dad smile nervously and squint back at the small girl. "U-Uh…. A 'Teddy Bear'? What's that suppose to mean?" He asked, Nervously.

"Yeah… that and Care-Bear…. Could just be a nickname… but it could also be slang for something too…"

He just shook his head for a few seconds, sighing as he did, and looked back at her again. "*sigh* ...Does he at least treat you both nicely?"

She let her head rest against the car seat, and smirked as she looked her father in the eyes again. "Do you think she would be all over him if she wasn't happy?" Ruby replied to him with a question.

"...Fair enough. Now it's time for Gage's survey..."

"...Survey dad?"

That's when Taiyang looked up into the rear view mirror, trying to look authoritative as he raised his voice so the couple could be able to hear him more clearly,

"*clears throat* …Gage?"

"But you're cute Ya-U-Uh, What?" Gage asked as he stopped and put his hands at his sides.

"I came up with a list of questions that I thought you could answer for me. So I can know more about your… background. Oh, and make sure you answer truthfully."

Gage's body tensed up a bit as he glanced at Yang again, but she just smiled and cupped his cheek before nodding, letting him know that it would be okay. So, Gage looked back at Tai and sighed,

"*sigh* ...Okay. Ask away."

"Hehe…. Alright." Tai said with a grin.

He then saw Yang begin to clutch and hang on to her boyfriend again, so he decided to start it off with just simple questions, but he first he just had to tell him that, "Oh and by the way, _Now_ is when you're gonna have to call me sir.'

His cheeky end there made the couples eyes open a bit more, but it didn't matter, as he now began to ask Gage his questions, in what felt like a lightning round. "First things first, how old are you Gage?" he asked him

"...Nineteen. My birthday was last month.."

"Hmm…. Alright. How many fights have you been in?"

"I… can't really say how many."

"Well…. How many fights have you started then?"

"One… when I was younger."

"You ever do any drugs before?"

"Nothing except for prescription. And i didn't abuse it."

"...How about alcohol then? Do you drink often?"

"...Y...Yeah, but I've never tried to purposely do it around the Yang or Ruby before. I swear."

Taiyang's smile faded, and he glanced back at Yang with only one of his eyes… and saw that she was trying not to look at him… so, that made him exhale deeply,

"*exhale* ...Plus in manliness points, but negative in future-son points. Next question, have you ever been arrested?"

Gage began to sweat now. "N-No Sir."

"Have you done anything illegal?"

"I-I've ridden a skateboard without a helmet and got a ticket."

That answer made Ruby stifle a small giggle, and Yang nearly started as well, but they managed to stop as their father went on,

"Okay…. Now, if this whole Huntsman thing doesn't work out for you, what else could you do to help Yang financially if you got married?"

"U-Uh…."

The rather curveball of a question made Gage look down at the floor for a second, clearly looking distressed as he tried to think….

...And it was like that for a few moments, in silence of course, but soon he suddenly remembered the fact that he had gone to college for a Mechatronics degree…

"O-Oh! That's right, I went to college a few years back!"

"Huh…" Tai said, sounding a bit surprised at his reply. "Well then, what did you major in Gage?" He asked.

"Well, it was Mec-"

"He majored in Mechatronics!" Yang yelled out, cutting them off and making them both jump.

Then, everyone else in the car just turned and looked at the blonde as she put her index finger against her chin and tried to remember what Gage had told her about his education,

"Mechatronics… yeah! He did it for three years, but then dropped out in his fourth year because he wanted to become a Huntsman. Like his mom."

And Gage snapped his fingers in response, with a smile. "Yeah. Yeah Mechatronics. I did it since that and weapon making can go hand in hand. And make things a little simpler." He told Taiyang.

"Hmm…. Mechanical and Electronical engineering eh? Didn't think Yang would be into an M.I.T. type of guy…"

Yang giggled at her father, and continued to hold onto her boyfriend's arm as she whispered something a little bit too carelessly…

"Hehe…. He's _a lot_ more than that.~"

Which of course just made Taiyang's grin turn into a scowl as he watched the road… as he was just forced to give Gage a pass on the previous question.

"Alright alright…. You're doing good Gage…. For now…"

That made Ruby instinctively sit up and turn back to Gage before she gave him a thumbs up, causing Yang to just giggle again and cup her boyfriend's cheek again… which Taiyang of course noticed.

"Hmph…. you're so obsessed with him aren't you…" He said to himself.

His small and sarcastic remark was a little too easy to catch, so, Yang looked at Gage for a few seconds before she turned and intentionally glared at her father.

"YUP."

Her clear aggressive response made The Ghost just look at Ruby with a nervous expression… and she just covered her mouth with her hand as she smiled again. So, Gage laughed nervously to add more to the awkwardness, and looked at Tai.

"E-Ehehe…. So uh… you should probably save the rest of those questions for later sir…. I guess…. Maybe for like… dinner talk or something-"

"Ohoho… i'm just scratching the tip of the iceberg…" Tai said as he rudely interrupted him. And he also gripped the steering wheel a little harder. "So get comfy. Because i still have questions, and we still have a looong way to go…."

He then stepped down a little bit harder on the gas pedal, making the truck speed up a bit as it went along the road… and also made it clear to everyone that he was going to be pissed now for the majority of the car ride home...

"Aw shit…" Gage thought.

…

 **Later…**

…

After a few hours on the road, the group of four finally arrived on Taiyang's land. A place that both Yang and Ruby would always call home.

As the truck roughly pulled up on the land, Gage titled his head so he could look in front of the car, and got a clear view of the two sister's childhood home.

"Wow….."

There was a large wooden fence that outlined the border of the entire patch of land, which in fact was something close to a very sophisticated-looking farm.

Because on the outer perimeter, there were only a few trees along with grass that was cut neatly, a shed near the entrance, and in the middle of the land, there was a nice medium sized modern house that was painted white.

From the outside, it appeared to have just a second floor since there were windows above, and the home had a nice porch complete with steps that ended right in front of the front door. And of course, the home and the plot of land was completely blanketed with snow!

"This place looks beautiful." He said to Taiyang.

But, the father just nodded, and stopped the car as he reached the front of the house and turned off the ignition. "Mmhm…." He mumbled.

Then, as the truck stopped and turned off, Ruby, Tai, and Yang all opened their respective car doors and started to pile out of the car.

"Now, grab your bags and head on inside Gage. Before the storm comes or gets any more wilder." The father said as he closed his car door.

"Oh… yeah sure."

So, Gage did that and hopped out of the car while Ruby and Yang just put their things gently on the porch, and Tai took Gage's big bag and put it down next to the front door. But he set it down a little harshly at the same time...

"All right… come on in." Taiyang said as he got his keys out and unlocked the door.

Ruby just had a giddy little smile on her face as she took the red backpack she was wearing off, and let Zwei hop out of her arms and run straight inside of the house, yipping and barking as he did so. "Arf! Arf!"

"Hehehe! Looks like Zwei's happy to be home!" She giggled.

Her father smiled and went inside as well, so Gage and Yang got their things and followed Ruby as she entered the house, and soon all three of them stopped and looked at the home's interior like it was the inside of an opera house.

The first thing the three saw was the living room of course. On the left side of the room was a large couch with a tall lamp on the right side of it, and a night stand on the left side.

But on the right side of the room, was a large plasma TV that was set so you could view it from the couch, but it was set right next to the entrance to the kitchen, which was in the back right corner of the living room.

And lastly, was the outrageously decorated Christmas tree that was on the left side of the kitchen entrance.

That was when Ruby rushed inside, through the living room, and started to run up some stairs that were to the left of the couch, which went up to her and Yang's bedrooms.

"Bed i missed you!" She yelled before her voice was blocked out by her footsteps.

Taiyang just watched from inside the kitchen, and looked at Yang with a smirk. "You gonna go hug your bed too Yang?" He asked her jokingly.

"N-No. I was gonna help you with dinner first dad!"

"Okay Okay..."

"I can help too." Gage said to him.

However, that just made Tai roll his eyes and look down as he began to wash his hands in the kitchen sink. "Sure thing… the more the merrier…"

Gage gave off a fake laugh that was… more aimed towards himself as he held his things, feeling nervous as hell now….and… was kind of having a feeling of regret in the back of his mind as he looked down at the ground….

Although, Yang could see his unenthusiastic expression, so she suddenly turned to her boyfriend and held onto his wrist as she tried to whisper into his ear, "You can put your things in my room Gage…-"

But of course, Taiyang heard her. "Actually Gage, just leave your things next to the couch for now." He said coldly.

"D...Dad."

The blonde girl just assumed that he was gonna make her boyfriend sleep on the couch at this point, so she was going to glare at him with her red eyes this time, but… that was until Gage put a hand on her shoulder.

"N-No it's alright Yang. It his house, so it's his rules." He then looked over at Tai, and tried to smile. "Right Sir?"

"Yep!" The older man replied as he nodded, and snapped his fingers while he smirked at the ghost, "*snap* Mmhm! Now you're getting it!" Before he went back to getting some of the turkey he had bought from out of the fridge.

Yet… Yang kept watching him with anger being built up inside of her… and Gage could tell since her eyes had turned red.

"*sigh* ...Gage?" She asked as she turned to him slowly.

He just set his bags next to the couch slowly first, and he looked at his girlfriend soon after that. "Yeah?"

"I think I need to talk to my dad alone for a few minutes… is that alright with you?"

"Yeah it's okay Yang." He answered as he took Yang's suitcase out of her hands. "I'll just go put your things in your room. It won't be that hard find…. Probably..."

She smiled and laughed at his words, and simply use her right hand to cup his chin before she planted a small kiss onto his left cheek, "...Thank you Care-Bear." She thanked him.

Gage blushed on the spot mostly because of the situation he was in, but laughed quietly as he nodded and started to head towards the stairs. "Y-You're welcome…" And then he started to walk upstairs with her bag in his hands.

So, Yang sighed and took off her brown boots, and her galaxy jacket that she was wearing over her yellow ugly Christmas sweater before she sighed and walked into the kitchen.

She was humming the song _Santa Claus is Comin' to Town_ quietly to herself as she walked past her father and reached into a cupboard that was above him so she could grab some plates and set the dinner table.

But… while she went over to the dinner table, which was a round table that was set in front of the bay window that was next to the front door, Yang could barely contain herself….

So, as she set the table, Taiyang came up from behind her and put some glasses next to each plate that she put down….. And that was when she decided to strike…

"So…. why are you trying so hard to make my boyfriend afraid of you?"

He sighed… but still kept setting the table along with his daughter, "It's my job as a father Yang. And i have to know that he's the right guy for you. If i have to be a little harsh to find that out, then so be it. He is a man after all…. He can handle it." He admitted.

"He is the right guy dad…. He's the only person, aside from family, that i've let get this close to my heart…"

That was when he just stopped, and faced Yang as he turned and just rubbed his eyes while he leaned against the table,

"And that's why I'm trying so hard. Because you know what a lot of people say about first relationships….-"

"That they never work out?" She asked, cutting her father off.

"...Y...Yes." Tai answered. "Yang…. You know i'm just trying to protect you." He then looked up at her, and she simply crossed her arms and glared at him. Her red orbs glaring at his lilac eyes angrily.

"Yeah well…. You're not the only one anymore dad. You should see it as a luxury…"

Taiyang paused for a few moments… and his figure slouched as he frowned. Feeling kind of sad that… this deep attachment with her and Gage formed without his knowledge. And it felt like he was missing out on an important time in her life…

"Dad…. i'm not a little girl anymore." Yang told him as her eyes returned to their normal color once again.

One of the older man's hand's turned into a fist as he gripped the edge of the table harshly... And then… he looked at Yang again… and growled at her.

"Well you are to me! ...You'll… you'll always be one to me. Same goes with Ruby too…."

Yang lowered her arms at that point, and took two small steps towards her father, but with a more sincere look on her face. "W…Why does this make you so angry? You know that i have to grow up sometime soon… and… why not have it start with just this?"

"Because it feels like you've changed ever since you went off to Beacon…. I mean, you've been talking to me less… and then you surprise me with this 'boyfriend' when i was still trying to figure out what i'd do when you met someone…"

She grinned at him, and put a hand on his shoulder before she went on. "You still can find out. Just… get to know him. For me. Please."

Then she laughed again, and closed her eyes as she lowered her palm and Tai continued to stare at her… "And i promise that Gage isn't some bad boy. If anything, he's a dork. A really, really sweet dork..."

"Hmm…." Taiyang hummed to himself, and rubbed the back of his head as was thinking about his daughter's words… and how obsessed she was with Gage. And the fact that she was practically begging him to… try and accept him

"She really does love him…" He thought.

Then he realized something.

This was the first instance that he had seen Yang wanting to get involved in some sort of love life...except… he didn't have to help her get started on how to get a boy to notice her, or on how to look out on who she could trust…..

Because she can protect herself… and she already found someone. So why should he have to get in the way of her first relationship?

"Alright Yang…. I'll try. But he _is not_ sleeping in your bed tonight. Even if he does have that metal arm, i'm gonna have to treat him like any other guy. Okay?"

Yang stared at her dad with a sweet sparkle in her eyes, and nearly knocked him onto the table as she ran and hugged him, squeezing Taiyang hard while she nearly lifted him off of it. "*sigh* ...Thank you…. And i love you dad… so much." The blonde girl whispered to him.

"Ugh…. Y...You're welcome… and i love you too..." He groaned.

She laughed again and eventually went easy on the amount of force she was using in her hug, so Taiyang eventually exhaled and separated from Yang with yet another smile before he ruffled her hair and got up from the table,

"Alright. Come on Yang. Time to make our Christmas dinner!"

"Hehehe! Okay!"

…

 **Later…**

…

"Ruby! Gage! Dinner's ready!" Yang yelled.

As soon as he heard that, Gage knocked on Ruby's door twice before he smiled and went down the stairs, just as the small rose opened her door and followed closely, eventually managing to move past him while Zwei barked and got onto the base of the staircase before all of them!

"Arf! Arf!"

He reached the bottom of the stairs, letting the girl and her dog run past him, and stopped dead in his tracks as he looked over at the dinner table once again.

As to why? Well, it was mostly because he saw his lover Yang placing a large platter that had a fresh and hot-out-of-the-stove turkey placed on top of it… and the fact that the blonde girl was wearing cute yellow oven mitts over her hands, which also added to the reason of why he paused.

"Oh my god... she can cook too? ...I…I-I really am lucky…." He thought.

Yang smiled as she set the turkey in the center of the table, took the oven mitts off, and brushed one of her hairs over her ears as she turned and faced Gage, giving him a warm and sweet smile as she put her hands together.

"Dinner's ready Care-Bear.~"

He blushed and nodded, soon racing over to the dinner table as Taiyang brought over three other plates and set them down, circling around the giant turkey.

The plates had one different item on them, which were scalloped potatoes, a randomized plate of fried potatoes and vegetables, and lastly, a large plate of mashed potatoes that were covered in gravy, with a side of cranberries.

"Yep! Food's hot and ready. So let's dig in!" He said before he sat down.

Gage chuckled to himself and sat down just before he sat down on the south side of the table, and Yang giggled as she sat on the left side, next to him.

Ruby used her semblance and nearly warped to the seat on the east side while Zwei sat on the ground next to her in front of his dog dish, and then finally, Taiyang sighed as he sat in the chair in front of Gage, which was the closest to the large bay window that had white curtains hanging from above.

"This looks amazing…" Gage mumbled as he quickly got a big scoop of the scalloped potatoes and dropped it onto his own plate.

"Tch! Save some for us Gage!" Yang said as she nudged her boyfriend's shoulder.

"S-Sorry! They're my favorite. Hehe."

Ruby smirked and shook her head as she cut off a few pieces of turkey and lowered them into Zwei's doggie dish so he could eat it.

Then she took a spoonful of vegetables and mashed potatoes and put them down onto her platter, "You can share them you know. It'd be cute!" She cooed.

"Yeah, and we could maybe get them candles…. maybe play some music for them too…." Taiyang said sarcastically with a playful smirk displayed across his lips.

"D-Dad!"

"Come onnnn! Yang you know that was funny."

She blushed and just continued to start stuffing her mouth with turkey and cranberries while Gage just laughed at her.

"Jeez. Save some for us Yang…" He mocked her.

Ruby laughed again, along with Taiyang, but it made Yang nudge his metal arm even harder. "Oh don't you start!"

"Hahaha!"

…

After nearly half of their dinner was devoured, and Yang brought out a pumpkin pie that she baked herself for desert, the four started to rowdy down and start to converse… but the topic eventually changed to Gage and Yang.

(I'm not the only one who has pumpkin pie during Christmas dinner am I?)

"So, Gage, Yang….. how long have you two been together anyway?" Taiyang asked them both.

Gage was still in the same spot he was before, but Yang had scooted her own seat closer to his so she could lean on him and hold his hand,

"Six months strong now." Gage answered as he looked over at Yang. "Right Yang?" He asked her.

"Mmhm…. Hehe... I remembered since it was one of the reasons I cried at that dance…." She said, making fun of herself.

Tai's smile kinda toned down, and he lowered his glass of eggnog when he heard the word 'cried'. "You cried Yang?"

Gage was about to answer with a nervous stutter, but he quickly felt his lover squeeze his hand, signaling him to stop.

"Yeah… because _this one_ knew my favorite song and got the DJ to play it…. And his words sorta got me all mushy too… but I loved every second of it."

She said that as she raised her and Gage's intertwining fingers, and Ruby backed this up of course, as she nodded and slid her scroll to her father.

"Yep! And I got a lot of the thing on video…. And a few pictures too." She said.

The father hummed as he heard this, and looked through his youngest daughter's scroll until he found a picture of Yang and Gage on the dance floor.

They were hand in hand, and both kinda looked emotionally overwhelmed as the crowd of students surrounded them. But Tai had a big smile as he saw Gage in his black tuxedo with his dark green bowtie, but more of course because Yang was wearing that bright and beautiful yellow chiffon dress.

And that was when he lowered the scroll and looked at the couple. But mainly their clothes, as they were both wearing an ugly Christmas sweater that went with their own unique color.

Gage's being dark green, and Yang's being bright yellow.

"Huh… looks like you two are a unique pair of colors aren't ya?"

They didn't know what he meant at first… but it soon popped into their heads as they saw that he was looking at their Christmas sweaters.

"Oh, heh, yeah. But hey, Green and Yellow can still mix can't it?" Gage joked.

Taiyang nodded, getting his inquiry, but then looked up… and pondered for a few moments in silence. "You know… seeing you two together kinda reminds me of a weird word… but i just can't put my finger on it…"

"Is it a good word dad?" Ruby asked him. In a serious tone of voice.

Her question made Yang stare at her dad a little menacingly, so he kinda flinched and nodded back at her quickly. "U-Uh, yeah! -O-Of course! And….. It was Kindle! That was the word!"

"Uh… what?"

"Kindle. It's a term for firewood. Sorta…"

The couple looked bewildered at his statement, so he sighed before he tried to explain his reasoning.

"It's because Gage's colors relates to plant life, and Yang's aura has a lot to do with fire. Along with her colors. And since she's kinda obsessed with him, it's like their relationship is the fire. And her flames are dependant on something to make it brighter. A.K.A. Gage. Hence the word Kindle."

"Oh…. Yeah, I can sorta see that." Gage said as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hahaha!"

But then for almost no reason, Ruby suddenly started to laugh out of nowhere, and it just seemed to grow louder as she tried to quiet herself down.

"Hmm? What is it Ruby?" Yang asked her little sister.

"Hahaha! Yang I think dad just came up with a ship name for you and Gage! KINDLE! That's a good one!"

Yang and Gage both collectively groaned in that one instant, and Taiyang also began to join in as Ruby kept laughing harder and harder.

"Oh please nooo…." The blonde brawler moaned as she closed her eyes and clutched onto her boyfriend's arm yet again.

And Gage just whined, "Rubyyyy.…."

But their misery brought happiness to the small girl. (Obviously) And she smirked at her sister's boyfriend as she had a hand under her own chin, and tried to make fun of him.

" _Gageeeee_ ….~"

Taiyang sat there and watched, his laughter eventually dying since Zwei had started to yelp and bark to add to the commotion,

"Alright that's enough guy and gals. No need to get this rowdy at ten o'clock at night." He warned them.

Ruby stood up from the table, almost slamming her hands onto it as she smiled brightly, "Aww but dad! It's so cute to hear! I mean I did kinda get them together in the first place…"

"Oh did you now?"

Then, as he heard that, Gage lifted his head back up, and pointed at Ruby. "M-Mhm! So uh, blame her sir! N-Not me! H-Hehe…" He shouted.

"Yeah! Ah… I remember the first time they met…. They were holding each other at gunpoint, and i knew that it was just love at first sight…."

"Oh…. How romantic…." Tai muttered with a weird smile….

Yang giggled, and looked up from Gage's shoulder, still holding his hand as she grinned at her little sister. "...You're weird sis. But thank you!"

"No you're weird Yang! And you're welcome!-"

"Girls…. What did I say about getting rowdy?" Their father asked them, sounding irritated.

"S-Sorry." They apologized.

"Good."

He smiled again, and suddenly stood up from the table as he stretched his arms and pushed his plate away from himself.

"*yawn* ...Now that I've gotten my point across, I think it's finally time for all of us to head in for the night."

However, the announcement made both of the sisters whine, and Gage strangely yawned in agreement… somehow. "Yeah…. I'd wanna rest too after eating a meal that big…" He mumbled.

"Care-Bearrrrr…."

Zwei also barked In agreement as he ran away from Ruby's side and instead moved and sat over on the ground next to the staircase.

"Sorry Yang. It's three against two." Ruby told her.

"Hmmph…."

"Then it's settled. Goodnight everyone!" Tai said as he grinned and made his way towards the stairs.

The older man then waved and started to go up them, but he quickly stopped as he got up them halfway so he could turn, and glance at Gage for a few seconds before he went up to the top,

"Oh, and you're sleeping on the couch Gage. I put a pillow and blanket down for you, so uh…. Yeah. Sorry not sorry."

Then he went up to the top, and hummed as he walked down the hall. So, Ruby just shrugged and followed up the stairs as well.

"See ya in the morning Gage!"

And of course, Yang whined again and watched as Gage shook his head and walked over to the couch. Smiling as he sat down and saw that she had followed him

She stood in front of him, with a frown. "Goodnight Gagey…" She whispered as she immediately threw herself at him and hugged him.

He felt her hug's force tighten more, so Gage patted her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he looked back up at her,

"Goodnight Yang."

"Mmm…."

Her expression was clearly a sad one, but she nodded and moved her hand down his metal arm before she backed away from him and started to head up to her room… but not before she said three last words to him…

"I love you…"

Gage laughed to himself, and just waved back to Yang as he watched her slowly go back up the stairs and disappear out of his sight, but not before he whispered the three words back to her, which hopefully could help her sleep through the rest of the night peacefully...

"I love you too..."

…

 **Later… After Midnight….**

…

After turning off most of the lights in the house and getting dressed in his black Achievement Hunter tank top and dark green pajama pants, Gage lied down on the couch and turned on the TV that was in front of him, but put the volume down low.

He was laying sort of on his side, his head against a white pillow and his body being covered by an old fluffy blanket as he was tiredly watching a marathon of Christmas movies…

And at this moment, he was watching _Rudolph's Shiny New year!_ , with his eyes half open.

"Mmm…. W….Why don't they make these movies anymore…. They're so good…." He thought to himself.

He just continued to watch the old stop-motion film… as the light from the TV screen and the Christmas tree lit the room dimly. Gage sat there in silence… wondering why he couldn't fall asleep. But he didn't want to admit that it was because of Yang's absence….

"You…. don't… need to be with her to sleep…. its just the christmas jitters… or... whatever…"

So, he told himself that, and sighed again as he tried to shut his eyes… and he did. Successfully

Although... after about five minutes, Gage began to feel himself drift off… but not before he suddenly heard the floorboards on the stairs creak quitely.

It made him look up from the couch, and over at the source of the sound as he was trying to lay on his side entirely,

"Hmm…..egh….. Y...Yang?"

He took a shot in the dark and just whispered his lover's name…. But didn't even think about actually getting an answer back from her.

"Uh…. M...Merry Christmas Gage. E-Ehehe….."

Then, the bright blonde's bright hair, eyes, and aura made it easier for Gage to see her come into view as she came down the stairs, and came to a stop in front of the TV, and him. And he kinda…. Groaned inside of his head.

"W...Why are you coming to me so late…"

Yang was dressed in a… new black tank top with her symbol on it, which was colored orange, and she was also wearing bright yellow pajama pants.

But he soon noticed that she also was holding her old dog pillow and was staring at the ground…. Looking… really tired as her eyes were bloodshot.

"I can't sleep…." She replied.

She said that, and turned to look at the TV. Smiling as she saw Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on the screen along with the rest of his friends… but… Gage thought she was just trying to draw less attention to herself.

"So…. Can I sleep here with you? ...Please."

For probably the first time in their relationship, Gage rubbed his eyes, and kinda… felt annoyed…

"Both of us… on a couch?"

Her reaction was to let out a small breath and clench her pillow harder. "Gage I know I sound clingy but i'm serious…. I can't sleep and I don't know why…." And she took a step closer to him as she said that.

The Ghost just wanted to sleep at this point, so he sighed, and lifted his blanket as he adjust himself so that he was laying on his back again.

"*sigh* ...Alright, come here…"

"Thank you… and i'm sorry."

She apologized, and set her pillow down next to the couch as she slid under the blanket and laid down on top of Gage… using his chest as a pillow before she just placed her right hand on his left shoulder.

"It's okay. Hehe…. You know that I can't say no to you Yang…."

"Hmm…."

She smiled tiredly and nuzzled into his chest while she also felt his fluffy blanket fall on top of her, making them both feel warm.

So warm, that even Yang closed her eyes, and slowly eased back into a comfortable position as Gage asked her another question.

"So… did you just have a bad dream again?"

"Mmhm…" She answered, and opened her eyes a little bit and rubbed her right hand down his shoulder. Until she felt his metal arm again. "It was about this…" She told him.

He sighed, and moved his metal arm up her back until he could feel her golden locks brush against his sage, and metallic fingertips. So, he leaned up, and kissed her on the forehead as he brushed her hair gently.

"My poor Sunshine…"

The little name made Yang giggle, and she squeeze Gage harder as she felt his lips press against her forehead. "It's okay though… i'm here with you now aren't i?"She asked him with another tired smirk.

"Yeah…. Yeah i guess so…"

Then he tried to smile again… and did successfully…. But it was a fake one. As…. he noticed that this was the second time that Yang hasn't slept in the same bed with him this month. And it was also the second time that she's been woken up because of nightmares…. About his accident, and again, it was the second time this month…. So it made him begin to worry immediately.

"S….She can't have PTSD or something like that… she's Yang Xiao Long… sweetheart extraordinaire…" Gage thought.

At first he tried to deny the fact of that possibility… mostly because it was so unlike her… to… seem so scared.

He kept thinking about it… and he came to the conclusion that, he didn't want to find out for himself since he just couldn't bear the thought of her… suffering like that. Like… him. All those months ago when they first met…

So he shook his head slightly, and hugged her harder as he had his right arm across her back, and looked down at her. He saw that she was now watching the TV, and was smiling as she saw Rudolph on the screen again.

"So… why are you still awake Gage?" She asked him.

"Uh… i just get really excited during The Night Before Christmas. Christmas jitters you know?"

Yang's smile widened, and she closed her eyes again as she continued to snuggle into her boyfriend even more. "Hehe…. Yeah that's right… tomorrow's Christmas…. Yay…" She whispered.

"Mmhm…"

Then all of a sudden, her lilac eyes opened once again and she slid up his body so she could grin… and whisper into Gage's ear drum softly,

"You know Gage…. I don't care about whatever you got me for my present. Because just having you here with me... is a gift in itself…."

He blushed, and smiled back as he felt her head nuzzle against his neck softly. "Same goes for you too Yang… but….. Can i ask you to do something for me?" He asked in a very nervous tone of voice.

"Sure…. What is it?"

Gage's blush darkened even more as he leaned his head back onto his pillow, and looked up at the ceiling as he went on with his request. "Okay, um… D-Do you remember the first night we slept together?"

Yang nodded, and laughed a bit as she reminisced about their first night together. "Yeah… you were so nervous that you could barely touch my body….. And it was so cute…." She said, dreamily.

"Well remember when i couldn't fall asleep…. And what you did to help me?"

"Mmhm… i…. Sang for you- Wait... D… Do you want me to do it again?"

His nervous smile also grew larger, and he tried to look away from his girlfriend mostly because he was feeling really embarrassed.

"It'd be nice…. As an early C-Christmas gift…"

His request made her blush as well, and it honestly felt really weird for him to be asking her this, but she took it as a possible push in raising his self-esteem, which of course made her feel happy for him. So… she just couldn't deny him this.

"Um… O-Okay. I think i might have a good song t-too…. So give me a second…."

"S-Sure thing."

Yang looked at Gage Intently as she took in a deep breath…. and exhaled as she felt fully capable to go into her lullaby mode!

"*exhale* ...Okay… now remember what I just said about you being a gift in itself…. Well… here's what I really meant!"

The blonde said that with some tired enthusiasm, and hugged Gage with both her arms… as she began to whisper one of her most favorite Christmas songs into his ear…

...However, her favorite song… was _All I Want for Christmas_ by _Mariah Carey._

"~I….don't want a lot for Christmas….. There is just one thing I need….. I don't care about the presents…. Underneath the Christmas tree…~"

Her voice was both so smooth and soothing…. That Gage smirked and closed his eyes while she went on,

"~...I just want you for my own…. More than you could ever know….. Make my wish come true… All I want… for Christmas… is…. you...~"

And finally… she giggled one last time… and closed her eyes along with him before she started to sing quietly throughout the night to her lover…. Until they both fell asleep. Right on the dawn of their first Christmas morn.

Together.

"~All I want…. For Christmas…. _Is_ ….. you...~"


	12. The Ghost of Christmas Future

**Author's Note:** HEY! Before you get into the new chapter, i just want to thank you guys. because we're now eleven chapters in and we're already almost at 10,000 views! That beats out Part One of Desertion by a long shot, Mostly because the beginning was kinda cringy now that I look back on it, but still, it was fun to write!

But this new story will hopefully start off a lot better, or has it already? Hehe. (Pls tell me if it has!) Anyway, Go on, and enjoy the new chapter!

 **Song:** Can't Pretend by Tom Odell

…

Gage's vision was blurred…. As it looked like he was ontop of a rooftop, and was staring up at the shattered moon… but his eyes felt watery for some reason…

He tried to rub them … but he couldn't move his arms for some reason either. All he did, was look down from the sky. But that was when he figured out where he was… as he saw Ozpin's clock tower out in the distance from where he was.

He finally concluded that he was ontop of one of Beacon's many rooftops…. But this one was also the one where Jaune and Pyrrha would always use for their late night training sessions…

However… he noticed that it was also the same one that he and Yang were atop when they shared their first kiss together…. All those months ago. "I'm…. back at Beacon?" Gage asked himself.

"*sniffle* ...You can be so stupid sometimes Gage. *sniffle* ….You know that?"

Then all of a sudden… he heard his lover's familiar voice utter that sentence before he felt his body move away from the edge of the roof, and turn all the way around until he... saw that Yang was standing behind him… and she was crying.

"I've told you that you could tell me anything... *sniffle* ...more than once! And whatever it is, *sniffle* ...is keeping you up at night! And everyday... *sniffle* ...you keep getting worse and worse!"

She said this as she walked towards him, and grabbed onto his chest, nearly shaking him as she looked up into his turquoise eyes…. And that was when he finally realized what was actually going on…

Gage was either dreaming, or reminiscing about that exact night and moment when they revealed their love for each other. And he was re-experiencing the moments before again... But… he remembered how emotional it was.

"And do you know how that makes me feel?!" She asked him, furiously.

Her breath intake started to escalate… as her watery eyes were red due to her anger, but she couldn't part them from the sight of his bright blue orbs, which were also watery as she continued to hold onto him tightly...

"It makes feel like... *sniffle* ….you don't want me… or anyone else to help you, *sniffle*...or that you're trying to just avoid me... *sniffle* ...Or that... *sniffle* ...that you just hate me!"

She pounded on his chest with her hands, making Gage take a step back, but not before she shut her eyes and clutched onto him as her gasps started to pop up every single time she tried to speak… but she still went on.

"And… *gasp* ...And I don't want that to be true! It can't... *gasp* it can't be… B...Because…."

She looked into his helpless turquoise eyes as he remained silent, and she just couldn't take it anymore as she watched his eyes well up just as much as hers did…. And neither could he.

Gage, in his unmovable dream state, even wanted to just jump and give her the kiss she really wanted…. So he could correct his mistake of backing away from her afterwards, which resulted in her to cry...

"*Sniffle*...i..."

But before he could try… Yang slowly began to inch towards him, so... she pressed her body against Gage's chest... slowly moved her hands back onto his shoulders... and gasped as she… suddenly felt his hand grasp her wrist… very hard.

"G… *sniffle* ...Gage?"

He somehow… managed to gain control of himself…. And his grip caused Yang to stop her advance. So she started to pant lightly while she blushed… and a very saddened expression enveloped her gaze as she nearly began to cry again.

Gage looked at the hand he was using to keep her palm off of his shoulder… and saw that it was his left hand. His _original_ hand. Not his prosthetic, nothing metallic, nothing synthetic. Just pure skin and bone. But then he heard Yang begin to quietly sob as she continued to stare at him….

...So. He lowered her hand from his shoulder… but switched it around… and eventually made it so he was instead holding her hand before he finally looked her in the eyes…. And sniffled as he tried to regain his ability to see clearly through the tears.

"Yang…"

Yang looked down, and let a tear fall from her eye… but… Gage saw it immediately, and placed his hand against her cheek, wiping the droplet of water from her eye as he sniffled, and made sure that she was looking up at him.

"...I know. And... i love you too."

The blonde girl looked at his hand and rubbed her palm against his forearm as he moved closer to her…. And wrapped one hand around her waist gently, trying to ease her a bit so she could calm down… but all it did was make her to take yet another step towards him.

"*sniffle* …Gage- Mmph ...M….Mmm…"

Yang was about to question him again… but Gage didn't want to see her cry anymore. So… he inched slowly towards his lover… and just shut his eyes as he cupped her cheek, and pulled her into a slow… but passionate kiss that cut her off.

At first, her eyes shot open… like if one of cupid's arrow had just pierced her heart… and it felt like it.

So sweet and slow… filling her heart with so much love and pleasure that she melted into the kiss as she felt his hand move up her back…. Causing her to move her own hands up along his chest until she could grasp his shoulders as hard as she could allow herself to.

Her strength hurt his muscles as they broke the kiss, and went back in again right after for another one… their lips smacking quietly as they repeated the process three more times slowly, a smile soon forming across both of their lips by the time they finally stopped and just….stared at eachother dreamily.

"I'm sorry that it didn't get to be like this before…" He said to her.

Then he just stared at Yang and watched as she smiled and wiped another tear from her eye as she slowly moved her hands away from his shoulders, and let them fall to her sides before she… took a step back. Moving away from him entirely.

He took a step back as well… but unknowingly almost let his foot slide off the edge of the roof. But luckily he managed to stop himself, and turned around.

"Oh crap…. Whoops."

He smiled at his own clumsiness for a second… until he looked down and saw that… there were dark masses at the bottom. They were on the ground floor… and also had red eyes.

So he immediately deduced that… they were in fact the creatures of Grimm. Beowolves, Ursai, Creeps. The whole family tree. And it made him become deeply confused.

"Wh...What the..."

However, he noticed that he could smell smoke as well… so he raised his head back up and nearly gasped as he looked at the school again…. And saw that it was nearly engulfed in flames, just as multiple Griffons and Giant Nevermores were soaring through the sky…

"Oh my god…."

Gage looked up at the sky soon after… and saw that there was almost an entire fleet of Atlas ships in the sky! And they were also on fire as well!

But…. it also looked those ships were specifically trying to guard the infamous Amity Coliseum…. Which was also hovering right above the school.

This image shocked Gage to the core… because almost every single person on Remnant KNEW that the Coliseum was to be the home for this year's Vytal Festival Tournament, which was at the end of the school year…

"N-No way…"

That wasn't the last image he would see although. As he looked back down from the sky, he quickly saw Ozpin's clocktower again…

It was sitting there with it's top floor nearly blown to pieces by an explosion… that… was still glowing apparently. But strangely…. In the middle of the top floor of the tower… there was a giant, and glowing white orb that started to glow brighter and brighter….

...Until it suddenly imploded In on itself, and faded away all together. Leaving Gage in complete and total disbelief of everything that he had just witnessed…

But… then he remembered that Yang was still on the same rooftop as him, so he quickly turned back to her.

"Y-Yang! Do you see this?! W-What the hell is happening?!-"

Gage started to stammer out of pure fear…. Yet still Yang remained unmoved. That was however, until she looked back at him again. With tears still in her eyes.

"...*sniffle* ...Gage…. Thank you."

Her voice was trembling… as she now looked just as scared as he did. Like she knew that this was the end of them both.

"Yang what are you saying?!"

The blonde's vagueness stunned him…so she just ran to Gage and hugged him tightly as she started to cry quietly like she was earlier…

"Im saying that its okay… *sniffle* ...it's okay if this is the end isn't it?" Yang asked as she looked up at him.

His lover's words made him shut his eyes and almost caused him to start to cry with her on the spot… but… then he opened his eyes again… and stopped.

Gage's eyes started to well up… and his mouth hung agape as he looked at Yang again…. and saw that her right arm, which was around his waist previously…. Was now gone. It was… a bloody stump. Along with his own left arm too…

"N...No…. No! No no no no!"

She was pale now. And the stump that was her right arm was bleeding heavily, as it looked like it had been cut off. But the sight just made her boyfriend begin to break down… all while it looked like darkness was beginning to surround them both.

"Shh…." Yang whispered, shakily. "It's okay Gage…. It's okay. It's like what people say…. *sniffle* …'Things aren't beautiful just because they last'."

His voice cracked as she lifted up her bloody stump, and he placed his right, and only hand against his cheek as they both closed their eyes… and sobbed together.

"W...Why you? *sniffle* ...You're too precious for this world Yang… so why would _they_ make someone do this to you?!"

Gage's tearful question resulted in his lover backing away from him… and into the dark. So, he immediately held his hand up as he tried to follow her.

"Wait…. Please."

Yang smiled… and looked down at her only hand before she just looked back at Gage and closed her eyes one last time… but… not before she just… thanked him again. Randomly.

"Gage… *sniffle* ….thank you."

Then, the darkness consumed her. Spreading like a symbiote as it looked like the black goo… just devoured her. Leaving her figure intact… but blocking out any source of her appearance, light, or aura.

Gage was forced to watch as this happened… and took a step back towards the edge of the roof as he gasped and sniffled while he watched her now completely black figure move towards him.

"No… please…. *sniffle* ...Yang… D...Don't go where I can't follow."

It didn't even look like her now. All it looked like was just a black mannequin with no face, hair or other features… and it just… jittered erratically as it approached him.

After that… it growled at him. And began to hold its hand up as it tried to repeat what the now consumed Yang said… but with a distorted tone instead. That sounded like a mix between both a Feminine and a Masculine voice.

"G-Gage…. T-Thank -You-u."

Then suddenly, a black jagged looking projectile sprouted from its hand and was launched towards Gage… but he couldn't even move to dodge it because of how quick it was.

So it impaled him, going right through his heart as he gasped and grabbed onto it as it was lodged into his chest. "Agh! ...F….F…" He mumbled under his breath.

That… was when he began to feel light. Like something was pushing him back as he just looked down at the thing that had fired the stake-like object at him…. But. The black thing just stood there watching. Giving him a bright, white toothed smile as a mouth formed across its face.

"Y...Yang…"

Gage said her name one last time… and lost his footing soon after. Causing him to fall off of the edge of the roof as he felt tired… and closed his eyes partially while he continued to let gravity do its job.

Although, as he fell, he kept looking up at the moon and managed to gain a… magnificent view of it. Even if it was only for a few seconds… it eased him during his descent.

But only until he blinked… and saw it disappear. Just as he finally hit the ground below hard, and felt his back and few other bones break. Making him wince and scream before he let his head rest dark floor.

He thought that this was finally going to be the end but…. The Grimm he saw earlier were still there on the ground floor along with the darkness…. Of course they were.

"*growl*"

They took noticed of Gage immediately, as he did them, but he could do nothing except watch as they began to rile up and growl…. Just before the pack of Grimm pounced onto him.

An Ursa snarled and immediately sunk its teeth into Gage's only arm, and held it down as he felt it begin to pull and peel the skin off of his limb like it was hot cheese off of a slice of pizza.

Then, a beowulf made its way on top of him and quickly stabbed its claws into his stomach. Soon pulling his chest cavity open as he cried out in agony, right before a Creep started to pull his left leg straight out of its socket….

"AAAGH!"

He raised his head off of the floor, and kept screaming as he just watched the beowulf take out his intestines and begin to eat them, but blood squirted out of it as it took its first bite, covering Gages face in it as he whipped his head back and screamed again…

The ghost didn't even know what this was anymore. Whether it was real or not…. because the pain felt real, and he was crying what felt like real tears… but the sound of the furious snarling, biting, and screaming eventually faded. And he couldn't hear anything anymore.

Gage began to feel himself slip away while his skin became a new type of pale that he thought didn't even exist, and his screams went on as he saw more Grimm appear… and they all just began to pull his torso apart .

Blood filled his lungs and covered the hands and fangs of the evil creatures as they split him into two halves, with even some of them beginning to fight over him… so he just finally let his head rest against the ground again as he started to choke and shake.

But… as his head touched the floor, he felt a hand suddenly cover his mouth… and a voice shushed him from above. So… with his last ounce of strength, Gage looked up…. And saw something horrifying.

Hovering above him… was a man… with red hair and bull horns. He was on one knee, using a katana with a red blade to hold himself up as he helped Gage's suffering come to an end…

...However.. all the Ghost did was whimper, as he saw that the man above him was in fact his arch enemy…. Adam Taurus. The man who killed his father.

"*cough* ...Egh. G...Guess who's back from the brink?"

The evil faunus down at him… but he was smiling at Gage behind a brand new full-faced masked that… looked also like It was a respirator of some sort. And, the mask even changed his voice so it sounded more distorted,

"It'll all be over soon…. *wheeze* ...But before that… I need to ask you something."

Adam then removed his hand from Gage's mouth as his eyes closed slowly, and just laughed before he finally asked him his one and only question… all while he listened to the Grimm continue to feast on his enemy's body...

"Hehe… Gage. Do you believe in Destiny?"

…

…

…

 _~Do you feel cold, and lost in desperation?~_

"*GASP!*"

Gage suddenly lurched up from couch that he was laying on, as he had just woken up from his nightmare with very thick tears in his eyes…

He was panting…. And forgot that Yang was actually on top of him… still asleep as she had her arms around his waist. And he also forgot that he was still at her dad's house… but that didn't matter.

"*pant* *pant* ...Fuck…. *sniffle*"

He then looked down at Yang, and immediately put his arms around her, but not before he looked at her right hand.

Gage was so happy to see it still there, that he grabbed onto it and held it as he kept panting and let his thumb rub gently against the right side of her hand. And eventually, he became so overwhelmed with emotions that he decided to kiss the sleeping Yang on the lips!

"Mmm… Mmm?"

The blonde girl smiled as she was still in her own dream world, but soon her eyes opened, and she gave Gage an odd stare… since he still continued to kiss her as she woke up right in front of him,

"Mmph! -Gage... What are you doing?" She asked as she broke the kiss.

He pulled away too, with huge eyes as she just stared back at Yang… completely awe stricken. "Uh… M-Merry Christmas Yang! *sniffle* ...Ah, s-sorry… i thought it'd be a nice thing to… wake you up with kisses…." He said, which was a complete and total lie.

His lover smiled tiredly because of his answer, and soon just sprawled out on top of him again as she closed her eyes. "Well… it was nice… and I think some hot chocolate would make it even better…~" She said, suggestively.

Gage still blushed… but quickly looked away from Yang as he tried to not let her see that his eyes were infact watering. So, he laughed, and just slid out from under her, and sat up from Taiyang's sofa quickly.

"U-Uh… o-okay. *gulp* ...i'll make it myself. You just rest alright?"

She smiled as she layed on her stomach and bent both of her legs back as she… stared at Gage dreamily and watched him while she was resting her head on her hand comfortably,

"Hmm. Look at you acting like a gentleman…~"

He smiled at her again, but blankly before he wiped one of his eyes and headed into the kitchen slowly. "Hehe… Yeah well…. You know who i am Yang…" He said with a slight chuckle

Gage then entered the kitchen, slowly moved to the back counter, and took two mugs out from a cupboard as his girlfriend continued to watch him… but she quickly noticed something as he set the mugs down… and saw that he wasn't blinking. Or moving at his normal pace either.

He just seemed… like his mind was somewhere else. When in reality, he was still thinking about that damn dream of his. As it felt like that dark image of Yang's consumed figure was never going to go away anytime soon….

"Uh Gage? Are you alright?" She asked as he saw that he was still idle."Do you need me to find the hot cocoa mix for you?"

He flinched in response, and looked back at Yang with a nervous smile as he moved to the cupboard next to him to look for the drink mix, "N-No! I'm alright, So don't you worry about it! Just make sure you get some rest. For me. Okay?

She thought his mood seemed a little suspicious, but then she realized that her sleepless actions from the night before could have made him become a little concerned about her well-being, which it actually did.

So the blonde just nodded and layed her head back onto Gage's pillow…. And continued to watch him as she felt her eyes become a little heavier…

"Hmm… Okay…"

Gage looked at her as she said that, and let out a quiet sigh while he turned and opened up the cupboard as he rubbed his eyes again… but had to stop as he looked inside of it… as he saw a bunch of coffee mix packages that were spread randomly about the bottom.

And he held his head down low and groaned in response…

"Ughhh…."

…

Eventually he managed to find four packages of the hot chocolate mix, and he made two of the drinks for him and Yang, but saved the other two for Ruby and Taiyang for when they were to wake up.

Although… Yang had fallen asleep again, so Gage just chose to drink his hot cocoa in peace as he leaned against the kitchen counter and continued to think about his dream again…

"I've had dreams that have came true I.R.L. before… so what does this mean? That vision can't just be our future… it can't be….."

He was on his scroll… and actually tried to search if some of the parts his dream were common…. The parts that couldn't be specific to his personal life at least, (i.e. The setting of Beacon,) But still, nothing came up except for the 'being eaten by Grimm' part. Which was explained as just recurring dream sequences for uneasy Huntsmen and Huntresses.

But the rest being unexplained? Scared him. For both Yang's sake and his own mental state.

"If it is our future… then i have to stop it from happening..."

Gage then just took another drink of his hot beverage, and sighed as he set his scroll down onto the counter and rubbed his eyes once again.

Also, as the stress managed to screw with him, he forgot to watch out for anyone that was coming down from upstairs…

...And as a result of this, he didn't even notice Taiyang creep down the stairs and slowly towards the kitchen.

The father first noticed that his oldest daughter was asleep on the couch… which obviously made him a bit mad…. But then he saw Gage sulking against the kitchen counter, and was surprised he wasn't snuggling on the couch with you-know-who…

"Morning 'Cowboy'..." Tai greeted him

Gage of course jumped at hearing his voice, and turned to him with an expression that looked like he was about to throw up on the spot. "U-UM. M-Morning! ...Sir!" he almost yelled out of pure and utter fear, since he knew that Yang was still on the couch…

The Huntsman just exhaled and looked over at his daughter again… as Gage did too, and quickly looked him in the eyes as he backed up and stuttered as he was about to try and tell him how sorry he was,

"U-Uh… *sigh* -L-Look, she came to me last night and i just wanted to go to sleep so i-"

"Calm down Gage." Taiyang interrupted him, and raised his hand to signal him to stop as he also kinda smiled. "It's alright. You're fully clothed so yeah…"

"B-But…. I thought you didn't want her to stay with me last night?" Gage asked him.

Tai just huffed sort of passive aggressively, and moved next to Gage as he had a glass of water already in his hand. "Yeah well… fuck it. It's Christmas. Besides, it's not like you'd do anything to her unless she asked you to…" He grumbled as he flailed his water glass around a bit.

"You're right there sir…"

"Heh… you know, when i found out that my daughter was dating the shady, 'lone wanderer' they found out by Mountain Glenn… i thought you both were going to end up like _Bonnie and Clyde_ mainly because of you Gage….. But thank god i was wrong, because you really seem like a nice guy so far."

Then… the father suddenly scooted closer to the ghost, and nudged him before he took a quick sip from his drink. "And i can't believe i'm saying this, but i'm actually starting to tolerate you.*sip*..."

Gage kinda moved away a bit though… as it felt kinda odd that Taiyang was actually speaking to him without as much sarcasm in his voice than usual… so he just had to ask, "W-Well… thank you, but uh can i ask a quick question?"

"Sure thing."

"Why are you acting sort of nice all of a sudden?" He asked, breaking all discreteness between them both.

Tai first sighed, and took another drink of water before he sighed, "*sigh* ...Alright look. I'm sorry if i was acting like an asshole before..." And then he put his water glass down as he went on.

"...But i had to make sure that Yang did not know that i was actually okay with you being with her from the day… that you went into the hospital."

"W...What? Why?"

Gage's expression was both a mix of being surprised… and scared. However…. Taiyang's next statement... didn't make him feel any better. "Gage... I know everything. About Glenn, about the Collectors… and about that night. What _really_ happened." He revealed to him

"...How?"

He simply smiled, and took out what appeared to be…. A black and yellow collector's scroll from his back pocket!

"I may like to keep an eye on the girls at all times…. But Qrow does too, And fortunately for us both, he has eyes everywhere." He said, as he turned it on.

Tai then started to scroll through it, until he found a still image from some CCTV footage… and showed him it. Revealing the image to be of Gage…. As he was hugging Ruby while her leg was still stuck under some debris...

"Gage. You saved them both. You put yourself out there for my girls, and you suffered so much pain…. For them."

Gage remembered about when he woke up before that….. and saw that a White Fang soldier was about to gun down his lover as she was knocked out… but he also remembered that pulled Javix out quickly… and shot the man in the head. To protect her….

And, that caused bad memories to flood back into the young ghost's mind, but luckily it stopped, as Gage felt Taiyang put his hand on his shoulder tightly,

"So that's why i need you. To be there with them when me or Qrow can't be."

"Huh… You trust me this much already…."

He lowered it, and they both smiled a tiny bit. Tai's was a small one that only lasted for a brief moment however...

"Yeah well… you know when you've passed being able to be merciful. I have the damn footage." The old brawler said, trying to stay as quiet as possible. "So i know you do…. but… the girls just don't get it….. They can't. Because they're both too pure for this world… and me….."

Gage became alarmed by the direction that the conversation was going towards, but he just turned to the father, giving him a look that said he was all ears. So, Tai continued.

"*sigh* ...I've never told them this… but… i've killed people. Everyone from Team STRQ…. Qrow… Raven… me… and even Summer too…. But we did it to protect ourselves and each other. Yet... It all stopped when Raven became pregnant with Yang… and i was so happy…. But i still didn't lose that mentality. Even to this day…"

Then he looked at Gage, and narrowed his eyebrows as he clenched his water glass very hard. "And Gage. I'm telling you know, you're going to have to do the same. For Yang… and Ruby." He told him.

But, the ghost just looked down. And thought what it'd be like for Yang to see him… covered in blood again. "Tai… If she saw me ever do something like that… then i don't think she'd love me anymore." Gage whispered with sorrow.

He nearly had to rub his eyes again… as the word 'pure' made him think of what happened to Yang in his dream. Seeing her being consumed by the darkness of depression… and sadness.

"It's like you said, she's… too pure for this world… so it wouldn't be right for her to be okay with me doing such things-"

Tai's eyes turned partially red, and he nudged Gage's shoulder hard, staring deep into his eyes while nearly growled his reply,

"Then she'll have to learn for herself the hard way!" He almost yelled, But thankfully it was very quiet. "She's turning into a woman more and more everyday thanks to you… so she's going to figure it out whether she wants to or not."

He looked over at Yang while she continued to sleep on the sofa, and almost forced Gage to look at her if he didn't do it sooner,

"So you're going to be there for her from now on. Do i make myself clear?" Tai said as his tone became a little softer.

Gage just watched his girlfriend sleep, and chuckled, ""Yeah… heh… now it feels like you're forcing me to be with Yang. So, thanks sir." He joked.

Tai smirked too, and slouched back down onto the kitchen counter calmly. "Yeah… not like i have much of a choice anyway." He returned fire.

After that, they laughed quietly together, and sighed as they took a sip from their drinks… but individually.

Then, after about five minutes of sitting there in silence… Gage went over what he just heard… and became curious of something that Taiyang had mentioned indistinctively. So… eventually he asked him another question straight out of the blue once again…

"Hey… Sir, you said that, 'They're going to have to figure it out' ...but… what exactly do they have to figure out besides the whole, 'don't always be merciful' thing?"

"*sigh* ...That ain't no one's hands are clean in what's left of this world. And that we're all the same. You know, that sentimental but true stuff…"

"Hmm…" Gage nodded in agreement, and also hummed as he looked down at his hot chocolate again. Thinking about Tai's words…. But not too hard enough.

As he didn't want thoughts of the future to ruin this day… as it was still Christmas morning. "Well… you're not totally wrong in that sense. But….i'll still have to get back to you on that. Hopefully in the distant future…"

"Yeah… hopefully…"

…

They both started to grow a little tired as they waited for the two sisters to wake up, so Gage sat in front of the TV and started to place all the presents he could remember seeing, and Taiyang placed some fresh gingerbread cookie dough, (Which were cut into the shape little gingerbread men with a cookie cutter) into the oven as he was in the kitchen.

And the smell of the cookies eventually filled the air throughout the entire house… which of course woke up, and caught the attention of Ruby, who soon started to fast walk down the stairs quickly as she was dressed in her grey tank top and white and red rose petal pajama pants.

"*stomp* *stomp* *stomp*"

She reached the bottom, and sighed dreamily as she smelled the cookies and saw the lovely sight of the gifts being set underneath their brightly lit christmas tree, all while the movie _The Polar Express_ was being played on their TV.

But Yang was still asleep…

"Good morning Gage! And dad!" Ruby greeted both of the men. She continued to look around the room, and giggled as she stood next to Gage and looked at her dad again. "Man you two woke up pretty early- *gasp* ...wait …were you two bonding?!"

"Don't make it obvious!" They both said in unison.

"Alright! Hehe… so… Merry Christmas!"

Tai was making hot chocolate in the kitchen for his daughters, but her statement made him set his mug down and laughed as he started to walk towards Ruby. "Haha. You know It ain't just that Ruby! Now come here!" He said.

She laughed again, this time a little more louder and with a huge amount of joy as she ran to her dad and hugged him hard. He laughed too, and ruffled her hair as he lifted her up from the ground a bit…

"Happy Birthday Ruby!"

"W..Wait. It's your birthday Ruby?' Gage asked as he stood up, due to him not knowing being told about it at all, and watched them both as he smiled. "No wonder you asked for so much…"He chuckled.

"Yup. December 25th, at 7:23 A.M. Sixteen years ago now!" Tai said that, and just looked over at the star on their christmas tree as he sighed and rubbed the small girl's head again. "Best Christmas gift i've ever gotten…"

"Aww dad. You're embarrassing me!"

"Alright alright,,,,"

Their little moment made Gage smile, and let the knowledge of the fact that Ruby was now sixteen cloud over the depressing dream he had earlier. And he still watched as they finally separated, and the now slightly older little rose took a step back and blushed…

"S-So….. Are you making those cookies for me?" She asked Tai.

"Mmhm! I just put them in though, so it's going to be a bit. But don't worry, i made some cocoa for you to start with! And it has marshmallows!"

"Oh! Thank you!"

He handed Ruby her own mug, and she kissed her dad on the cheek and sat down near their Christmas tree as Gage sat on the couch next to Yang, but gave her the majority of the space so she could sleep.

So he watched her, and him and Ruby both laughed, and instead started to watch some TV for awhile together.

Taiyang decided to go back to preparing the cookies, which… made the smell become even more intoxicating, to the point where Yang fussed in her sleep, and her boyfriend just rubbed her shoulder as she unconsciously sniffed the air… and caught the scent. Which soon made her wake up, since the smell had now made her hungry…

"Hmm… I smell cookies…" She mumbled.

She smiled as she said that with closed eyes, and stretched her legs as she used both her hands as a pillow, and let her feet rest on top of her boyfriend's lap. "Hmhm… Merry Christmas Yang." Gage greeted her as he gently rubbed her thigh.

"Merry Christmas Care-Bear…"

Then the blonde grinned tiredly as she noticed that her little sister was in the room, so she looked at her and smiled at her while she leaned up from the sofa and sat up right, eventually leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder snugly,

"...*yawn* ...And happy birthday lil' sis…"

"Thank you Yang!"

Gage put his arm around Yang, and Ruby justed scooted closer to the couple, but not before she took her older sister's hot chocolate from the top of kitchen counter and handed it to her slowly with an excited smile.

"No thank you! Hehe, And lemme guess, dad's making your birthday cookies right now?"

"Yeah. Said that it was gonna be a while too…"

"Well then maybe we could start opening everything while we're waiting?"

"Hehe. That's a good excuse as any for me!"

Taiyang quickly glanced at them from the kitchen, and chuckled at them as he started to clean the dishes from the dinner that they had the night before.

"Go right ahead girls. But Gage, you get to go first. Just seems like common courtesy to me."

"Thanks!"

The ghost nodded, so Ruby and Yang both sat down on the floor, and he did as well, soon moving over a medium sized rectangular box over next to the sisters slowly.

They smiled as he did the same, and Yang watch while her boyfriend moved both of the gifts over to her sister.

He just grinned at her, and patted the box… as he felt his back pocket… to make sure that Yang's present was still there. "...Alright. Here Ruby. It just feels right to let the birthday girl go first!" He cooed.

"G-Gage… don't you tease me too…"

"Oh come on! Everyone in this family does it to me! Now go on."

She simply puffed her cheeks and blushed while she sat in a criss cross position, and slowly started to tear off the wrapping paper.

"H-Hmmph….." Ruby just scoffed and continued to tear off the paper… until she finally got it all off.

All that was left was the hard paper box… so, Ruby grew anxious and took off the lid as fast as she could, but gasped as a huge smile formed across her lips, and she took out both a few metallic weapon frames.

But below that was also a small black belt… that had small bullet holders on the back of it, with about ten of Gage's throwing picks inside of them.

They were black and red, the nail head being the red part, and it also had a pouch on the far right side of the pouch.

"*gasp* ...You got me them?! And the metal too!"

He laughed at her excitement, and just took one of his own out from his pockets before he just started to juggle it in between his fingers.

"Mmhm! The metal was just something anyone can get nowadays. And the picks aren't as mainstream and don't sell that well. So both of them were pretty much." Gage admitted to her.

"I'll show you how to use em later."

Ruby giggled her response, and just hugged both her gifts before she put them down and looked up at Gage once again.

"Okay… but… now I wanna see what you got Yang~"

Gage nearly shuttered again at Ruby… but Yang just blushed and turned to her boyfriend with a now impatient looking expression as she grinned at hi,

"Yeah. What did you get for me Care-Bear?~"

Her question made him feel uneasy as he looked away from her and clenched the small black box that he had behind his back tightly… and blushed as he finally looked her in the eyes.

"S-Something special… that I thought you could have for a l-little… sentimental gift… since I know you like them…."

Yang's blush darkened once again as she looked at her boyfriend... and noticed that her father was looking down at them from behind Gage's back.

Tai watched from behind the kitchen counter, and simply rolled his eyes as he could see that they were both getting all mushy with the lovey-dovey stuff… but Yang glanced at him, so he continued to watch.

"...So... here." Gage mumbled as he took the box out from behind himself, and presented it to Yang.

"*gasp!*"

She covered her mouth immediately so she could gasp silently… and both Taiyang and Ruby's eyes grew very large… as they knew what usually lied inside of black jewelry boxes.

Yang still swiped it from him though, and she opened it to see…. That the gift was actually a necklace that was made of gold, and had a golden leaf pendant.

It was hung upside down from where the stem would be, and the leaf part was partially green, and the lines that covered it were made from gold, along with the neck chain.

However, there was a white crack in the middle of the leaf… which was made of only a few small diamonds.

"A necklace?" She asked.

Yang was baffled by it, and the fact that the pendant was in actually Gage's new symbol immediately made it seem even more valuable than it looked.

"Y-Yeah… and the centerpiece is my old crest…" He said as he rubbed the back of his head, heavily nervous out of his mind of how she'd like it. "The same symbol I have on the back of my black suede jacket?"

She nodded... And slowly held the necklace up out in front of herself so she could stare at it even more. Eventually smiling at it as she just held it inside of the palm of her right hand. "Gage…. it's beautiful…." She whispered.

"I thought that it could be something for you to hold onto when… I'm away, and you're feeling a little lost. So… that you're holding onto me in a sense."

Ruby suddenly piped up and turned to him. "Kinda like your bandana?" The small girl asked Gage, mostly because the pendant made her curious.

"Yeah but this thing is new and expensive. Hehe…" He joked.

Yang then looked away from the necklace and looked at Gage with concern, mostly because the thing had to be really expensive if he had it custom made just for her.

So… even if it was rude, the blonde brawler just had to ask,

"...How expensive?"

Gage froze for a second, and still didn't look at her. His smile turning into a blank nothingness as he tried to reply.

"Yang ...Don't worry about it. I'd just spend my money on stupid shit either way, so this…. This is something that would be worth it."

She almost giggled at his response, and looked back down at the piece of jewelry…. Just before she began… to cradle it in her hands.

"I know Gage… but… this seems a lot better than what I got you…."

"Really?" Gage asked with a chuckle. He then looked at her again, and grinned at her while he tried not to laugh."Come on! Just having you give me something is a gift in itself!""

His enthusiasm made her blush again, right in front of her dad to make it even better, and so she of course laughed back at her boyfriend."Hehe …okay. And thank you for this Gage. " She giggled.

"You're welcome. So…. Is it my turn now?"

"I knew you were gonna ask that!"

The tune of his laughter turned back to nervous, and he looked at Ruby to help him out. "Ruby? Y-You understand right?" He sounded frightened, as Yang suddenly crawled close to him.

"Of course Gage! I'm the kid here aren't I?" She replied.

"So... "

"Ugh fine…." Yang groaned. Then, She looked at Ruby and nodded to her. Signaling her little sister to move a small rectangular box away from their christmas, and it was decorated with random stickers and such.

"Yay! I hope you like it!" Ruby exclaimed.

She slid it to Gage after she shouted that, and Yang scooted next to her little sister and put her arm around her. "Y-Yeah. And It's from both of us too…." She told him.

"Hey, its something. So no matter what I'll be happy."

He looked down at it for a few seconds… and slowly removed the lid. But as he did so, he immediately saw a pile of scrap metal inside of it.

And it was a weapon frame… that looked like it would fit Javix. "Is that a…. Revolver frame?" Gage asked Ruby.

"Yeah…. I had pieces from the little workshop that i have up in my room." She answered, pointing to the ceiling. "...And I thought you could use it for Javix…"

He gave her a weird look, as he did not think that Javix needed any changes at the moment. At least from the condition it was before his accident.

"I saw that it's been kinda… worn since your last fight…" Then Ruby strangely put her hands behind her back and held them together nervously, "And I was thinking that I could maybe help you repair it... if you wanted me to…"

He now noticed that he also hadn't done maintenance on his equipment since he returned to Beacon

… so she could be right. And with her there, it'd definitely speed up the repairing process…

So, he looked back at her and smiled yet again. "Yeah. Yeah That'd be awesome!" Gage cheered.

"Really?" She asked him as she… suddenly glanced and pointed at his metal arm out of the blue. "Because I also wanted to know if… i could… also maybe be like your… personal mechanic?"

"Oh…"

The ghost's face immediately did a three-sixty, and went back to yet another weird expression… as he felt uncomfortable for anyone to be touching his arm aside from himself and Yang.

It was Ruby although… and it's not like she wouldn't treat it with respect after what happened. So… Gage reluctantly said yes. "Okay… but... don't go messing around with it. Alright birthday girl?" He joked

"Oh thank you! It's the least I can do for you after… well you know…"

She blushed, and looked away from his arm as she became both embarrassed… and sorry that she brought up the subject.

However, Yang patted Ruby's shoulder and looked back at her boyfriend. "Don't mention it. And seeing you two doing something together would be so cute!" She cooed.

Gage rolled his eyes sarcastically, but still smiled back at her before he looked back down at the small box again,

"Alright. Now… where is yours Yang…"

He whispered that to himself, and moved some cotton that was under where the weapon frame laid upon. So he raised it up, and looked at the bottom of the box to see… what looked like… a tiny flaming heart that was encased inside of a small glass box.

"Hmm?"

The Ghost took it out, and saw that it was small enough that he was able to hold it in between his thumb and index finger, but it was also about the size of a christmas ornament.

Indeed it was a small glass box, but inside of it was not a regular flaming yellow heart. In fact, it was actually Yang's own personal symbol as well…

And the blonde watched as he took it out of the box, and spoke to Gage as he inspected it. "I know that you like little sentimental things because of your bandana…" She said, as he smiled at the small box.

Gage just held it up, so the artificial light inside of the room could let him look at it better… and it did. As he noticed that there was also a little key chain clip ontop of it, and also… a small button.

"It certainly didn't cost as much as the necklace you bought…. But I hope that it means as much spiritual wise..."

"What's that suppose to mean?" He asked as Taiyang also began to watch them from the kitchen.

Yang notice her father, and it urged her to jolt up and point at her present. "Just push the button silly!" She teased him.

"Okay…"

He did as she instructed and pushed the small button, and it caused her small insignia to light up from inside the box! And it was almost as bright as a nightlight, which made Gage stifle some laughter yet again.

"Hehe, Okay yeah. I'm definitely gonna hold onto this thing!"

"You better…" Ruby whispered.

"Ruby!"

The rose snickered, and covered her mouth as she started to crack up. "Oh come on Gage! You know I just like to poke fun at you both!" She said, causing him to glare at her.

Her father still was watching, and he also chose to poke fun at the ghost too. "Mmhm. But Seriously Gage, you _better_ hold onto that. If you know what's good for ya." Though, Gage didn't really see it as fun.

"O-Of course I w-will!" He stuttered before he glanced back at his girlfriend… and let his red cheeks darken." ...It's too precious for me to give up! ...Same with the person who gave me it."

"Awww Gage!~" Yang exclaimed.

"A-Alright Alright, that's enough." Tai mumbled nervously to both the couple and Ruby. "Cookies are almost done by the way, so you kids should probably go wash up."

Ruby then got up at the mention of the C-word, and used her semblance to rush back upstairs and to the bathroom! "Yay cookies!"

But, Gage and Yang both stayed on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, smiling for a while until Yang noticed that her father's back had turn. So, she instantly pounced on top of her boyfriend and hugged him very hard while she let out a cute giggle… and felt him hug her back.

However… Taiyang still saw them due to them being visible in the reflection of one of the kitchen windows.

But... the sight of them didn't make the huntsman didn't become mad or annoyed. Instead he sighed, and looked at their mirrored moment before he focused on Gage… and remembered the gist of what he told the ghost earlier that morning,

"*sigh* ...Don't fuck this up. For you and her. Please… because now I know… that you're all she's going to want in her life Gage…."

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage and Yang washed up, took their showers and ate their cookies during the few hours of the morning, and since Tai and Ruby had started to watch _Home Alone_ together, they both decided to go outside onto the porch.

She was in her yellow tank top and was wearing a pair of black pajama pants, but Gage was dressed in his usual black shirt and brown jeans. He also managed to clip Yang's little encased heart to front right belt holder on the waistline of his jeans, so he wouldn't accidentally crush or lose her gift.

It was really cold outside the house, but luckily, Yang's aura made it more tolerable for them to stay out there in the brisk tyga, since she was standing in front of a railing that outlined the house's porch, and Gage was behind her, putting on her new necklace for her at the same time,

"You know you didn't have to ask me to put the necklace on you specifically in this position Yang."

Yang exhaled happily, and stared out into the snow while he continued her request. "I just wanted to be sure that it'd be romantic Care-Bear." She replied.

Gage simply shook his head and sighed as he finally connected the two ends of the neck chain together, and let go of it so it could hang from his lover's neck graciously.

"Oh what? Was the dance not enough for you?~" He joked.

"N-No… It was perfect! ...I just wanna see you try and keep up your streak after that one."

Gage then chuckled, and hugged Yang from behind. Leaning his head above her shoulder as he just kissed her cheek. "Heh, yeah. I'll try my best…." He said with a smirk.

She looked at him for a few seconds, and giggled before she pressed her back against his chest, and tightened their embrace further, making them both sigh after.

So, the ghost continued to hug her… and he pressed his lips against the back of the blonde's head once before they both decided to just gaze off into the distance snow as it kept falling.

"Hmm…~"

Yang felt even warmer than she already was thanks to the feeling of her boyfriend's body heat… but… Gage started to think about something else as he watched his girlfriend's eyes close,

"That dream's still fucking with me…" He thought to himself while he remained focused on the storm. "And Yang… she was in it… but… what did it even mean?"

He remembered that image… of his beloved being snatched up by that dark force… and it turned her into this… thing. Some abomination. But… why?

"It took _her._ Someone who… is always happy…."

He thought about it for a few moments as he continued to look at Yang curiously… until he remembered how she came to him the night befor and said that she had to be with him so her bad dreams could stop…. And then he made a weird connection to that and his dream…

" _She can't have P.T.S.D or something like that…. She's Yang Xiao Long. Sweetheart extraordinaire…."_

Gage remembered that he had began to worry about her mental state after she joined him on the couch, since Yang has never had this many bad dreams in one month before…

...And then he had a bad dream about her in the following hours afterwards… that depicted her being, 'consumed by darkness', or something along those lines.

"Wait… she's been having bad dreams… and she was being eaten by some black thing in my dream…."

That, was when he made some sort of link between the two things. "...W...Was it telling me that she's beginning to…. let depression affect her?" Gage asked himself, trying to make sense of everything.

He let that thought linger for a while before he looked down… and saw that Yang had her right hand on top of her necklace's pendant… and that she was now staring back at him.

"Hey Gage. What are you looking at?"

"U-Um, nothing! I'm just.… distracted is all."

She then narrowed her eyebrows for a brief moment, and quickly turned around to face him. "...You were acting the same way this morning…. So… is something wrong?" She asked as she brushed the side of his head.

At first, Gage nuzzled against her hand as she brushed him, but he immediately sighed afterwards and looked away.

"...*heavy sigh*...I think the dreams are starting to come back to me Yang."

"...Oh." Her reaction to his words was a mix of both sorrow and the feeling of being… useless. Because she knew that the dreams were something that he hated, "...Grr… *sigh* ...See? Thats the one thing I wish I could help make better… but I know that I can't."

Yang growled that at him, and hugged him as hard as she could. So Gage did the same… but also grinned, and patted her on the back lightly. He whispered, "You can."

"...How?" She asked him

He took a step back, and looked down at her as he continued to grin. "Well… you're too pure for this world Yang." He said, instantly making her blush. "So just… keep being who you are right now. For me."

The blonde brawler looked flustered as hell, and had to look away from him so she wouldn't become a darker shade of red. "M-Me? P-Pure? N-No way…"

But before she could ramble on, Gage changed focus and took a step in her direction. "Maybe not to yourself… but you are to me. So please just… don't lose sight of who you are. Okay?" He asked her.

Yang simply took a step back until she felt her back press against the railing of the porch… so she gazed up into her lover's eyes… and nodded at him as she cupped his cheek.

"...O-Okay. A-And… And I promise that I'll do my best. For you."

He smiled as he felt her warm hand beung pressed against his skin… so he pulled her close and hugged her once again. "Thank you Yang. And i know it'll help me in the long run… it has to."

His words instead made her sigh this time, so she just nuzzled into his chest and hugged him back,

"Don't worry about the future right now Care-Bear. It'll be alright I promise…"

"Okay i won't. For now…."

They were then interrupted, as Taiyang suddenly called to them from the other room,

"Gage! Yang! Come on it's time to sing Happy Birthday to Ruby!" He yelled.

"Ugh…"

"Okay Dad!"

Yang pulled Gage back inside the house by his arm while he smiled… but… for one last second… the ghost looked back outside… and became awestruck by what he saw.

Out there, in the middle of the land that the house over looked… was what appeared to be the figure of a woman.

She had silver eyes, blackish red hair, and was dressed in nothing but a white cloak, with the hood over her head. And the sight of her made Gage gasp inaudibly. (Thank God.)

"S-Summer?" He whispered.

He just saw her… and stared at her for what felt like minutes until she looked back at him, and faded away as fast as she appeared. In the single blink of Gage's eye.

After that, he let Yang drag him inside… and he closed the door as he stood there in disbelief…. But then… he finally turned back around, and… walked back into the living room with her.

Yet… her sighting made him feel like he couldn't help but ask himself one last question in that moment, before he was to return to his own reality...

"...Do I believe in Destiny?"

…...

 **Author's Note #2: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**! Also hey I hit that two week deadline on time! I think. So, about that chapter intro… *sigh* ...Remember when the majority of rwby fanfics weren't as depressing? (- From what I've seen. I know they aren't to a lot of people. So pls dont hurt me XD)

"Pepperidge farm remembers!"

Anyway, rewriting that first kiss scene made me feel sort of nostalgic… and that's when I got this idea. And i'm finally gonna announce it here. **I'm gonna redo/remake the first 12-13 chapters of RWBY: Desertion!** Now, the uploads of those are gonna be random, because Desertion: Part Two is gonna continue to be my main priority. But I'll try to announce any re-uploads when I can.

And uh btw… if you're reading this right now and are interested, then go look at RWBY: Desertion chapter one... Cuz I just uploaded the new version! Tell me what you think of it too! Now, that's all I have to say for now and sorry for the huge random note here. Also, thank you for reading this if you chose to XD.

So until next time, i'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	13. New Year, New Fears

**Author's Note:** Yo! Back again with another installment! And it'll be the end of the whole of the whole, "Christmas Vacay" Arc I have going right now. Sorry of it's short, school's coming up for me soon. And since the arc is ending, I just wanted to let y'all know that Desertion Part Two will… be a little bit more focused on plot than fluff. So, take it how you want, but I promise I'll try to do my best in both fields! For you guys of course!

Love Y'all!

 **Song:** Ghost by Halsey

...

 **Six Days later…**

...

Gage came down from the second floor of the Rose/Xiao Long family's home, as he was allowed to actually sleep in with Yang in her bed the night prior. Though he had to sleep on that couch for the majority of the week he's been there, so it was much better .

But, he yawned as he walked down the stairs and rubbed his back, as it ached from the sudden switch from a couch to a bed, and he had groaned as he saw Yang and Ruby sitting on that exact couch.

"Ugh…. My back…"

"What? Is my bed not comfortable Care-Bear?" Yang asked him as she was putting on her galaxy jacket, since it was cold.

Taiyang then walked down the stairs and stood behind Gage, and passed him with Yang's bag in his hand, "It better not be. Knowing what you two could do to each other in it…" He mumbled.

"D-Dad!"

Her father shrugged, and smirked as he just put her stuff next to the couch, and ruffled Yang's her before he laughed and sat down on the other side of the couch.

"Hehe… I'm sorry for being a nuisance Yang. I just have to get it all out before you leave tomorrow morning!

She pouted, and nodded as Gage grumbled and sat down next to her. "Makes sense… and my back hurts because of just adjusting a lot I think..." He also sounded really tired.

Tai just sat there, and watched as Yang used her left hand to crunch her boyfriends right shoulder, which gave him a sort of half massage.

"Thanks Yang…"

She continued to rub his back, while glaring at her father of course. But then Ruby came down from up stairs with Zwei in one arm, and one of her bags in the other.

"Hey! Did it start yet?" The rose asked.

Ruby asked this question because today was in fact New Year's eve, and she had been wanting to watch Lisa Lavender's coverage of the Eve's Square ball drop. And, the cameras were to start rolling at nine o'clock at night.

"I think so… my scroll's been blowing up so probably." Gage answered her.

"Yay! Two more hours until the new year!"

Yang watched her little sister with a smile as she sat down in front of the couch and started to watch their TV with excitement.

So, Taiyang took the remote and kept changing the channel until they stumbled upon the City of Vale News Network. The CVNN for short.

Though Gage thought it was kinda of weird for her to be excited for this sort of thing, since all he'd never watched the ball drop when he was younger,

"Hmm. You guys really love every holiday don't you?"

His question made both Yang and Ruby give him a funny look, as they've done this for many years. But that was when Tai looked over at him and sighed.

"*sigh* Yeah… I tried making every holiday exciting for them when they were little. And it worked pretty well."

"Then… what'd you guys do for new year's eve?"

Yang smiled, and rested her head on top of his right shoulder. He just sounded so curious that it seemed funny. "We can only come up with our new year's resolution _right_ _as_ the ball drops. Not before or after." She answered him.

"Oh… so it's like a challenge?"

"Exactly."

Ruby then turned to Gage, and smiled. "And we have to share our resolutions with each other." She told him as Tai found the right news channel.

Her, Yang, and their father all moved their attention towards the TV screen, and saw an image of the reporter Lisa Lavender standing in the middle of a light snowstorm.

She was on camera, standing behind a stage that was outside that next to Eve square's main street, and she was wearing a giant parka while she was speaking into a microphone. And it was also snowing really hard.

" _Good evening viewers! I'm Lisa lavender, and welcome to this year's New Year's eve ball drop broadcast! Right here, in the ironically named, 'Eve's Square'!_ "

Gage watched this as well… but he started to think about the whole concept of New Year's Resolutions and how he thought they were usually goals that would never be achieved…

...But, his mentality soon changed as he heard Ruby squeal and scoot closer to the screen.

" _At this time, we're currently three hours away from the new year, and thousands of citizens have gathered here, along with myself, to view this spectacular spectacle!_ "

Yang giggled at the reporters world play… but then she glanced at Gage, and saw that he didn't have any emotion in his expression, and seemed devoid of it. "Hmm? What's up Gage?" She asked him.

"Just... never have given thought to the whole 'resolution' thing… like ever."

Ruby simply turned, and pointed at her sister's boyfriend as she looked at him like he was about to spoil a really hyped-up movie for her, "Well then don't think about it until the ball drops Gage!" And now she even sounded like she was gonna scold him.

"A-Alright. I won't."

...

They all returned to watching the news coverage of the event, and they just started to relax and lounge around. Tai allowed Yang to sit in Gage's lap, and Ruby held Zwei in her arms for a while, and they even got out the popcorn in a huge family-sized bowl… which made the ghost feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

They were all wearing their usual warm clothing… and continued to loosen up throughout the night… but only until Lisa Lavender started to ramble on about the end of the year and how the next one was to be brighter.

" _The one thing that i feel glad for is the fact that this year is finally coming to end, and it seems like the coming year can finally start off right for once._ "

Gage was starting to fall asleep at this point, but his aching back kept him awake, so he had decided to listen to the broadcast as a sort of lullaby while he just cradled Yang in his arms...

" _As to why it seems like the new year is to be bright? Why it's because of the fact that the White Fang's 'activities' appeared to be coming into decline, which is a very good thing to hear…. Especially after the recent case of a one… Gage Sim._ "

His eyes slowly opened to the sound of his own name coming from the TV, and then he raised his head up as Yang opened her eyes as well, "Hey… did she… just say my name?"

Ruby and Taiyang both leaned forwards towards the screen, and Yang looked at the screen with a very surprised expression. "I… I think she did…" His girlfriend answered him before the news anchor went on,

" _After such a random act of violence against the Beacon student, it's a good thing to see no further news of their actions being recognized. And to make it even better, nurses i've come into contact with have assured me that Gage Sim has infact had a speedy recovery, and was released from the hospital earlier this month. So, we'd like to wish him, his girlfriend, and fellow loved ones a Happy New Year!_ "

Gage's mouth now hung slightly agape as Yang raised herself off of him, and he just looked at the TV… with a very angry look. "I...I knew i was on the news, but i didn't think it was _that_ bad..." He sounded like a nude photo of him was just leaked to the internet, so very offended pretty much.

"Yeah… B-But not at first. Like… not immediately after." Ruby said, trying to make him calm down a bit.

Tai then glanced at him, and shook his head as he looked back at Lisa Lavender through the TV, "White Fang attacks are always newsworthy Gage. And your's especially, since they apparently stopped outta nowhere after that night…"

"I know… it just feels like… an invasion of privacy you know?"

Yang saw that he was beginning to lean back up, so she moved off of him and just sat next to him as she held his hand, with a worried expression.

"Y-Yeah…. But look at it this way, when the media sees you and me fighting in the Vytal Festival Tournament, it'll make everyone see that they shouldn't give up on their dreams no matter what curveballs life throws at them!"

Her attempt to make him cheer up proved… slightly successful, as he sat there calmly and seemed to have toned down once again. But still stared at the TV again. "Yeah... i guess…"

Then he just rubbed his eyes, but soon felt his lover's hand run up Gage's left arm before she just wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek gently with a tiny smile,

"Hey... Everything's going to be alright."

Gage blushed… since her dad was sitting right next to her, but she still held onto him. "I know… i still have you, so it has to be…" He whispered, nervously trying to praise his girlfriend for her kindness.

"Ughuhughhh…." Taiyang groaned, purposely sounding a little way too over exaggerated. "You two are so sweet it's giving me a headache…." And he even turned to Ruby as she was still sitting on the carpet. "Are they always like this at school Ruby?" He asked her.

"Pretty much when they're in public. I dunno what goes on when they're by themselves though.~"

She accompanied her little quip with a wink aimed towards Gage, and it immediately made him stand up and forget about what had annoyed him, as he was now very nervous.

"U-UH, I'M GONNA- *clears throat* -Make s-some…. Erm… coffee! Anyone want some?!" He replied loudly as he decided to walk back into the kitchen.

The way he handled the clear joke made Yang's eyes look like they were about to burst out of their sockets because of how large they became, and her face was so red that it looked like she was about to faint from the bloodrush. "M-Mmm…" She whimpered.

Tai of course had to laugh a bit, since he had never heard Ruby tease her older sister before. But since they've met, Gage has. So, he continued to nervously fill the coffee pot, and placed it on the stove since it was an old pot.

"Hahaha!"

The couple groaned internally after that, and so they just continued to go on with what they were doing in a very awkward silence.

Gage still continued to awkwardly make some coffee and he even began to search for sugar packs since he knew Ruby liked to have sugar rushes.

And with him preparing the coffee for a bit, he eventually saw that he had gotten some sugar on his fingers from opening the packages, so he walked over to the sink soon after, and began to wash his hands, and thank god his metal hand was waterproof.

"Ugh…"

But… as he groaned, he suddenly felt nearly all of his bones become numb… and cold at the same time. Even though he was using hot water to clean his hands.

At that point he just upped the heat on the water until steam was clearly emitting from it… and it made him become confused.

"What the? …I feel so cold all of a sudden…"

Then, he heard Yang as she stood up from the couch and shiver as she grasped her own shoulders tightly. "G-Geez…. It's freezing now…" She shuddered.

Her voice was really shaky, and it seemed so cold that she started to walk up stairs as she was freezing. Which was truly remarkable, mostly because of Yang's flaming aura that would be able to give herself warmth.

"I'm gonna go get some blankets!"

And even Tai stood up and followed her as well! "Yeah… and i'll go turn on the heater." He said to Gage and Ruby.

Gage was about to shut off the water and follow them… but as he turned back to the faucet… he noticed something on the other side of the bay window that was in front of him that had caught his attention.

He raised his head up… and narrowed his eyes until they met with… an average sized figure of a person. That was standing away from the house, and was in the middle of the snow, as the snowfall and the moon barely illuminated it.

However, he still he saw what it was… and it scared him shitless.

It was the same thing he saw in the snow six days ago. The woman in the white cloak. Or… The Ghost of Summer Rose. Staring… and even waving at him lightly. Giving him a friendly gesture that suggested she wanted him to come outside.

"W...What the fuck…"

Gage then felt the hot water burn his hands which he gasped loudly… but… he never broke eye contact with the ghostly woman's eyes. "Agh! ...A..Ah…" His reaction started off loud, yet he calmed down immediately… but didn't know why.

Ruby heard his cry of pain, so she leaned in from the living room with concern. "Gage are you okay?" She asked him nicely.

"N…..N…. Yeah…"

He felt the urge to say no… but he… unwillingly changed his answer. And Ruby just watched as Gage changed his stance so that he was standing still… and looking straight ahead. With his arms at his side.

"Yes. I… just burned myself. Silly me…"

She heard him say that in a tone that was above his usual easy-going yet borderline nervous voice, and it was really weird for the small girl to hear him this way. "...You sure Gage?"

"Yes… don't worry about it. Just go back to watching your show now."

"...Okay. But you better come watch it with me when you're done!"

"...Will do Ruby."

The small girl then retreated back into the other room and sat down onto the carpet in front of the TV, but Gage still remained unmoved… as he was looking at the woman in the snow, and he was now feeling… like he was in a catatonic state.

He felt like he couldn't move, blink, or breathe. Or that he wasn't in control of those functions, since he suddenly saw himself turn off the hot water, walk out of the kitchen… and towards the front door, while moving so slowly that Ruby didn't notice him.

"W...What am i doing?" He asked himself.

Gage saw his body move towards the door, and he eventually opened up the door quietly as his eyes remained planted on the back of the small girl's head. And he remained fixated on her… even feeling a slightly large smile creep onto his face for a bit… that wasn't formed from his control.

But, before he knew it, he opened the door and went outside. Hearing the low growl of the storm become present. Then, he started to move around the house to where he saw Summer.

Uneasy thoughts started to run through this head at this point, and the feeling of the cold numbed his body once again like it did inside the home… but this was way more intense. So intense in fact, that he even began to drift off… like he was going to sleep…. But his body kept moving.

"N-No… G-Go back….. Go… Go back inside…"

So, he started to feel like he was falling asleep… and he did after a while. Whatever this, 'comatose' state was, it made him terrified near seconds before he faded away… and the main reason to that…

...Was that he managed to catch a glimpse of his reflection in the bay window of the kitchen before he left… and saw that the color of his eyes had changed from turquoise…. to silver. Again.

…

 **Later…**

…

An hour and a half passed, and Yang, Taiyang, and Ruby all were still watching Lisa Lavender's coverage of the new year's event… but without Gage still.

Yang was curled up on the right side of the couch with her legs lying on the middle couch cushion, as to save a spot for her boyfriend while Tai was on the left side, and Ruby was sitting with Zwei on the carpet with a bowl of popcorn.

The blonde brawler was holding a cup of coffee that Gage had set on the stove, and she was starting to get worried about him not being there with them, in fear that her dad had freaked him out or something.

"Hey. Do you guys know if Gage is in the bathroom or something?"

Tai took a sip from his own mug, and could barely keep his eyes open. "If he is, then that's really suggestive Yang…." He joked, very tiredly

Ruby just stuffed her face and looked at her father with a very weird expression. "What? How is having a stomach bug suggestive?"

Yang hummed nervously in response, and just started to look at the top of the stairs with a worried frown, since she had helped make that night's dinner. "I hope it isn't because of me…" She said.

Tai then stood up, and patted her shoulder before he went into the kitchen, as he had just finished his coffee. "You did fine. Maybe he was just allergic to that casserole that you made… and ate it to please you. Or somethin'."

"Hehe… Yeah… doing something like that wouldn't be unlike him..." She giggled.

"See? So don't worry. I'll go and check on him in a bit."

"Okay, Thanks dad."

The father laughed a bit as he saw his eldest daughter get back into a more comfortable position, and started to watch TV with her sister again. So, Taiyang started humm, and walked over to the kitchen sink so he could wash out his coffee mug.

He cleaned that out, and even began to start on cleaning some other dishes from the dinner that they had about four hours ago… but as he started to clean them… he began to feel… weird.

He felt this way since in the seven days that his daughters and Gage had been here, he had seen Yang and Gage to be inseparable… so… his lack of being there with her on the couch was strange to him

And now he had this feeling… like… he was being watched. But by whom, was the question.

However, the question was never answered clearly, but Tai felt the urge to look up, and out the bay window that was in front of the kitchen sink. So he did.

"...What the hell?"

He wasn't expecting to see his deceased second wife out there in the snow waving at him… and he didn't. Instead, he saw Gage out there. Standing away from the house with his back turned to it.

The ghost had his hands to his sides, and was looking straight ahead as he stood still, and appeared to be covered in a small of the snowfall, which made Taiyang immediately jump and move towards the door.

"Dad? Where are you going?" Yang and Ruby both asked as he passed them.

"I uh… Forgot something in the car. Don't worry, I'll be right back."

And with that, he opened the door and headed outside into the mildly-cold snow storm. In search of his daughter's boyfriend.

…

Tai made his way around to where Gage was standing… and sighed as he saw that looked visibly okay, and that he surprisingly didn't feel as cold as the North Pole, since he decided to flick the back of Gage's earlobe,

"Gage? What are you doing out here?!"

Gage then jumped out of whatever trance he was in, and looked panicked as hell once he turned and saw his potential future father in-law glaring at him angrily, but he still calmed down after that.

"What the… oh… it's you." He said.

The ghost had a smile on his face despite the crimson red glow of Taiyang's eyes, and he just pointed into white void that the snowstorm left in it's wake. "I thought I saw something…"

The father wasn't having any of it though. "So what. Did you just decide to stay out here for an hour and a half for fun?" He grumbled, sarcastically.

Gage was about to narrow his eyes at the older man… but he heard him say that he was out there for, 'an hour and a half'. Which made him return to his nervous self almost immediately.

"An hour and a half?! I could have sworn that it's only been like five minutes!"

"Yeah… *sigh* ...Look Gage, just come inside. Yang's worried."

Then Taiyang just started walking back to the house rather than care about whatever Gage was about to say, and thankfully, they both managed to get back onto the house's porch before the ghost could say anything, which he eventually did.

"Sir… Wait."

"What?"

Gage was at the steps of the porch, and Tai was an inch away from the door as he heard his voice and suddenly stopped, and turned to him slowly. Visibly annoyed. "You mind if I… talk to you for a bit out here?" Gage asked him.

"Uh… Why?

"I… Just have questions."

Taiyang simply sighed again, and looked through the second bay window that was next to the front door, and could see that Yang and Ruby were both still watching TV, and that Ruby had moved to the couch, and that they were both talking to each other.

So, Tai took in a deep breath and sat down next to Gage on the steps, and he sat down as well.

"*sigh* ...Alright. Shoot."

Gage nodded and looked down for a few seconds as he closed his black suede jacket and zipped it as he let out a small breath, and the icy mist from his breath ascended into the night sky before he asked him his question...

"...Have you ever…. Seen someone out in the snow before? But they were someone you knew couldn't actually be there?"

He asked Tai that without looking at him, so he missed the sight of the father's eyes lighting up, and his pissed off demeanor went away abruptly as he turned to his daughter's boyfriend,

"As a matter of fact, I have. I saw both my missing and dead wives... but i was drunk on both occasions... so i forgot about it." He admitted, a little embarrassingly since he had nervously decided to scratch the back of his neck before he continued with an obvious question,

"Why? Who'd you see?"

The ghost froze for a second… since he didn't want to outright say the name of the man's deceased wife, so he instead chose to just describe her instead. "A girl…. In a white cloak. That looked like Ruby, but older." He answered,

"Yeah… that's the dead one… Summer. She was Ruby's mom..."

He saw the father's now dead eyes return to their normal lilac color, and he smiled as his body slouched as he sat down, and started to stare out into the distant snow, but Gage smiled too, and looked into the same direction with him,

"Yeah... Yang gave me the background story on both of them… from what she remembered at least. The sight nearly gave me a heart attack though…"

Then they both sat there for about five minutes in silence. With just the sound of the night, the storm, and the muffled conversation of the two sisters inside of the house being the only thing that could be heard… until Taiyang suddenly wiped his eyes and gave a small shaky chuckle,

"Hehe… *sniffle* ...Well… was she smiling?" He asked.

Gage knew the odd question was a sort of dodge to get away from the dark subject and turn into something they could laugh about, so he answered truthfully, as she was smiling when he saw her. "Uh… yeah. She was…"

The Huntsman found the confidence in himself to start laughing a bit, "Haha. Well that's good. She always did like people who could make her smile…" He chuckled as he was reminiscing about the past.

Gage still smiled, but went on to say how he was just baffled that he saw her apparition like that. "Yeah but… how's that even possible… for her to appear out here…"

"That depends… do you believe in ghosts?" Tai asked him.

"Well… i was 'killed', and i came back from the dead, so i think i'm obligated to say yes."

His sarcasm made the father put a hand on his shoulder, and nodded with another small laugh. "There you go then."

And that's when Gage remembered that Yang had made him start to believe in superstitions like that, which made him look at Taiyang and point at him.

"So you're the one that got Yang to believe in that stuff!"

"Heh… it wasn't entirely my fault, She's just a weird girl. A weird, but special girl."

"Couldn't have said it better myself sir…"

They both had another laugh, and continued to stare off into the white noise of the night, and they both reflected on how this… paranormal experience of Gage's was oddly timed… but they both shrugged it off as just… a coincidence of something they wouldn't be able to understand.

And after a while, Tai changed the subject onto something… that'd he been waiting to hear about. More specifically, about Yang's life at the academy.

"So… how's Yang doing anyway? I just want to know because she hasn't really been talking to me over skype as much anymore."

Gage then looked down and… tried to avoid eye contact with the man now. Probably because of the weird theories he'd come up with himself after Yang had came to sleep on the couch with him during the night before Christmas.

"She's…. Alright…"

"Hmm… Doesn't sound alright."

Her father grumbled, with another glare that was aimed towards his daughter's boyfriend, which made Gage raise a hand in a defensive stance as he began to panic and stammer,

"N-No! N-Not like that. Things between us are better than ever… but… this month… has just been kinda hard on her… least from what i've seen."

'What? What's happened?"

Taiyang was now sitting up straight, and looked at Gage with concern… and since Yang had not even talk about the subject that much with himself, he decided to share what has happened to her… as he knew she would try and just hide it…

"...She was so happy when i left the hospital. She was the first to see me, and she couldn't let go of me. And… there was actually more than one reason that she was so happy to… be able to be with me again. Not just the fact that she loved me, but, it also turned out that a lot of the boys at Beacon had started… to throw themselves at her…"

He now fell silent with his mouth slightly hung agape, as he… could think of that actually happening… but not like this. Now it wasn't just Gage that wanted to be with his baby girl, but even more of worse men than him.

In his eyes, they sounded like they were just thirsty for her body… instead of her heart. And they wanted to take her… from the both of them.

"That's terrible…" Tai whispered.

The ghost nodded, looked down at the little heart-in-a-box ornament that Yang had got him as a present, and held it in his left metallic hand while he pressed the button on top of it and made the yellow heart light up,

"It was so bad that one of the more masculine guys tried to pick a fight with me while Yang was in the same room… and we kicked his ass, but… then she almost started to cry once we got back into my dorm… and she even wanted me to hold her."

Tai now had his hands on both of his kneecaps, but started to squeeze them so hard that the knuckles on his hands nearly started to turn white. But… Gage went on to divert the subject away from the boys before he continued,

"But it wasn't like that for long because after that, the whole dance thing came up, and even though i was just as depressed as she was, i started to focus on Yang more since i knew if i did that, then she would become happy again… and it's worked so far."

"...You really care about her happiness that much more than your own?"

"Yeah. I'm just… use to it. But, the thing i love about her is that if she's really happy, then she'll usually cheer me up on purpose, or by accident. Just by using her charms"

The ghost then let out a small chuckle, and looked back up at the shattered moon with a blank stare and smile plastered onto his face.

"Hehe…. I remember this one time a few months ago, Yang wanted to go out into the city when i didn't really want to, but i went anyway. Then we went to this burger joint, walked around after that, and she… said this thing that just made me freak out."

"What was it?" Taiyang asked him curiously.

Gage remembered the day in question clearly, as it was the day before he and the rest of his friend went on their second night raid mission that resulted in him being stabbed by the mute assassin Neopolitan, and Yang almost had a nervous breakdown because of it.

"Yang said that she was already thinking up of baby names for our future kid. And i knew she was just saying it to screw with me because her and our friends always do that… but then i actually thought about the future. About how amazing it'd be if that kid thing turned out true…. And i didn't want to do anything else but run around with her for the rest of the day."

The father knew that Yang had done the same with Ruby, "Oh. So she's like breaking you out of your shell or something like that." But he didn't think an eighteen year old would need that kind of help, yet he knew that Yang would be the one to help with that.

"Yeah. And every time it makes me so… proud of myself. And it's alway because of her, so i'm forever thankful for what she's done for me. But…. occasionally there's times where she isn't joking about our future…"

"Well…. What was one instance?"

"It was the night i came back to Beacon." Gage said, looking a little visually uncomfortable as he hugged his knees and kept looking up at the sky. "Yang wanted us to sleep in her dorm that night because she...just missed me so much. I took a shower before i was going to go up there, so she was waiting for me. But… she knocked on my door before i could leave, so i opened it… and saw that her eyes were red… and she was crying."

The older Huntsman's expression turned back to blank and very concerned, since he hasn't heard anything about this night at all. Not from Yang herself, or even Ruby for that matter. But Gage still went on.

"She told me she fell asleep waiting and she had a bad dream… about me. And i guess she wanted to stay in my dorm so no one could hear her cry… so we did, and slept in my bed for a while until i thought she fell asleep… but she… started sobbing again in the middle of the night." His voice was also a lot more quieter and somber.

Taiyang huffed, and stood up so he could lean on the railing of the porch and looked down at his daughter's boyfriend, as he was remembering something similar that would involve Yang when she was little,

"That's strange… Yang only had bad dreams when she was a kid… after summer died. But… i guess watching you die probably made them resurface..."

"Yeah… It was bad." Gage said as he also stood up and put his hands into his pockets, as he was finally feeling chilly once again.

"She hugged me really hard and didn't want to let go, so i hugged her back… and that… that was when it came out. Yang said that… she wanted to, 'grow old with me… have a kid with me… and start a life with me'. Really big statements… and it scared the shit out of me to be honest… but i didn't tell her that."

The father chuckled… and felt kind of both shocked and embarrassed that Yang did something like that. "That does seem kinda… big. But… it is just life. I mean… if you two stay together then those thing will probably happen eventually.." He said, trying to comfort Gage.

Gage although, nodded and just brushed the side of his head, until he tugged on the back of his own head for some reason.

"Y-Yeah i know… it's just… when she says things like that it just… fucks with my mind. You know? I-It's like… we've been together for six months… just, not that long for most people."

Tai knew that… yeah, the last thing a guy would want to hear from his girlfriend of six months would be something along the lines of what she said.

But, He knew that Gage wasn't afraid of committing for Yang. Hell, he lost an arm for the girl's sister. So he would obviously sacrifice much more for his girlfriend if something like that was to happen again.

He knows that he'd be willing to do anything at this point, so the father didn't doubt him one bit. And he also knew that there have been cases of love like theirs that were a lot more extreme,

"There are some stories about couples that have lasted after they got married pretty early. And so far, it seems like you two could do it… i mean, she does seem kinda obsessed with you. All you have to do is not fuck up."

Gage nodded again, but a little annoyed, as he just couldn't explain why he was so afraid. "I know! But i'm not worried about myself or me being able to do those things with her…. " And as he spoke, he even tried to look at Yang through the bay window.

"...It's just that i'm afraid of something getting in the way of it. And with our line of work, it certainly wouldn't be something rare if one of us were hurt, or targeted… or worse.."

Tai was now staring at him weirdly. As he thought the ghost was overthinking it a bit. Especially with the 'being targeted' innuendo.

"Gage, you're being paranoid."

The ghost was just standing there. With his hands in his pockets and… didn't realize all these worries in his head would be chalked up to what Tai just said.

He started to think, 'Am i'? And about how if Taiyang noticed it… then Yang or someone else might have too. But that thought made him feel like someone just tied a knot In his throat… so he clenched his fist, and growled.

'...Why wouldn't i not be?!"

Then, it seemed like all his concerns just flee at him at once and started to strangle Gage as he narrowed his eyes and even began to raise his own voice a little. "I DIED. And now that i'm alive, i'm most likely targeted by The White Fang! And i know this!" He almost yelled.

The memories of Adam, Summer, Cardin, Neptune, and everything that's happened with began to clamp onto him.

 _They_ started to clamp onto him and he began to sound a little winded as he went on, and he also started to talk a lot faster, feeling almost rushed while he began to hear… ringing in his eardrums as well,

"They know about my relationship. They know what i really do, they're in my fucking dreams, and it feels like everyone is out for us except for the ones who are in the same situation as we are!"

Gage's eyes were wide at this point, and he was looking at the ground as he couldn't keep himself quiet. He was just mumbling everything uncontrollably while he slowly slid back onto the ground, and he didn't know why he was doing this.

"E-Every damn day i see them, s-see _HER_ , i go to bed and feel like someone's going to slit my throat, or take me away while i'm unconscious, or just swarm me like a pack of grimm and rip me apart- And i'm scared for what it'll do to Yang!"

Now he was panting very loudly with each word, and he gripped the sides of his own head… so Taiyang watched him and waved at him nervously, since it looked like he was having a panic attack.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down."

"They know…. They know, t-they know…. _He_ knows…."

But the ghost kept mumbling , so Tai put a hand on Gage's shoulder and shook him gently, making him calm down a bit as he looked up at the father and tried to take in small and shallow breaths.

"Gage. You're having a panic attack… just breathe." Tai said, grinning after a few seconds. "Come on. Doing this in front of me isn't good for your reputation ."

"We're not r-right… either of us…" Gage replied as he took one huge breath, and closed his eyes while the cool air and Tai's calm mannered words began to soothe him.

"T-That day i died did something to us… we just don't want to admit it…"

The huntsman sighed and rolled his eyes since he was still acting weirdly, so he decided to change the subject, since it was something he knew would help end a panic attack without having to take him to the hospital or something,

"Gage look, if you think you're going crazy because of… Summer, then don't worry. She's way smaller than you and i'm sure she'd be a friendly ghost… like casper."

It made his daughter's boyfriend exhale, and look up at him. So Taiyang continued with his method, as it looked like it was working. "You ever watch that show? When you were a kid? Or am i just too old." He asked him politely.

Gage answered, and thankfully his panting slowed as he rubbed his eyes, and tried not to think about all the things that were clogging his brain at that moment. "I...I watched that shitty movie with the ghostbusters cameo… that's it…" He replied.

They both smiled because of his answer, and Gage wobbly stood up after that as he groaned and just rubbed his eyes very hard before Taiyang watched and put a hand on his right shoulder. "So… You better now?"

"I… i don't know. But thank you for that."

"Again, i had the feeling you were going to be a nutjob, so i prepared myself. Just thank god it wasn't as bad as i thought. Hehe." The father joked, rather coldly.

"*sigh* ...Didn't think i had it under the wraps that poorly." Gage sighed before he just shakily exhaled and shook his head a bit as he nodded, and huffed as he opened his eyes slowly.

"Hey. It's alright. I get it." Tai said that, and just gestured for them both to head back towards the front door, since he knew that it was getting close to midnight at this point. "But don't worry about it, because everyone is their own different type of crazy. Trust me."

"Yeah… i'm just glad i was talking to you instead of Yang."

"She would understand that too you know. But for now i'd… not show that side of you to anyone else. At least until you go back to school, because that damn academy can make anyone go mad…."

His joke made Gage laugh and think about how he was to start school again in about a week, and how he wouldn't be able to sleep in. Which made him laugh a little bit more. "Haha, Yeah I'll… Try my best sir."

"You better. I don't want to see you on the news again with the headline, 'Crazed student kidnaps girlfriend'."

However, that last jab just made Gage give a fake smile and narrow his eyes at the father, almost into a glare. "Okay, that'll do." He said passive aggressively.

Tai chuckled nervously and scratched his head as they both started to move back up to top of the porch steps. "H-Heh… Sorry. I tend to get carried away. Anyway, Yang's worried about you, so we should probably go back inside."

"Oh. Yeah… right..."

…

They both re-entered the house, and Yang and Ruby both immediately turned to them and waved, with Yang nearly leaning over the arm of the couch. "Gage you're back! Where'd you go anyway?"

"I… just was taking a walk." He answered.

"...Outside in the snow?"

"Um….. Y-Yes."

Ruby then groaned and just stared at the couple as her father sat back onto the couch, "'Oh it doesn't matter now! The ball's gonna drop!" She said as she pointed at Gage and then the TV.

The ghost looked at it while he made his way back to the couch and saw that the news program was still on, and it had a digital clock on the new widget at the bottom of the screen that read, '11:59', Which made him glare at the screen.

"...Seriously?" He said out loud.

"Mmhm!"

Yang shut her eyes at that moment, and just pulled Gage onto the couch as she hugged and nuzzled against him with a smile. "Gage come here! And you better be thinking of your resolution!"

"Yeah, yeah i am…"

Then, they all turned their attention back towards the TV, as Lisa Lavender and the crowd that was in Eve's Square began to become really hyped up as the broadcast camera was a diamond ball, that was slowly moving down the pole that was holding it up. And now, the anchor began to speak,

" _Ladies and Gentlemen it is time! Finally the new year is almost here! In Five!_ "

" _Four!_ "

Ruby, who was feeling impatient since she's been trying to not think of her resolution, suddenly perked up, and looked back at everyone else with an impatient expression. "Screw it, what'd you guys come up with?!" She yelled.

" _Three!_ "

Tai grinned, and kept watching the screen as he answered. "Same thing as last year. I just want the new year to be good to you two… well… now you three." And he intentionally tried not the look at Gage, which made him smile.

She looked at Yang after that, and so the blonde smiled and squeezed her boyfriend hard as she

answered and looked into his turquoise eyes.

"Simple! I just want the world to become peaceful again!"

" _Two!_ "

Then, Yang giggled, and put her arms around Gage and continued to stare at him with her beautiful lilac eyes lovingly, as she was glad that he was here, spending the last moment of the year with her and her family.

"Hehe… And what about you Gage?~" She asked him.

He kept true to what he was told about their 'tradition', and didn't think about his resolution… for obvious reasons. But, for that he was absolutely clueless as to what his answer was going to be, so he paused, and… thought about his answer for only a split-second,

"I…"

" _One!_ "

"...I…. want the world to change. For the better. And…. i want us to be part of the reason why."

" _Happy New Year!_ "

…

 **The Next Day…**

...

The Celebration of the New Year was short lived in the Rose/Xiao Long residence residence, as they all went to bed afterwards since Gage, Yang, and Ruby had to get ready and head back home to Beacon in the morning.

And now, it was morning. Some birds were singing, snow was falling, and the wind didn't let up at all as everyone was putting their bags into Taiyang's truck, but they were all also really tired, as it was six o'clock in the morning, and the sun just came up not that long ago.

Yang was coming out of the house and walked to the car slowly while she shivered and buttoned up her galaxy jacket to almost entirely. "U-Ugh…. S-So cold…"

Ruby was hopping up into the passenger seat of the truck with Zwei, and Tai was just waiting for Yang to finish putting her bags into the bed of the vehicle while Gage was sitting under a tree that was to the right of the house.

The blonde set her bag in the truck first before she would try and grab his attention, as Gage had seemed rather quiet and distant from everyone else. He barely even spoke to her last night in bed, or this morning too.

But she didn't push him or question him about it, as he was probably just tired. So, she put away her bag, and just watched him as he sat under the tree

He wasn't literally sitting under it although.

Instead, there was actually an old tire swing that was connected to one of the tree branches, and he chose to sit in it while he waited for everyone since he had only needed to take his duffle bag back with him.

The sight of him just being there made Yang laugh to the point she even took her scroll out and took a picture of him sitting in it. "Haha! I almost forgot about that old thing."

The blonde girl took a few more pictures… but saw that he was now looking at her with a blank smile, which made her lower her scroll and take a few steps towards Gage as he let out a small, and very tired sigh,

"...Care-Bear, you okay?" Yang asked him.

"Yeah… I just woke up this morning and i thought about last night. A lot."

She moved over to him and stood in front of her boyfriend, and became curious since she remembered that she fell asleep before he did the previous night. "Oh. Why? Just couldn't sleep that well?"

Gage nodded, and zipped up his suede jacket before Yang just casually sat in his lap. "No. I did. I just remembered about how different this time of december was for me last year…"

His vagueness made Yang confused as she turned and looked at him while he held her in his arms, but only he knew what he was referencing.

He was actually referring to last year's 'christmas' back in the ruins of Mountain Glenn, which consisted of him struggling for warmth, sleeping/bleeding out in the lobby of an abandoned hotel next to an innocent horse, and eating old snowy grains, squirrels, and snakes, But Yang didn't know this.

"...Gage…"

She did know that he was talking about that place however, so she frowned at Gage and put her arms around his neck once again. "You're never going to have to go back there. You're with us now…. With me now. And… i won't let you go through something like that again."

"N-No. I know you won't but i'm just… so happy. Because of me being here, and doing this with you Yang. That's why i was thinking about the past, because my life's changed so much… and yeah… i'm..."

And Gage just closed his eyes in response as he both chuckled… and sniffled in one brief moment.,

"...I'm just so fucking happy... *sniffle* ...hehe…"

Yang saw him become emotional, and grinned right as she brushed his hair and let her eyes become half-way closed while she felt his arm move down to her lower back slowly, so she decided to tease him.

"Hey. Don't start crying on me Gagey!"

"S-Shut up…"

Then he hugged her hard and forced his head against his girlfriend's chest in an attempt to hide his blush from her, but she just laughed and patted his head gently for a few moments.

Now, she felt him hug her again tightly, so she gave him an embrace in return since… yeah. This really was the first time he's spent a family holiday legitimately in the last two years with anyone aside from his father.

So, Yang sighed with a smile and just got really close to him so she could place her forehead against his own in an attempt to gain his full attention as she tried to comfort him with her words.

"*sigh* ...Gage. You don't you have to look back anymore. Now, all that _we_ need to do is look ahead. Towards the brighter days that we'll be spending together."

"Yeah... Sorry. You know me, always being the nervous wreck that i am-"

But since he almost started to go into a session of berating himself, Yang decided to silence him with a gentle kiss before he could get into it… so he got a little deeper into that kiss instead…

"Mmm…"

They both moaned quietly for a few seconds and closed their eyes happily, despite the fact that Yang's father probably had a clear view of them smooching, so the couple kept it short and separated after about a minute.

Yang still stared at her boyfriend afterwards, and kissed him on the cheek once before she started to speak once more. "Gage Sim. I love you. No matter how… weird, or quirky you are. You'll always my Care-Bear."

Gage let out a small breath, and blushed as he looked into her eyes, and thanked her. "*exhale* ...Thank you Yang. And i love you too."

"*HONK!* *HONK!"

Then, Taiyang suddenly honked his truck horn loudly and made the couple jump as he leaned and began to yell to them from Ruby's passenger side window.

"Alright, that's enough pecking you Lovebirds! Now come on! You don't want to miss your flight!"

"O-Okay!"

Yang and Gage both chuckled nervously and looked at each other as they processed what he said. So they both blushed, and Yang got off of him so he could get up from the tire swing. "S-So… you ready to go home?" She asked him.

Gage stood up, took her hand, and answered as he took one single step towards the vehicle, all while him and his girlfriend's eyes stayed locked with each other before they started to walk towards her father's car together.

"Yeah… Let's go home."

…

The couple both got into the two back seats so they could sit together in silence as they were still blushing which made Ruby laugh while Taiyang huffed and started the car. They sat there in silence, making sure that they hadn't forgotten anything important, and started to wind down for their long early hour car ride to the airport.

After the truck had started and Yang began to doze off as her head rested on Gage's shoulder, the ghost let out a sigh of relief as he turned to his window and looked out of it…. But… he noticed something odd.

"...Hmm?"

His window was foggy from the snow, along with all the other windows, yet… his window had an outline of a handprint in the middle of the glass, and it weirded him out completely because he didn't even touch the window. All he did touch was the door handle.

The car engine turned over, so then the truck started to speed off down the snow-covered gravel road slowly as it moved away from the house and towards a lonely road that was surrounded by white trees, which made him forget about it and turn to Yang so he could watch her rest… until he felt some… sharp pain in the back of his head.

"Rgh…" He winced, quietly

It made him grasp the back of his head, and turn around since he thought the headrest of the car seat shocked him because of the metal or something… yet... there wasn't any in the back seat where he was.

He knew this…so he turned around…. looked out the rear window of the car, towards the house….. And froze dead in his seat. As… he saw yet another silhouette standing in front of the house.

And it was of course the figure Summer Rose _again_. Staring, smiling, and waving at Gage as the car got out onto the main road, and she and the house eventually disappeared from sight.

Gage's body turned back around and he gulped as he slouched in his seat, and looked back at his passenger window to see that the handprint on the window… was now gone.

All Gage did after that, was sigh, shut his eyes, and wrap his left arm around Yang tightly as he thought to himself… and began to pant slowly and silently… as he heard _another_ sweet, and innocent voice… whisper something to him inside of his own head…

" _Ghosts…. They_ _are_ _real."_


	14. A Monument To All Your Sins

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I got a REAL doozy here for you guys. Which i'm so happy to be uploading since i'm about to start up school in a few days like every other teenager in the world! So that's a thing! Also, i tried to make this a lot longer than it should have been, so thank you if you decide to just leave me a wonderful review to read! Because i'd really appreciate it!

Love you guys!

 **Song:** Afraid by The Neighborhood

…

 **One Week Later…**

…

After New Year's day had passed, Gage, Yang, Ruby, and Zwei eventually returned back home to Beacon academy along with most of the other students

It's been about a week since they returned, as it was the end of the first week of the year, and Gage was starting to feel a bit relaxed as he started to settle back into his classes at the Academy. Thanks to his friends and Yang.

But with finals week approaching very soon, He felt that he was going to have to rush back into over-drive mode again between his classwork, his work as a collector, and his relationship with his beloved.

However, it was only January 7th, so he decided to hold off on thinking that far ahead, and Yang did the same as she had… started to stay over in his dorm more often.

Now, They were both in Gage's dorm, and had just gotten out of the shower together. He had already dried himself off, and started to get dressed… but his girlfriend was still in her yellow underwear… as she had laid back on the bed.

"Yang… come on. Class starts in forty-five minutes and I know that you take about half that to do your hair."

"Mmm… Five more minutes…" The blonde whispered.

Gage just sighed as he put on his black school overcoat that was apart of his uniform, and took off his prosthetic. "If Ruby barges in here and sees you half naked, then it isn't my fault."

"Ugh…. Okay fine…"

She raised herself off of the bed, and huffed as she rubbed her eyes. Then, she got up and went into the closet that her and Gage now shared,

"You know, you probably wouldn't be this tired if you didn't make me fool around with you in the shower for half an hour…~"

His smirk and tiny flirt humored Yang, and she shook her head with a grin while she started to get dressed as well, "S-Sorry if i wanted to be a little frisky with you! I just really love being with you in here…" She stuttered.

She put on her white blouse and black overcoat, and turned to stare at Gage with a blush as he laughed, "Haha. Well, then I guess I'll have to return the favor tomorrow morning…"

"D-Dont you go joking around about that Gage… because now I'm gonna expect it."

"Yang I'm serious!"

The blonde smiled, and rolled her eyes as she pulled her skirt up, and started to work on her tie. "Hehe… Yeah right…"

Gage chuckled at her, and slowly put his books all under his right right only arm, and he soon just began to watch his girlfriend get dressed.

"All ya gotta do is ask Taiyo-chan. ~"

"Ohoho Really?" She asked as she sat down on the bed and began to put on her black high socks. "...So you want me to beg for you? Kinky."

"Sh-Shush. N-Now don't you have to fix your hair?"

Her eyes suddenly widened, and she quickly grabbed her yellow towel off of the bed and headed into the bathroom with haste!

"Crap you're right! D-Don't worry! I'll try and make it quick!"

…

After about twenty more minutes, Yang came back out of the bathroom, and her hair was now its usual long and luscious self.

"Alright I'm done, are you ready to head out?" She asked Gage, who was on his bed.

He was fully dressed with the left sleeve of his school outfit tied up so that it enveloped his stump perfectly, and he nodded to her.

"Yep."

He replied as he stood back up, and walked towards her. The blonde then ran her fingers through her own hair, and did a slow and small three-sixty spin for her boyfriend before turning to him,

"So… how do I look?"

Gage just chuckled, and looked into Yang's eyes as he used his one hand to cup her cheek lightly. "You're as beautiful as ever Taiyo-chan.~"

The blonde brawler replied with a small giggle before she blushed and gave him a quick little kiss on the lips, making his hand drift down onto her shoulder blade as they both eased into it, and broke it quickly afterwards.

"*smooch* ...Hehe. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me Yang. It's the truth after all."

She nodded with a smile, so he took a step back and turned to his desk, and picked up some of his notebooks off of it. But, Yang suddenly stopped him, and whispered to her boyfriend as she grasped his wrist tightly.

"Oh wait! I-I wanted to show you something i got."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Something that'll help you with all that."

Then, Yang let go of his wrist and moved towards their-h-his bed, and pulled out a bag from under it. She was smiling as she took it out, and held it towards Gage as she stood up and allowed him to see it.

"Here. It's one handed, and it looks more sophisticated than just the Beacon backpacks the school gives us!"

He looked at it, and saw that it was an olive-colored single strap knapsack, that looked big enough to be a regular backpack. So, he took it from her and smiled as he held it. "It looks cool. And… kinda expensive."

She just put held her hands behind her back and looked away from him as she answered and watched him put it around his back.

"Eh… it wasn't that much, and i know you'll use it since it's your favorite color. So, i think it was worth it."

The ghost laughed and took it off right after he thought it was comfortable, and he put it on his desk.

He began to put his books and stuff into it neatly as he could smell the scent that was accompanied with new backpacks, but Yang approached him and watched before she picked up and placed his prosthetic arm into it,

"And here! Now you have something to keep your prosthetic in so you won't have to go back and forth from here and class to get it."

"Hehe. Yeah you're right! Thanks Yang."

Gage thanked her before he gave her a one-armed hug as it was all he could do, and she took the bag from him and weirdly decided to hold it for him.

Then, he grinned as she gave him another kiss, but on the cheek, and slowly walked towards the door of the dorm. "So… now are _you_ ready to go?" He asked her, jokingly.

"Y-Yeah. Let's go Care-Bear!"

So, they finally were ready and opened the door before they removed out into the hallway and closed it behind them. Making sure that it was also locked.

Yang reached for Gage's hand immediately and held it firmly as they turned, and were about to start walking to class together… until they saw that Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were in the same hall as them, and were approaching them both very quickly.

"Hey you two!" Ruby yelled.

The couple flinched simultaneously, and nervously turned to the rest of Yang's team as they both blushed lightly. "O-Oh! Hey guys!" Yang greeted them.

Weiss smirked and rolled at the sight of them both, but Ruby just giggled while Blake just stared at them in silence. And then the three girls passed them, and signaled for the couple to follow, so they did.

"So, i heard that the break was good to you both." Weiss said to the couple.

Gage laughed a bit and continued to hold Yang's hand as they walked, and looked down at the floor. "Aside from being the source of every sarcastic comment that Yang's father made, it was actually really nice." He replied.

Yang looked at her boyfriend with a smile, and she rolled her eyes as well. "Oh come on. He wasn't _that_ bad Gage."

"Yeah… he wasn't. He was actually a really cool guy to be honest."

Weiss smirked at Gage, and crossed her arms while they walked. "Well if you're tolerable to me, then i think anyone can deal with you."

"Took the words right out of my mouth Weiss…"

"H-Hmmph…"

The ghost made her huff and scoff at him annoyingly as everyone else smiled at her and continued to walk out of the dorm building together, increasing their pace a bit as they now had about ten minutes to get to Professor Port's class.

Even though it was now January, the weather was still cold and snowy like it was only a few weeks ago, but the wind wasn't as rowdy as it was before.

Weiss and Blake appeared to be not as annoyed by the cold however, which made Yang, being the curious blonde that she was, decide to ask about Weiss and Blake's Christmas break since there was a snowstorm during that time and she just wanted to know what they did.

"So… Blake, Weiss what'd you two do over the break anyway?"

Weiss was about to open her mouth, but then

Blake broke the silence right before she could do so.

"I went to Vacuo with Sun and saw his family. They were… alright, but of kinda rowdy. At least for me. And it was really hot too…"

Yang giggled, and nearly jumped onto her partner as she wrapped her right arm around her and winked at her, "Hehe… glad to see i'm not the only one who spent the holidays with their boyfriend.~" She cooed.

Blake blushed because of that, and Weiss huffed once again as well… so, since he noticed it, Gage looked over at the heiress and decided to ask about her Christmas break.

"And how was the break for you Weiss?"

He sounded nervous since he knew that the Schnee family was… a little dysfunctional to say the least, but thankfully Weiss actually had an okay answer to give him.

"It was pleasant. My parents were there for dinner and even my sister managed to stop by, which made it even better."

Gage chuckled at her response and continued to walk casually with them… but he stopped once he processed the information a little late...

"Well that sounds nice,-WAIT THERE'S TWO OF YOU?!"

He yelled that out, and even though it could have been taken as a joke, Weiss growled at him… and slapped her hand against the back of the ghost's neck so hard that it even left a red mark on his skin,

"Owwww!"

Gage winced and whimpered as he grasped the back of his neck, so Weiss just pointed at her friend with her finger as she shouted back at him. "Hurts doesn't it? Just be glad you didn't say that to Winter!"

"Weissss!" Yang yelled.

The feeling nearly made the ghost's eyes begin to water, as it simply stung like hell and had a tingly pulsation of pain to it. But, he was ashamed of himself and thought that he was just being a little bitch about it,

"That hurt…"

"Oh don't be a baby Gage. Just be glad i didn't have Myrtenaster with me."

He whined in response, so Yang just rubbed the back of her boyfriend's neck while Ruby laughed, Blake tried not to, and Weiss stomped towards the front of the group as they went on to walk towards their first class of the day…

"Whatever… let's just get to class…"

…

 **Later…**

…

The cold day went on to get even colder, and it was snowing so hard that the school staff recommended that all students were to stay inside during any breaks and passing periods, unless the class was in a different building.

Gage's classes went by smoothly, since a lot of the teachers were still feeling sympathetic towards him… and it did annoy him, but he at least was glad to have a caught a break during all the chaos that came with most back-to-school days.

It was now his fourth class of the day, and it was his combat conditioning class which was in the main room of the school's own stadium, and was also taught by Glynda Goodwitch.

He was dressed in his Spectre outfit with his weapons equipped, and he was walking up into the mid-section of the bleachers that overlooked the combat rings of the training center, and it was packed with his friends and other students who took up the majority of the seats.

He eventually saw Yang amongst everyone since she had smiled and waved to him, so Gage of course decided to sit next to her, and the rest of her team.

"Hey Yang."

"Hey Gagey!"

The rest of RWBY waved at him, with Weiss giving him a glare because of what happened earlier, so he sat down as… Sun and Neptune both followed behind him.

Yang didn't see them at first although, so she just grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him down into the seat next to her as Sun approached them both with a smirk on his face, "Hehe, so, how was Christmas for, 'the star couple'?" He asked them both.

The blonde brawler then raised her arms in the air and used them to give Gage another massive bear hug that he loved even though it hurt a bit, and she yelled back at Sun,

"It was great! Ten out of ten, would do again!"

Sun and Gage both chuckled in response… but the faunus soon smirked again and leaned in close to the ghost so he could whisper to him quietly..

"So... Was it a white christmas Gage? Hehe."

"W-What? N-No! And you have a fucked up mind by the way."

"No, i just have a sexy imagination.~"

Gage groaned and sighed all in the same breath before he just grinned and lightly pushed the Wukong away from himself, and Yang lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Damn it Sun!"

"Hahaha! Anyway, it's good to see that the holidays were great for you guys… since it uh… wasn't as great for some others…"

The couple both squinted their eyes at him, but he then looked down in the row of seats below their aisle where a lonely, and visibly pissed off looking Neptune was sitting by himself. So he pointed at him, and tried not to make it obvious that he was doing so.

And unbeknownst to them, Weiss was also eyeing the blue haired boy… as she thought she was the reason why he appeared that way.

"Hmm... What's up with him?" Gage asked Sun.

The blonde boy shrugged and just rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno. He won't say anything, so I'm just giving you two a heads up because of what's been going on between you three." He said to them.

Him and Gage both didn't have a clue as to what was actually going on… but Yang did. Since Weiss had broken up with Neptune after last month's holiday dance…

"...He deserved it." She thought to herself.

The only thing she wished she knew is how bad it was, since Weiss looked okay from the aftermath. At least on the outside.

But, Gage knew that some of the reason he looked pissed was because of his and Yang's presence, since he sounded jealous from what his girlfriend told him.

"Well, thanks for the warning Sun. I'll make sure to try and stand clear of him." He thanked Sun.

"No problem dude, just make sure to keep an eye out."

Yang just changed her expression back one of her cheerful regulars as she gave the fellow blonde a thumbs up, "Will do!"

So with that, Sun gave the couple a little wave as he walked away and down to the aisle of seats below them so he could sit next to his best friend.

And then, Glynda Goodwitch finally made her way to the bottom of the bleachers while she sighed and was looking down at her tablet like she usually did,

"Happy January everyone…" She greeted them, without any emotion.

Everyone knew to nut up and shut up once she entered the room, so the teacher just smiled as she looked up at everyone and could see they were waiting for her to go on. For once.

However, she looked over at Gage for a few seconds before she looked down at his student file, as it was sticking out among the others on her roll chart, since his fight status was currently reading as,

' _Combat Ready'_

So, she saw that it was time for him to get back out there, or at least get his ass handed to him, Depending if his new arm is actually effective in a one on one match.

"Today will just be any other day we've had in here, and since everyone appears to be well and rested, I'm sure that's we'll _all_ be able to prove ourselves today."

Gage knew that she was talking about him because she still had her eyes on him, and Yang noticed it as well… but she was beginning to worry. Which was the complete opposite of how her boyfriend felt.

"Oh no… he doesn't have someone easy like Jaune to fight…"

A bunch of the other students looked over to them as well, and it made her become even more displeased…. But… then she saw that Gage was smiling.

"So, since I'm sure I'm not the only person who's anxious to see how one of our more… _unique_ additions to the class will act in battle, let's not waste any more time with the vagueness."

She then looked directly at the couple along with everyone else, and she gestured towards them both with yet another smile,

"Mr. Sim. Why don't you start off the first match of the day? ...That is, if Ms. Xiao Long will let you off your leash."

That made everyone in the room, except for Neptune and Weiss, burst out laughing while Gage just tugged on Yang's arm like he was a five-year old that was wanting a piece of candy. "C'mon Yang! It's sanctioned! I'll be fine!"

"H-Hmmm…."

Ruby groaned as Yang blushed and hummed nervously from the leftof her, "Ughhh. Yang he'll be fine! He cuddled with you the entire break, so i think he deserves this."

"*sigh* ...Fine."

Everyone else then cheered and laughed, so, Gage put a fist in the air and stood up. "Finally!" He cheered before he kissed Yang on the cheek and began to walk down to the base of the bleachers. "Thanks Yang."

She nodded and watched her boyfriend walk down the steps, so Glynda smiled and looked back down at her tablet so she could randomly choose his opponent. The teacher looked at her matchup tab on her tablet, and just decided to randomize the search.

She touched a button that said, 'random', and the combat status screen on the other side of the stadium started to project and cycle through every single student's picture for a few minutes while Gage watched in anticipation.

"Come on… someone challenging."

With his request in mind, Gage watched as the selection process eventually started to slow down, and eventually stopped… as the program randomly picked Neptune as his opponent. And it made him feel like his stomach was going to explode.

"And your opponent is… Neptune Vasilias!" Glynda announced.

"Oh shit…"

Neptune stood up with a smirk, and everyone didn't even cheer or clap. It was just a reign of utter silence as he walked down next to Gage and purposely didn't look at him, which made Sun look away from everyone with a fake smile. "Aw shit…"

However… Weiss looked the most scared out of all of them. As she saw that her now ex-boyfriend had a concerningly huge smile across his face… and that he was also staring RIGHT at her, menacingly.

She was worried, because she hadn't told anyone about what happened the night they became no more...

"Oh no…"

...and… he didn't take their break up lightly.

…

 **Three Weeks Ago…**

…

It was only a few hours after the Holiday Dance had ended, and Weiss had decided to call Neptune outside to the school's landing pads so they could talk in private.

She did that because she had been trying to hold off on their talk, and since Blake and Ruby were sleeping and Yang had wandered off to Gage's dorm, she thought it was better to do it before midnight struck.

He did show up quickly, which was a first in Weiss's mind, and he was dressed regularly while Weiss still was in her dress, but with a fur coat over it.

"Hey Weiss." He greeted her with a very huge smirk. "I know you didn't get a chance to dance with me earlier…. So… did you call me out here to make it up to me?~"

She appeared to be feeling bitter because of her pissed off expression, and she just kept her back turned to him as she looked across the canal that was in between the school and the brightly lit City of Vale as she sighed.

"*sigh* ...No!"

Her voice made him flinch and walked even closer to her so he could place his hands on top of her shoulders, "Hey hey hey, why do you sound angry?"

She growled, and looked down at the floor as she shook his hands off of her, and turn to him before she stood on her tip toes in an attempt to try and match his height, "I'm angry at you. And i can't do this anymore Neptune."

"Wha- W-Wait do what?"

His voice changed from suave to a nervous wreck in an instant, which made her become even more annoyed with him, so she raised her own voice in response.

"I can't be with you anymore. And i don't want to! I've put up with too much of your unfaithful crap for too long, so i'm done with it!"

"W...Weiss what are you talking about?!" Neptune asked her.

Weiss took a step towards her near moments away to being an ex-boyfriend and spoke to him through clenched teeth, clearly making her frustration more prominent. "Neptune… Yang told me what you did. What you were trying to do with her while Gage was in hospital!"

Nep eye's widened as he was shocked, but he still rubbed the back of his head and took a step back too, "W-Weiss… come on. She's taken so i'd never ever want to-"

"Don't you even try to lie!" She yelled at him.

"I thought it wasn't true at first, but then you strayed away from her and started to act very strange ever since Gage came back! Around me, and both of them. So i know… because she told me that you were in that 'mob' with Cardin that tormented her!"

He was about to interrupt her, but he quickly shut his mouth once she finished her sentence. So, Weiss took another step towards him, now infuriated because of what he did to her friend and teammate,

"She isn't that dumb blonde that you think she is Neptune! And i'm not stupid either. We're both not like every other girl you flirt with, which i've seen you do!"

Now he was just speechless. And stood there in silence, looking down at the ground as he covered his eyes and his trembled with regret.

"Weiss… i'm sorry… i just…-"

But he was cut off by the Ice Queen when he tried to apologize because she simply didn't want him to somehow loop her back around into his arms with his words.

"Don't bother! *exhale* ...If you really did love me, then you wouldn't have even thought about cheating. And i know i'm not perfect, but you're a real piece of work compared to me."

Her words just poised him into silence because of how toxic her vocal tone was, and she still kept going even after that.

"If you wanted to be with me… then you wouldn't have treated me like every other girl either. That's how Gage treats Yang… like she's special compared to the rest… and you saw how happy they were tonight…"

But… Neptune's mood changed completely once she mentioned Gage, and he decided to glare at Wiess now from this point on.

"Of course you mention him…"

"...Why wouldn't i? Hmm? He's stayed by her side ever since they've met, and their relationship is still more healthier than ours has ever been. And ever will be…"

He finally took a step towards Weiss with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed, and at this point he was more pissed off than sorry. "I get it. You think that's he's just _so perfect_ compared to me. Is that it?"

"...That's an understatement." Weiss hissed at him.

"He respects Yang, listens to her, is open to her, and has _never_ flirted with anyone else aside from her."

To say that Neptune was jealous of Gage would, again, be an understatement to say the least. In his mind, Nep seemed far better for Yang because he thought he was just as nerdy, a lot more smarter and confident, and surely more good looking. "...H….He's."

But the knowledge that both Yang and Weiss admired Gage so much more than himself… angered him. Deeply. So he growled, and eventually his tolerance broke, so he yelled back at her in his rage.

"Rrrgh! He's a goddamn clingy social outcast compared to me! And you're talking about him like he's a fucking saint?! ...Or are you just jealous that Yang has him all to herself?"

"That's irrelevant! I'm saying that he's an example- A fine good example of how someone faithful should be!"

Weiss was about to shove him back, but he managed to grab onto her wrists before she could touch him, and tried not to just throw her onto the ground.

"Well then, why don't you to go to him and tell him that you like him! And that'd you be so much better off with him than me!-

But, the Heiress managed to break one of her hands away from his grasp, and she made him stop as she looked up at him, growled and hit Neptune in the face.

It wasn't the petty slap that most people would expect from her, but a well placed punch to the chin which landed right before he yelped, backed away, and heard Weiss as she began to outright scream at him,

"I WON'T. BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT MY FRIENDS AND WOULD NEVER WANT TO SPLIT THEM APART JUST BECAUSE OF MY FEELINGS FOR ONE PERSON!"

In her rage, she unknowingly admitted that she did in fact have some sort of feelings for the ghost, in Neptune's eyes at least, and she knew this. But like she said, she would never want to break her team apart.

So now, she was breathing heavily and was on the verge of crying, yet she still sneered at her ex-boyfriend and clenched her fists as her mascara began to run down her cheeks, but it wasn't too messy.

"*huff* *huff* ...N-Now… leave, or hit me so i can 'accidentally' castrate you properly and say it was 'self defense'." She threatened him.

Neptune didn't continue any further. He knew she didn't want him, and now that she seemed to have something for Gage… he didn't want her anymore either. So, he repressed his rage and instead turned it into a low growl, and walked away.

"You're gonna regret this. Either soon, or in the future. Trust me."

She watched him walk away, and said her final statement to him as she too turned, and started to walk away in the opposite direction. Towards her dorm.

"Well i'll be ready. Oh… and to answer your question? Yes. I would be better off with Gage. Now… go run your little world Neptune."

Weiss then went on to walk the path home by herself.

She was cold, and alone with tears and makeup running down her face before she made her way to Team RWBY's dorm, silently made her way inside as to not wake Ruby and Blake, locked herself in the bathroom, and began to cry silently for almost an hour until her tear ducts ran dry.

And then, she sucked it up, took a shower, and went to bed.

…

 **Present Day…**

…

Gage and Neptune both headed down to the combat ring after they unsheathed and took out their weapons while everyone watched in anticipation.

Weiss felt like she was about to throw up, and since she was concerned, she got up and walked over to Yang before she sat in Gage's empty seat.

The blonde brawler felt Weiss tug on her arm, and she even whispered her name with concern. "Y-Yang. I think h-he's-"

But Yang turned to her teammate and just closed her eyes and smiled at her while she spoke softly to her in a calm and innocent tone of voice.

"Don't worry Weiss! Neptune knows that i'd beat the holy hell out of him if he even tries to hurt Gage too badly! And it's not like could actually do that."

"W...Well, let's just keep an eye out…"

They both nodded in agreement, and continued to watch the two men as they were in a standoff, but Neptune seemed more tense than Gage, as the ghost… looked at Neptune with a nervous smile, mostly because of how their last encounter went...

"Look uh… i'm sorry about what happened last time. I was stressed and really, really tired and i heard some rumors. You understand right?" He asked.

"Oh… yeah. I understand _just_ fine Gage."

Nep's voice made Gage internally cringe and squint at him questionably. "Hmmm…" And he was about to ask him another question, but soon the countdown timer for their match began.

 **Five!**

 **Four!**

They both flinched, and got into a serious stance with their weapons drawn after that. Neptune turned his fusion rifle into it's Guandao form, which was a staff with a slightly curved blade on top of it, and held it in his arms as Gage just activated his double bladed wrist gauntlet Cynica, which was on his right arm, and held Javix in his left arm while he turned it into it's Kukri form,

"Just… take it easy on me, You know?"

 **Three!**

His request didn't appear to process in the blue haired boy's mind. Or any other thing for that matter, since he just kept a blank expression, and… took a quick step towards the ghost, who even became more nervous as he looked up at Yang.

She just gave him an uneasy smile as well, but she raised her fist in the air and decided to cheer for him soon after, which Ruby joined in on as well.

"You can do it Gage!"

 **Two!**

Gage watched them as everyone else glanced and turned back to him… so he started to return his gaze back over to his opponent with a confident grin… but he was stopped almost immediately.

 **One!-**

"Hrrragh!"

"*WHACK!*"

"Agh!"

While he wasn't looking, Neptune bared his teeth once Yang stood up, so he used the bottom of his Guandao's hilt to bash the metal staff into the ghost's chin, very hard.

 _ **MATCH START!**_

Every student watched as he struck Gage in the face again, and again until he smashed the staff against his forehead, turned it, and used the bottom the hilt again to jab it right below his right eye!

Then, everyone stood up, and began to either boo, or yell at them both while Glynda shook her head and was already thinking about disqualifying Neptune because the cheap shots, but she wanted to see how the ghost would recover from it.

However, Yang's eyes were already in their 'red death' mode, and she immediately ran down to the edge of the bleachers, and began to shout at her boyfriend's opponent as she leaned over the railing angrily.

"What the hell was that Neptune?!"

He smiled, and finished it off with a well placed kick to her Care-Bear's chest, making him land onto his back.

Gage winced, let go of Javix, and covered his right eye with his metal arm. "Rrrrgh! Or not go easy…. That's okay too!" He groaned.

He was about to get up, but without warning, Neptune suddenly jumped on top of Gage and raised his blade up in an attempt to stab him!

"Whoa what the hell!"

That was everyone's thought as Gage used his metal arm to catch and hold the blade in place, and Nep kept trying to push the blade even further down… but it didn't budge, so the ghost used Cynica and banged the side of it's blades into his head so he wouldn't cut him by accident.

The impact from it made the homewrecker writhe in pain and take one hand off of his Guandao's handle, which allowed Gage to press his legs against his opponent's stomach and push him off of himself.

"You're not the only one that knows how to make cheap shots asshole!" He snarled as he managed to get up.

The crowd kept jeering. And even Sun and Blake joined in on it, though, Blake wasn't as vocal. "Nep, what are you doing?!" The faunus yelled at his best friend.

"S...Shut up Sun!"

He then turned and tried to do a leg sweep move with his blade, and it would have worked if the ghost hadn't stopped it with his foot as fast as he did.

Gage kicked it away, and lunged at Neptune as he jumped, and used his elbow so he could let the hard metal of his left arm slam down onto the top of his head.

"Ugh! F...Fuck!"

A loud conk was heard as Gage landed on his feet, and rolled forward onto the ground before he turned back and slashed at Neptune's kneecap, which only managed to cut through the fabric of his pants, and drew some blood.

"Yeah? How do you like it?!" Gage yelled.

The blue haired boy was about to shout in pain, and felt his scalp as it started to bleed slowly, so he did shout as he swung his weapon around. "Rrrragh!"

It slashed fiercely towards him, and he went in to block it with Javix… but then something unexpected happened. Gage raised his kukri and clashed it's blade's against Neptune's… before the knife's blade was suddenly knocked off of it's hilt and…. It clattered into the floor!

Screws, bolts, and a few .44 rounds hit the ground along with the blade as the ghost backed up, and stared at the now bladeless Javix in awe.

"Aw FUCK. Ruby was right!"

He mentally screamed that at himself, and threw the kukri's dark green hilt onto the marble floor before he took another step back and held his prosthetic arm out in front of himself while just waited for Neptune's next move.

But, Nep was smirking at this point, and pressed a button on his Guandao's staff that made it's blade shift and separate into that of a trident… and it was even able to emit electricity from its three jagged blades!

The sight and the sound of the electricity crackling made Weiss stand up from her seat in the bleachers and nearly pounced onto Yang as she walked down to her and shook her teammate's shoulder once again. "Yang!"

"Yang! Gage's arm isn't magnetized!"

"What?"

"It's metal, so it's not shock proof! And it could seriously hurt him if those blades touch his arm!"

"O...Oh no!"

Glynda wasn't that far away from them though, and she heard everything that they said. So, she jumped and rushed as she tried to manually end the match.

Back in the ring, Gage knew fully well what would happen if that electricity touched his prosthetic, and made sure to think of every way of how to dodge his opponent's attacks… but then he noticed something about the boy's trident.

It was glowing a neon blue type of color, and there was even a small lens that appeared to be covering the power source of the electrical element, which was the same color.

The ghost knew what he had to do. Somehow, he had to jam one of his throwing picks to crack and penetrate the core, which could either result in the weapon blowing up, the core letting loose it's power onto Neptune's body since he was touching it, or it would just simply turn off.

He didn't care at this point, so he crouched, reached towards the back of his belt, and gripped three of his throwing pick in between four of his five fingers as Neptune began to charge at him with his trident like it was spear.

The core was visible, so Gage made up his mind and was about to fling the three picks at his opponent in one sideways hurl of his right arm… until...

 _ **GAME! SET! MATCH!**_

Glynda pulled through and managed to stop the match before the two men could turn it into a gladiator match any further, but the ending sound of the match made Gage become very agitated.

He holstered his throwing picks and grabbed onto Neptune as he stopped right in front of him, and lowered his weapon,

"What the hell was that?! Are you trying to kill me?!"

He grabbed the other student and managed to completely stretch out the neck of his shirt as he held him up by it, and the homewrecker looked completely shocked. More by how he wasn't fast enough to reach his target…

Neptune managed to act like he was sincerely apologetic, and confused at the same time. "I-I'm sorry! I… i just forgot about your arm! O-Okay?!" He whimpered, trying his best to come up with an excuse.

Gage was about to just go off on him and break his trident in an act of revenge, but he was stopped before he could try, as Yang vaulted over the railing of the bleachers and started to run towards them both.

"Hey hey hey!"

The blonde managed to get in between the two. However, she gasped loudly, and saw that the bottom of Gage's right eyelid was now bruised, and it made her turn towards the blue haired boy and throw her arms down in anger while she shouted at him,

"Rrrgh! Neptune! What is wrong with you?!"

"That's enough!"

Before the screaming could continue, Glynda stomped over to the group, and watched as Neptune almost fast walked over to her, "Look, he keeps that thing hidden and it's so new that i just forgot about it. I promise." He pleaded with her.

She looked at the ghost's left sleeve and could barely see the prosthetic because the sleeve of his black suede jacket… so she could chalk it down as just an honest mistake.

"Well… I can't really blame you there. But, i'm sure you don't have a reason behind that very early blow-"

"More like a bitchy sucker punch…" Gage mumbled.

"-AHEM!"

She cleared her throat, and it made Yang move behind her boyfriend while they both continued to glare at the blue haired boy… So Glynda went on.

"As i was saying, that 'sucker punch', was simply inexcusable. And for that, you will have to come and explain yourself to me… and professor Ozpin."

"What?! Wh…"

All Neptune did was question her like he was a child pleading to not be grounded, and eventually he gave up with a small sigh. However, the teacher just rolled her eyes and beckoned for him to follow her with a hand gesture.

"Please just comply before you make this situation worse than it already is Mr. Vasilias."

"...Fine!"

And with that, he began to walk away as he followed Goodwitch out of the room, shifting his weapon back into it's incognito mode angrily as he did so.

But, after they both left,Yang finally let out a sigh of relief as she stood back in front of Gage and started to inspect her lover's eye closely… but the way she handled it made him uncomfortable.

The blonde used her thumb and index finger to open his eyelid, but it made him wine and wince in the same breath.

"Agh… n-not so hard Yang!"

"S-Sorry! It's just that it's same eye that Weiss accidentally cut the first time you came here, and i was worried that you weren't going to see out of it anymore."

Gage rolled his eyes at her and made her move her hands away from him so he could take out his scroll and look at himself in the reflection of it's glass, but it just made him rub his eye and groan as his mouth hung agape. "Ughhhh…."

"Gage!" Ruby yelled.

Ruby then jumped down from the bleachers as well, and ran over to him…. And looked over at Javix's blade and parts as they were scattered onto the ground.

"Hey Ruby…."

She ran past him, and picked up the blade, screws, and bullets before she walked back and just held the parts out in front of him, "I told you Javix was needing some repairs!"

"Yeah i know…" He said, frowning as he took the Kukri blade and stared at it. "...at least me and you can fix it right?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't be too hard."

Ruby shrugged and smiled as her sister's boyfriend was grinning and was waving around the blade while he talked… but Yang saw it too and just took the piece of steel away from him,

"Lemme just take that from you…"

And she even kissed his bruise as way to apologize… but that still hurt too.

"Ow! Yaaang!"

"W-What? I'm sorry that my kisses hurt!"

He rubbed his face again and decided to just put his palm over the purple bruise so it couldn't feel any worse… but, Yang still looked dissatisfied and sad.

So he sighed, and tried to come up with some sort of ultimatum. "*sigh* …Yang, will it make you feel better if i go to the nurse and get an ice pack or something?"

"Maybe…" Yang replied.

Ruby giggled, and Gage smiled too as he took ahold of his girlfriend's hands and started to walk off of the combat ring with her, "Alright… come on Ruby..."

"Okay…"

But… unbeknownst to the three, another group of three were watching the closely from above, back in the bleachers,

It wasn't any of Gage and Yang's shippers, or one of the many tryhard suitors that were obsessed with Yang… but with a very angstful Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder.

Mercury glared at them with his arms crossed, and annoyingly rested his legs on the head of the seat below him,

"He seems to almost be done recovering. That's not good."

Emerald was actually taking down notes in her scroll's note section, and she agreed with her partner in crime for once. "Yeah… a few more weeks and he may be back at it again if that blonde bimbo decides to give him a break. So….. should we tell _him?_ "

"I don't think he's really in a 'talking mood' right now." Merc mumbled as he closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head." And he sure as hell won't be if we tell him this."

Cinder, who was bending over to get a closer view of Gage, shook her head and crossed her legs as she sat back in her seat with a frustrating scowl across her face… since their 'secret friend', has gone dark ever since the night the ghost was put into the hospital...

"He's never been in a ' _talking mood'_ ever since he got his throat ripped out. But we're going to tell him whether he wants to hear it or not…'

…

 **Later That Night…**

…

The Syndicate trio eventually made it back to their dorm and waited until the dead of night to establish some sort of secure video call between them, and their friend from the White Fang… Adam Taurus.

They made sure to talk low and try and block all sources that would let their conversation be heard from anyone outside by locking the windows, and the space underneath their front door with a few pillows. So, once they were done with that, they called the faunus using a black scroll that Cinder managed to acquire before coming to Beacon.

The call started with static, and they became connected with the image of a shirtless Adam sitting in front of a bed that was had a tent over it.

He was wearing his now mandatory respirator mask, which was a full faced white fang mask with a collar that covered the massive scar on his throat that Gage had left him, and it even had a small tube going into his throat as well.

Though, it would make a lot of noise between providing air to Adam, emitting the distorted sounds of his wheezes and breaths, and the occasional cough. "*wheeze* ...What?!" He asked them angrily.

Cinder rolled her eyes and looked at him through the screen with another scowl yet again.

"It's Gage. He's already showing signs of recovery, and he also happens to have a new toy up his sleeve as well."

"Do not be vague with me. Spit it out."

Mercury and Emerald both shook their head as they were sat on their beds, out of frame from the scroll's video camera. Yet Cinder still sighed once again...

"*sigh* ...It's a customized prosthetic arm that appears to be weaponized and created by the Atlesian Army's finest. It was probably a present from the Schnee girl as a way to express her feelings of being sympathetic towards him."

This revelation, just made the bull growl, and grip the surface of his mask in anger. "Rrrrgh…. Why can't you simply make this easier by killing him in his sleep for me?"

The question seemed rather stupid to the dust wielding seductress, and she almost flat out yelled at Adam in annoyance. "Absolutely not! We're now only a few months away from our plan's time of execution! We can't risk blowing our cover this early!"

"You're going to regret it in the future Cinder. I can assure you that."

"Ugh… Well then i can _assure you_ that you'll be punished for your incompetence if you fail to kill him again. Do i make myself clear?"

Her threat made the bull sneer at her through his mask, and growl with a small wheeze before nearly cough out his answer. "Oh very much so…"

"Good. Now go on with your plans and do what you are told!"

"...Rrrgh!"

And with a stubborn growl, Adam ended the call and hung up on Cinder, which made her almost want to throw the scroll across the room and into the wall. After she would set it on fire. But she didn't.

Instead, she slammed it down onto the desk she was sitting at, and used the fire dust that was infused into her clothing to make a small human skull out of her flames before she crushed it, making it shatter and dissipate as it burned her hand!

"Grrr! Damned fool!"

Mercury sighed and watched as Emerald got off the bed and began to rub her shoulder gently… since she looked like she was about to pop a blood vessel.

"He'll obey you either way. He knows that he'll have to."

"*sigh* ...When this is all over, i'm going to kill him and Gage in the end…"

"Hopefully." Mercury said, receiving a glare from Emerald soon after.

Cinder shook her head and just stood up while it looked like fire was coming from the side of her eyes, and she just started to walk towards the front door with a small flame still coming from her hand.

"Cinder? Where are you going? Emerald asked her.

"I'm going to take a walk, maybe melt some snow! I don't know! I'll be back later…"

And then she swung the door opened, and stomped out of the room as it shut behind her and the slam echoed throughout the hallway…

…

Cinder decided to take her walk, even though it was well past midnight at this point. She was doing breathing exercises that went along with her boredom, as she was walking around the Vale dorm building.

"All this planning can't be in vain… and it can't be wasted because of that…. Animalistic brute!"

She growled, and lightly used her dust ability to melt any snow that was on the concrete below her feet and on any of the benches that she passed on her trail. As a way to try and relieve her anger and stress.

The woman was thinking about what to do… about how she could contain both Gage and Adam from doing anything… and… she was starting to consider what Adam had spoken about. Killing him and his lover in their sleep…

"That's cowardly… and unnecessary… at least for right now. He has yet to even come close to what we are planning… but… wait…"

Then she stopped dead in her tracks as she turned the corner of the building… and realized something. That, she actually doesn't know why Gage would go to such lengths in fighting them...

"...Why all this violence? He somewhat knows who he's searching for… so is it for love? ...No. it can't be. If it was then he could just stop now and no harm would come to him or that blonde….."

Cinder sighed, and looked down at the melted snow below her feet while more just laid atop her head, and within the strands of her black hair,

"...Maybe now it's just revenge what's happened….. And i don't blame him."

She couldn't lie. She did actually feel some sort of sympathy for Gage… mostly because of how happy he appeared to make Yang when Cinder was around them, but that was only the rare occasion… so she believed that was what it was like for the blonde brawler twenty-four-seven.

"Revenge…. Always such a passionate appellation..."

The woman then cracked a blank, but depressing smile, and closed her eyes as she started to walk down the concrete path silently…. As she was about to pass Gage's dorm window since it was on the first floor, and was close to the entrance of the building.

So, she tried to block out any other sounds of the night or the wind. She did this as she was getting closer and closer to the ghost's dorm window…. And chose not to look at it so she wouldn't get any ideas…

But, that idea went out of the window, as she passed it…. And heard some small, and quiet footsteps come from behind her.

"W...What the?"

Cinder heard them, and thought about every single late night college campus rape story she has heard throughout the years, and it made her begin to fast walk to the entrance of the building even though she could disintegrate whoever it was in the blink of an eye.

She turned the next corner of the building with her flames emanating from her right hand as she was about to turn around. However… she took note that the footsteps had stopped earlier on.

They didn't stop behind her.

So, she looked back once she processed that… and saw that there were footprints in the snow… that appeared to be moving away from her.

"Who in their right mind would be out this late…"

Eager to find out who was lurking around, the woman made her flames go out and doubled back around the other side of the building, back towards Gage's dorm window since that was where the tracks were going to…

"...And would be going over there?"

She peeked around the corner and… saw that the tracks ended right where the ghost's window was. And, there was someone standing there! Looking into the ghost's room through it!

Cinder just put her hand over her mouth and crouched down as she looked at the person, and could tell that it was a man due to the height and build.

He was wearing all black, and had a hood over his head. But the strange thing… was that he was breathing heavily, and was also wearing black gloves over his hands.

"No way…"

The man rubbed his hand gently against the glass… and looked into the dorm

Inside, was of course a sleeping Gage and Yang, and they were snuggling together cutely in his bed. She was wearing her usual black pj pants and yellow tank top, and he had his black shirt and brown pants.

Yang was smiling happily, admittedly with a little bit of drool coming down from her lips as she slept… probably because she had her arms around him, and made sure that Gage's slightly bruised face was pressed against her cleavage.

Since she thought smothering him would make him feel better after such a rough day.

On the other side of the glass, the stalker audibly growled… and reached for something in the back pocket of his pants while Cinder watched him.

"He can't be…. I...Is that-"

She saw him take a shiny object out of his pocket… and it only took a few seconds and the light of the moon to shine on it for her to see that the object was a switchblade…

"Oh my god…"

The woman turned and pressed her back against the wall of the building with her hand still plastered against her mouth. Her eyes amber eyes bulged, and glowed with both disbelief… and a little bit of excitement.

"I could either walk away… and let this happen….. Or i could stop him… and have our plans jeopardised…"

She had to admit, she didn't want the girl to die…. But sacrifices have to be made. It just apart of surviving. So… Cinder put her hand down, took a step towards the entrance to the building… and smirked as she walked away. Giving one last remark as she did so….

"Gage… if you survive this…. Then i will leave you be. Until the Festival that is…. Hehehe..."

And with that, the enchantress was gone. She left the man alone, and chuckled to herself as she walked away into night, and thought about what tomorrow will bring for her.

But as for Gage and Yang? Nothing. They laid there in bed together. Still wrapped up in their silent and loving embrace…. All the way until the strange man worked his fingers under the glass, lifted the window silently…

...And began to climb into their dorm room with the knife still in his hands...


	15. An Unexpected Visit

**Author's Note:** Now, by the time I upload this, i should already be starting my junior year. So I just want to tell you guys that I will try to the best of my efforts to post a new chapter every two weeks like I have been doing, but don't be surprised if they're a little bit shorter. Gotta start the school year off with a 'Yang'! Right? Hehe.

Anyway, thank you guys for an amazing summer, and I wish anyone else who's just started school good luck.

Oh, and sorry for the kind-of cliffhanger!

 **Song:** Friction by Imagine Dragons

…

Gage and Yang still remained in their deep slumber as they laid next to each other on his bed.

But because of this, they were unable to hear or notice that the window, which was to the left of their bed, had been opened by a knife wielding stalker!

The man huffed as he slowly climb through the window, and made sure to be careful with each and every step that he made.

"Don't want to wake them…"

He thought that to himself, and walked over to Yang's side of the bed, as his breathing began to escalate even more and more.

He watched her as she slept even though her back was turned to him…. Admiring her smile… hair…. Arms… and most of all, her curvy hips and silky legs…

"Mmm…."

The knife simply hung from his right hand, and he felt the urge to… touch her. Or 'admire her figure' as he put it.

So… he took two of his fingers… and began to glide them gently down her right side until he reached her thigh… and vigorously fought himself from just outright sinking his nails into her pale skin… as it was what he was dying to do.

"Stupid blonde bitch…. How can _he_ be able to fuck someone with such a gifted body as yours?"

Now… the stalker bent over her head and began to cradle his head close to hers… just as he used the knife to cut off a short strand of her hair…

And… he used his two fingers eventually reached her ankles, which soon made her toes curl with pleasure as Yang mumbled to herself in her sleep.

"Mmm… Gage…. u...use your tongue…"

She then smiled, and let go of her boyfriend as she blushed and began to pant a bit while she flipped onto her other side so her back was to Gage

But, what she said just angered their stalker, and soon he turned his attention towards Gage… as he sleepily grumbled and laid on his back instead of being on his side,

"Mmm…. Yang…. Can i have some bacon... *snore*..."

Now, the man clench his knife tightly, and moved over to the ghost's side of the bed so he could just… loom over him.

"And you…. You don't even deserve to be here… to be given all of this… it was a mistake."

Gage had his prosthetic arm, and still laid there unconscious. Unmoved as he had a relaxed smile on his face… but the stalker started to breathe heavily again… before he brought the knife up above the bed frame.

"...And now… you're going to pay the price."

He used the blade and turned it so he could bury the switch blade into Gage's body in one dowards swoop… but… he couldn't decide on how to kill him as quietly as possible...

Should he go for the throat, make the cut from ear to ear so he couldn't speak and Yang would find him like that in the morning? Or should he do it mercifully, and just ram the blade into the side of his skull so no movement or sound could be made?

No.

He didn't deserve mercy. Maybe he should just stab him in the heart, and cover his mouth until he stopped moving? That'd seem more like cruel way to do it.

...Or…. why not all three over time? That seemed fair in his mind. Three methods, all with the same result. It sounded... Perfect!

"Yes…. that's it."

The man was ready now. He felt the urge… like the blade and his soon-to-be victim's blood was calling to him… whispering even.

So… he decided to quench his blood lust, as he raised the knife high in the air…. And was about to thrust it towards into Gage's throat… until he looked down at his feet… and noticed a pair of small red eyes shining from under their bed.

"Huh?"

"*growl!*"

Then, the eyes grew bigger as the thing came out from under the bed, and revealed itself to be Noodle as he hissed loudly at the stranger!

"*HISS!*"

The noise made the stalker jump and step back, unknowingly bumping into Gage's desk in the process… and the noise made Gage groggily open his eyes as the ferret went into guard mode as he snarled and jumped so he could sink his teeth deep into man's ankle!

"Agh!"

"Hmm…"

That, made the ghost rub his eyes and sit up while his vision tried to adjust to the darkness… but that was until he notice that he blackness was… shaking.

However, he saw Noodle as he was holding onto something… and the person was finally registered by Gage's eyes.

"What the fuck!" He shouted.

Yang now jolted awake as well by the sound of her boyfriend's panicked cry, but was still groggy too as the the stalker managed to break Noodle off and kicked him over to the bathroom door.

And then he lunged at the ghost with the switchblade ready. "Graaah!"

Gage's life flashed before his eyes, and he managed to scoot back just hard enough to nearly knock Yang off of the bed, and to dodge the knife, making it instead land in between his legs and dig into his mattress instead.

That allowed him to get a good look at the man's face, but dreadfully, the man in black still had his hood over his head, which blocked his hair from being see, and he appeared to being wearing an elevated altitude exercise mask, which covered his chin, mouth, and nose.

The only noticeable thing that could be seen was that the man had blue eyes. Normal. Blue. Eyes.

"W-Wha?!" Yang yelped.

Her boyfriend heard the blonde's voice, and he immediately changed into fight or flight mode, and he thankfully chose to fight as he pushed the attacker away from their bed as he tried to pull the knife out.

After that, the stranger went in for a dowards slice, but was stopped once Gage caught him by the wrist and held the blade in place while it stopped right above his right shoulder.

His turquoise eyes were scared out of his mind, but he kept going with trying to defend himself. Although, Yang had just sat up, and she slowly turned towards the commotion, letting out a scream as she saw that there was a man in black trying to stab her lover to death.

Her scream, eventually turned into a growl thankfully, and her eyes turned red. Then, she scooted to the edge of the bed, and sent an upward kick into the stalker's chin!

"Don't you dare touch him!"

The distraction she made was perfect, so Gage looked at his girlfriend and nearly screamed, "YANG! UNDER THE BED!" While he slowly began to push his attacker back.

The brawler panted as she heard his words, and she quickly rolled to the left side of the bed, Gage's side, and she reached under it to feel the stock of Mistletoe, which was laying on the floor under the bed.

So then she grabbed it, and lifted it up as she scooted to back onto the pillows before she used the pull action lever to cock the weapon, and began to hyperventilate as she aimed it at Gage and the stranger.

"*pant* ...G-Gage! Move!"

They were still in their scuffle and both still had their hand on the knife, since the blade was still being pointed downwards and was aimed at Gage's upper chest.

He grunted, and made sure that the man was walking back towards the front door, but, his grip on his own blade loosened out of fear once he saw that Yang was aiming the shotgun at him, and that it was loaded.

Gage decided to strike once he took note of that, and in swift move, he threw the knife and the man's arm down towards the ground, making it scrape and cut through his shirt, but it didn't puncture his chest cavity.

Instead it left him with deep cut on the bottom right side of his abdomen, and it absolutely hurt like hell.

"FUCK!"

He managed to pull the attacker's arms all the way down below his pelvis, and he bent over too. Which allowed the ghost to growl, and slam his forehead down onto his scalp before he gripped his wrists, and threw him back into the front door.

"Yang! Now!"

He hit the locked door, and Yang just closed her left eye before she aimed down the weapon's sights, took in a deep breath…. And pulled the trigger.

"*BANG!*"

The sound of the weapon discharging echoed throughout the building, and the recoil made the blonde buck and push her into the wall that was behind her.

A loud scream was heard, as the buckshot round that was shot off barely hit his left shoulder due to Yang's grogginess. However, only half of it hit his shoulder blade, and the other half hit the wall that was to the left of him.

The couple saw his some blood land onto the wall and the door, but after impact, he whimpered and turned to the door before he began to unlocked the door with a shaky hand while Yang tried to cock the weapon again.

Gage looked away as the shot went off and the flash blinded him, which provided more than a sufficient window for the stalker to unlock the door and throw it open before he grasped his shoulder, and ran out into the halls of the dorm building.

"O...Oh no! Gage he's getting away!"

The ghost blinked twice, and let his adrenaline take control of himself as he turned to Yang, and she tossed Mistletoe towards him.

"Stay here and call nine-one-one! I'll be right back!" He said as he caught his weapon.

Then, he cocked it, left the dorm, and began to run down the hallway just as the other man made his way towards the exit.

Yang was still panting, but she still got her scroll out and dialed the number as she looked out the doorway and at her boyfriend, who was running down the hall with his shotgun in his arms.

"Fucking psychopath! GET BACK HERE!"

As he ran down towards the front exit to the buildings, he heard doors opening and random students shouting continuously as Gage reached the doorway that went out to the rest of the campus.

He could barely see the man now, but some blackness in the night was moving, so the ghost took a knee, aimed at him, and pulled the trigger….. But nothing came out. The weapon just clicked since it was out of ammo.

"*pant* *pant* ...Damn it!"

Gage started to pant, and put his hand on where the man had cut him before he stood up, and saw that his hand was covered in blood.

But before he could react, some random students dressed in their pajamas approached him wide eyed, and scared out of their minds. "W...What's going?" They asked him.

He cursed at himself, and clenched his teeth before he lowered his weapon, and leaned against the doorway.

"Shit...*pant* *pant* ...the cops are coming, but Someone call campus security!"

...

Yang turned on the lights in their dorm room, and had a nine-one-one on speaker phone as she was sat on the bed, and stared out their open window.

"Ma'am, where are you and what happened?" The operator asked.

"I'm at Beacon Academy, and some guy broke into me and my boyfriend's dorm room, and he tried to kill us!

"Are you or your boyfriend hurt?"

Noodle also limped over to her, so she titled her head so her scroll could rest against her shoulder blade as she lifted their pet ferret into her arms, and cradled him for a bit comfort,

"I'm not, but my bf got cut i think, and i shot the creepy guy in the shoulder."

"You shot him?"

At this point, it had been a few minutes since he left, but Yang was still worried since a few students had passed by their dorm and were audibly panicking.

"Y-Yeah… yeah i did. And my boyfriend went after him."

The woman on the other end stayed collected and calm throughout their call, and it made Yang stay the same as well.

"Okay. The police are on the way, but it may take awhile. So hang up, and call campus security just to be safe. Okay hon?"

"Okay i will. Thank you."

And as she hung up her scroll, Ruby suddenly peeked into her room from outside and almost screamed as she saw blood in the room, but didn't since her older sister appeared to be okay,

"YANG!"

"RUBY!"

The younger girl was dressed in her pajamas, and was holding Crescent Rose, but she soon dropped it and ran to Yang, who instantly brought her into a tight embrace,

"Wh….Where's Gage?"

Her sister looked genuinely frightened and on the verge of tears, but the rose managed to hold herself together as to not make Yang start up as well,

"He… went outside with Mistletoe."

"Oh my god… is he okay? I heard a gunshot."

"That was before he left. But i don't know if he's-"

The, Gage panted, and came through the door holding his shotgun in his right hand, and grasping the cut to his abdomen he had just received with his prosthetic hand.

"Yang!"

The sisters both rushed to his aimed, and Yang reached him first so she could lifted his shirt and get a clear look at his wound.

"G-Gage! Y-You're bleeding!" She shrieked.

He put his hand on the frame of the doorway, and leaned on it while he was breathing heavily and tried to calm her down as the blood kept dripping down his side.

"I-It's okay Yang… Just a flesh wound."

Tears began to form in her eyes from shock, and just buried her head into the side of his neck while she put arms around his neck, "*sniffle* ...Oh, I'm so happy that you're okay!"

Ruby just stood there in front her sister's boyfriend, and glanced at the blood that was on the wall before she sighed shakily,

"Gage… what happened?" She asked him.

Gage gulped, and tilted his head so it was resting against Yang's head as he just put his prosthetic arm around her waist.

"...I think someone just tried to kill me..."

…

 **Later That Morning…**

…

The police arrived around 1:30 in the morning, but started to do a full sweep across Beacon's campus while the school was put on lockdown, and the medical Team began to patch Gage's wound up.

After that, Gage and Yang stayed awake until the police finished up their search and the campus security announced the end of the lockdown.

Now, it was around six o'clock in the morning, and some detectives showed up near the dorm building.

The couple were sitting on a stretcher outside of the building, and a shirtless Gage had his arm around Yang as she was hugging him, and was trying not to look down at the bandages that were wrapped around the left side of his body, covering the wound which was actually more serious than it looked.

Static conversations of police radios and the singing of the morning song birds were the only things that could be heard while the couple were hugging each other, still visibly shaken from the late night ordeal.

"...Who would do that… *sniffle* ...and why…" Yang sniffled.

"I don't know Yang…"

Ruby and the rest of her Team were out at the mess hall, and were expected to return soon with breakfast and coffee for them both. But they still didn't think that would make them feel better.

"Gage… do you think it was _them_?"

"Who? The White Fang?" Gage whispered.

"Yeah... "

He closed his eyes and did ponder about it for a few seconds, but even in that amount of time it didn't add up. As he remembered how…. Unequipped the man looked to be a member of the feared cult...

"No. I don't think so. He wasn't composed, and had a pocket knife. Not even a whitefang mask either. Just a training mask…"

"Then who could it be…."

Before he could speak again, two of the detectives from Vale, who were also partners, made their way to the couple and waved at them.

Yang blinked, and saw that they both had their badges out as they approached him, and revealed themselves as being Detectives Burns and Hayman.

"Hey wait a second. Gage Sim… aren't you that kid that was attacked by the white fang a few months ago?" One of them said as he pointed to Gage.

"Yeah… and good morning to you too…"

"Sorry. Good morning. Detectives Burns and Hayman. CVPD. We'd like to ask you two a few questions." the man with patrol glasses, short brown hair, and a small beard said to them. Who was detective Burns.

"Go ahead." Gage replied.

Detective Hayman, who looked older, spoke weirdly, and had disheveled brown hair then stood in front of them as he took a note pad out and asked them the first question,

"Reports from the other students say that they heard a gunshot. Was he the one that fired, or was it you?"

"No. My girlfriend Yang did. She got my gun in our room and shot him while he tried to stab me. He had a knife by the way."

Him and Burns both looked at each other, and nodded. "That explains the blood trail that lead to the landing pads…" Hayman mumbled.

Yang let go of her lover, and perked up once she heard what he said. "Wait, he made it to the landing pads? So did he get away?" She asked the detectives.

"Yeah he did. And we found CCTV footage of a suspicious man in black entering and exiting a subway bathroom over in Vale. So at least we have multiple locations we can search for evidence."

Burns said that with some guilt, but Hayman went onto ask Gage the next question. "The other students also said you were cut by the man. Did you manage to get a view of any facial features in the scuffle?"

"All i noticed was that he had Blue eyes. Like the color of the sky."

He nodded, and wrote that down rather scribbly onto the notepad, which said, 'Eyes: Baby blue'. And the he asked, "Hmm…. what about his height and build?"

"He was kind of tall. And sort of lanky. But had some muscle too."

"Anything else?"

Yang looked down at the ground, and looked absolutely heartbroken. "I took a shower earlier after this happened… and i think the creep stole a lock of my hair while i was sleeping…" She told them.

Gage shifted as he sat on the stretcher, and put on the untouched black shirt that Ruby took from his closet and left for him before she had gone down to the mess hall.

So, Burns decided to ask the final question once he seemed to be less… stressed. "Now, can you think of anyone that would try to hurt you or Yang?"

The couple both became tensed, and glanced at each other before they looked back at the detectives, but Yang managed to speak first.

"I could give you a list of names… but there's also some names i don't even know."

"Could you be more specific?"

"It's hard to explain. So… let's just say that there's a lot of guys here that are… jealous of our relationship. I know it sounds kind of stupid… but some of them just… despise me. And i wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them."

Then the detectives looked at each other again, remembered what Yang said about the lock of her hair that was lost, and they both spoke in unison. "Jealous kids and a stolen lock of hair? Classic crazed college stalker!"

Gage and Yang both backed away from the buddy cops, and looked at each other before Hayman put the pencil and notepad away,

"That's all we need for now you two. We'll let you know if we get anymore leads, but until then, stay safe and armed!"

Burns nodded with a smirk, and soon they both walked away right as Ruby, and the rest of her and Yang's Team walked past them and approached the couple with their breakfast,

"Hey Gage. Hey Yang. Everything okay so far?"

She brought them both a tray that had a breakfast burrito for Gage, and some french toast for Yang, and they took it from her once she had presented it to them, "Somewhat... " The ghost answered.

"That's understandable…" Blake said as she handed them both coffee.

Weiss looked terrible... And had an expression that looked like she was about to break down in a heap of sobs and gasps, which everyone noticed.

Gage stood up immediately, and put an arm on the heiress's shoulder as he looked down at her, and she sniffled.

"It's my fault…*sniffle*"

"What?"

Everyone turned to them, and she simply hugged Gage, placing her head against his bare chest as he took a step back in complete and utter shock as she started to confess to everyone what she hadn't told anyone.

"I think it was him! *gasp* ...Neptune! H-He…. He said i'd become regretful… because i… i broke up with him!"

They all gasped internally, Yang a little more physically, and Weiss still went on as her eyes began to well up.

"You broke up with him?" Gage asked her with a raised eyebrow. "Wait… then if it was him, why would he go after me?"

"I….I may have suggested that... *sniffle* ...you were the prime example of boyfriend material. And he might have gotten the idea that… i l-l...like you… or something because of it."

The blonde brawler's expression…. Turned into something… depressing now. And her boyfriend's face reflected the same emotion. His displayed the shock of Neptune's betrayal in a subtle way, while hers… was because she started to think of the possibility that her teammate and one of her best friends had actually developed those emotions for her lover…

Blake crossed her arms and tried her best to look at her partner or her beloved at this time too, but agree with Weiss's guess...

Yet… Gage denied it was her ex-boyfriend.

"*sigh* ...i can't rule him out completely, but it still may not have been him."

"Don't you remember what he tried to do to you in class yesterday?!" Ruby growled.

"Yeah… but maybe that was his small idea of revenge. Sure it failed, but why would he want to just outright kill me?" He asked the Team while Weiss released him, and wiped her tears away quickly.

"It'd be stupid, and every one of us would turn against him and give clear evidence if he was caught. Even Sun. It'd just be a stupid move on Neptune's part, and he definitely isn't an idiot."

"...You… really think that?" Blake asked while she was still looking away.

"Yeah. I hope that it's true at least. And either way, it'd be hard to narrow him down on only an average build and blue eyes." So then, he made probably the most obvious point about their attacker. " And blue eyes are a really common trait. I mean… him, Cardin, and even Jaune have blue eyes."

"That is true…"

Weiss kept sniffling. "*sniffle* ...And he can have any other girl that he wants anyway…" And Ruby started to pat her back as a way to comfort her partner,

"Well whoever it was, they probably won't try anything that stupid again."

Yang nodded in agreement, and her frown turned upside down. "Mmhm… thank god Noodle is nocturnal and protective of me and Gage…"

"*sigh* ...Yeah."

Blake sighed with her small team leader, began to watch all of the officers as they were investigating the barely noticeable specks of blood that started at the dorm building entrance, and was spread throughout the campus,

"I wonder how this will affect the school…"

Although, Gage glared at the sight of police tape, and wondered how badly this event would leave on an impact on the school's staff.

"It won't be good. I know it won't… especially with Ironwood in charge of our security…"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

The morning blanket of snow began to fall outside of Beacon's clock tower, Professor Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, and General Ironwood were all loudly conversing about the event that had just transpired earlier that morning.

"James. If you really are concerned for the students, then what do you plan to do to make the students feel safe again? Hmm?" Glynda asked him, rather rudely.

"Glynda, it's simple. We make their curfew earlier than usual, and i'll dispatch a few sets of Atlesian Knights to patrol the campus during the night."

They were of course going back and forth as they stood in front of Ozpin, who was sitting at his desk with his fingers gripping the bridge of his nose,

"*sigh* ...General, i don't think that will make them feel any safer. Especially if the reports of their _invigorating performance_ comesbto light in a future situation." He said to him.

"Are you insulting my security force Professor?"

"No James. It's just that your Knights have mostly been programmed to fight against _Grimm._ Not people. So if you do plan on gaining my approval, then please, don't take this as an opportunity to show off your new toys."

The general sighed heavily, but Glynda just continued to stare at him until he turned to Ozpin and asked, "So… is Mr. Sim in good health Sir?'

Her question made Ironwood inhale deeply, as he still remembered the contract that he had conceived with Cinder back in October. However, Ozpin didn't care to speak of his agitated expression.

"He suffered a severe cut to his abdomen and a bruised eyelid from his sparring match yesterday, but aside from that, he seems to be alright."

"...At least i know there's more that want him gone…" The General thought to himself maliciously.

"Well, at least our new year didn't start off with a tragedy." Said Ozpin, with some annoyance in his voice.

Glynda sighed, and just sat on top of the headmaster's desk, and crossed her legs as she looked down at the floor. "Indeed. But now the question arises, How will we provide security for Gage?"

Her question did not want to be answered by the general. Obviously because he simply did not want to provide any security to his old assistant's son… so, he tried to divert.

"...Don't forget about Ms. Xiao Long, Glynda. She admitted to sleeping in the dorm with him before the incident took place. Actions like that could be described as being unethical since she is barely a legal adult, and it is highly against dormitory regulations."

"Yes i know… but the man doesn't have a team to interact with outside of classes and during the night… mostly because of your distrust of him…"

Now he put his hands behind his back, and began pace back and forth from one end of the room to another, as he started to state his concerns for letting Gage being able to be around any other new students.

Though… he didn't have a good example to compare him to… in Glynda's eyes at least,

"Aside from any mental conditions Gage may have developed while he was outside of the kingdoms, he is Gaigus Sim's son. And frankly, the man was a loose cannon, irreverent, and a nuisance-"

So before he could begin to lay into her… 'mutual friend' from the past, the Professor stomped towards the man and crossed her arms with a glare,

"He was a _nuisance_ that created your brand new, and so called 'flawless', model of your precious Atlesian Knights. I know this. He…. he was rather open about it when i met him a few years ago, before i transferred here."

"Which proves my point even further. A younger, and more rowdy version of _him_ would only desecrate the Huntsman title!-"

"James, he is not like his father!-" Glynda yelled.

"Enough!" Ozpin shouted, his voice booming over the two of them as he stood up, and raised his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "Glynda… i will handle this personally. Just allow me speak with James alone for a few moments. Is that alright with you?"

They both were silenced by him, and Glynda immediately changed back to being obedient, while Ironwood kept his enraged and visibly steamed scowl on his face. But still, she complied.

"Y-Y….. *sigh* ...Yes Ozpin..."

A heavy huff was heard from James as Glynda adjusted her own glasses and walked over to the exit doors of Ozpin's office, but before she left, she turned and faced The General one last time before she left,

"...But for the record, Gage is nothing like Gaigus. Because unlike his father… Gage managed to find his true calling."

Then she opened and slammed the door hard as she left, and had decided to just leave for a while. Back in the clocktower, Ozpin sighed and kept staring at the general while the headmaster turned and looked out the tower's window aimlessly,

"*sigh* ...James, i do not care about whatever quarrel you and Gaigus had for Glynda's heart if that is the case, but if it is, then i don't see why you appear to be taking out your remaining anger at the man out on his only son. Even after his father has perished."

" _That,_ is not the reason..." Ironwood growled through clenched teeth before he shook his head and stared at his old friend. "Simply look at how Gage acts. He came here, after nearly two years of isolation and being devoid of any human interaction, and he entered this academy with ease!"

After that day that he was Informed of Gage's arrival to Beacon, James knew that he was going to be a nuisance…. And was greatly disappointed to hear the exact opposite.

Once he could make sense of what the ghost was looking for… he knew that he had to be stopped. So… he started to compare what he was like personality wise before the year and a half he spent outside of Mountain Glenn… and weirdly, the general noticed that he had changed. Significantly.

"No P.T.S.D., no therapy sessions, no having struggle to reconnect with society, no nothing! It was almost as if he was acting like nothing had ever happened to him outside of Vale. Even after his arm was blown off, he has yet to act any different! And that is not normal."

Ozpin of course still defended Gage, as he had to admit that he saw a bit of himself in the man. A younger, weaker, and more… alive version of himself.

"Perhaps he is chemically imbalanced, or simply does not want to think about such things during a time in his life where he has so much more to think about. Either way, we can't just lock him in a cage and cart him off to a mental institution!"

"Ozpin. He. Is not. Right."

That, made the professor clench the handle of the coffee cup he was holding very hard, but still, Ironwood went on while his stare was planted against the back of Ozpin's head, but it was more sympathetic than angry.

"...How can you and Qrow see him as something more… all i see is a wolf in sheep's clothing. So why? Why would you pick him?"

Ozpin remembered something he said to Ruby Rose during her first month here at Beacon. That… he, 'Had made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this earth'. And it was partly true in his mind… but he did not want to remembered as that.

"...Because i do not wish to make anymore mistakes..."

He stated that in such a invigorating tone that The General closed his eyes with a somber breath as he exhaled quietly, but the headmaster continued after his dramatic pause.

"And now that we are walking down the path towards all out war, we cannot afford any more from this point forward….. So our guardian must rise."

Gage? Being their guardian? Was that what he was suggesting? If so, he was clearly mad or desperate. It only made sense.

Who in their right mind would let such an inexperienced and unethical warrior fulfill such a noble role?

It was preposterous. Ironwood now thought that if this was to occur… then their, 'guardian', would fail miserably if the world was to be threatened by The Syndicate.

And it would jeopardize the secure role of protectors against evil that the Huntsmen had made for themselves. It was just simply unacceptable.

"...I am beginning to lose my trust in you my old friend. I just wish i could accept it."

"...Ditto, General..."

Then, as the awkward silence was about to begin, the double doors to Ozpin's office flew open, with a loud slam that was accompanied by the sound of… a cape flapping.

Footsteps were heard, and they stopped as they both turned to look at who entered… and saw that it was Qrow Branwen!

However, he looked… visibly upset to say the least. And Ironwood's attempt to greet him just pissed him off even more

"Ah, Qrow. I didn't expect you to show up here this quickly just because of this little disturbance-"

"Can it 'jimmy'. I only came here because Taiyang told me that someone tried to attack my niece, not to discuss your little, 'security plans'."

He said that because he managed to pass Glynda while he was on the ground floor and she spoiled the surprise for him.

"I'm concerned just as much as you are Qrow."

"Ohoho really …"

The drunk of course had his flask in one of his hands, but was clenching ti tightly, just as much as Ozpin was doing the same with his mug.

But, his anger soon turned into anxiety as he looked at Ozpin, a little bit scared for Yang as Tai had told him that the email he had received was vague about if the brawler was hurt or not.

"Is she okay Oz?"

"Yes Qrow, Yang was unharmed. Gage was in the room with her and managed to take the brunt of the stranger's attack."

"Hehe…. That kid doesn't give a shit about his own well being, does he?" Qrow chuckled as he entered the office slowly.

Ironwood rolled his eyes, but the drunk simply huffed in response and deliberately bumped his shoulder into the general's while he brushed past him, and approached Ozpin., with a smirk of course.

He just smiled after that, and leaned against the headmaster's desk before he asked the most important question he could think of,

"So… how ya gonna prevent this from happening to them again, _jimmy?"_

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage and Yang, with Noodle in her arms, were now inside of his dorm, and were sitting in front of Gage's desktop computer, since Yang wanted to call her father over skype, so she did.

Also, the police quickly managed to clean up the dorm so they could at least have so, privacy again after such a traumatic event.

"You think your dad will be alright?" Gage asked her.

"Maybe a little over the top, but yeah... Probably…"

The called him, and the program ringed about two times until it was cut off halfway through the fourth one, and Taiyang's face popped onto the screen.

"Yang!"

His voice was filled with fear and anxiety, that he cried out his daughter's name before he was even able to see her, but thankfully her face was the first thing that he saw.

Although, Yang's eyes were teary, and she looked down at the ground with a smile as she heard his voice.

"H...Hey dad…"

"The school emailed me that you and Gage were attacked, but not if you were hurt or not!"

Since she was sitting in her boyfriend's desk chair, Gage was standing behind Yang and just placed his metal hand on top of her right shoulder so he could sooth her emotions a bit,

"*sniffle* ...Yeah well… Gage got cut by the guy, but besides that we're okay. And… thanks for be so worried."

"Hehe… didn't think i'd ever hear you say that."

Tai made the joke to calm her as well, but he soon became serious again as he looked above his daughter, and saw Gage.

The ghost still had his shirt off so the bandages on his abdomen were still visible, and the bruise under his eye from yesterday made his condition seem even worse.

But, before Her father could ask,Yang and looked at Taiyang through the screen with a blank smile,

"D-Dad… i think i have a crazy stalker."

And then, Gage nodded and began to speak, "He went for me first. I managed to wake up before he tried anything though, and i kept him in the room long enough for Yang to grab my gun. And she shot the fucker in the shoulder."

"Jesus…"

The Huntsman looked shocked and his mouth hung slightly open… yet that information didn't prepare him for what he would find out next, as Yang sniffled, and turned her head to the side so she could show him a slightly shorter lock of her hair that was flowing down her back. And she almost couldn't contain herself anymore.

"*sniffle* ...A-And…. He even cut off a piece of my hair to keep….. *gasp*"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tai's fear, turned to anger, and balled his fists as his eyes turned red while he watched his oldest daughter begin to cry,

"That sick... fuck!"

Noodle shifted as he sat in the blonde's lap, and turned to look up at her while he placed his little paws on her upper chest and licked the bottom of her chin gently, which prompted her to pet him in response.

"It's okay Noodle…"

"*squeak!*"

Gage simply let out a breath as he hugged his girlfriend from behind, and kissed the back of her head compassionately, "If Javix was still in one piece then that creep would be dead… but… i don't think he'll be coming back anytime soon either way."

"What's the school going to do about it?" Taiyang asked.

Yang mumbled the answer to his question quickly, and began to scratch the top of the ferret's head. "Barely anything, since Ironwood's in charge of student safety apparently…"

Gage also looked visibly pissed off, and he had been this way since one of the police officers outside did tell him about the new rules he had issued just about half an hour ago...

"He made it so our curfew is only thirty minutes earlier than it was before, making his nearly useless robots patrol the school during night hours. _AND,_ he's just going to change the door and window locks in my dorm and Yang's. That's it."

"Really?" The huntsman said, clearly disappointed. "That's total B.S. Hopefully Qrow can change that…."

"Qrow?"

Tai nodded, and was surprised that their uncle hadn't let his arrival become known to them and Ruby "Yeah. I told him about the email and he said he was going to get there as soon as he could-"

"*SLAM*"

But now it was, as Qrow threw their door open, and peeked inside their dorm room with a relieved smile. However, his sudden appearance made both Gage and Yang jump and yell out his name in shock,

"Qrow?!"

The old man smirked, and entered the room while Taiyang rolled his eyes, since Qrow always liked to make big entrances,

"Hey Yang. Gage. Heard you two need an exterminator."

Yang gasped, and immediately ran to her uncle so she cpuld give him one of her back-breaking hugs, but Gage just watched her.

"Uncle Qrow!

"E-Eugh…. Hi Yang…"

"Hahaha."

She squeezed him, and so the ghost just laughed until she finally let go of him, and Qrow walked over to the computer monitor, rubbing his back as he did so, and made sure Taiyang could see him.

"Feeling jet lagged Qrow? Hehe." Taiyang sake him with a smile.

"Not funny."

Gage stifled his laughter, but Yang didn't understand. Mostly because she didn't know that Qrow could in fact turn into a bird like Gage and Tai did.

"What?"

"Uh…. Don't worry your pretty little head about it Yang." Qrow said, ruffling her hair with his hand as he did so.

"Okay…. So… did you hear what Ironwood's going to be doing?"

She asked him that, and he grumbled to himself for a few seconds before he gave a rather disappointing answer, that Gage could see coming from a mile away,

"*sigh* ...Yes I have. And I apparently, 'don't have the authority to question his decisions'. And Ozpin can't move you guys to a different dorm, so it's the only thing he's got for a plan…"

Everyone donned a well deserved scowl at the old man's statement, and a sigh as well… but then Qrow looked over at Gage and stared at him, in an attempt to change the subject...

"So i heard what you did. And i gotta say, it's a good thing you're the man that you are kid."

"You kidding me? I'd be dead if it wasn't for Yang-"

The ghost was about to joke about the incident when he realized that it would have been a horrible thing for them to laugh at, but Yang let out a smile and sniffled as he stopped halfway through his sentence,

"It's okay, hehe... *sniffle*"

Everyone now stared at her with an expression that basically said, 'Aww no. Don't cry please. It's okay'. Which was basically like they were staring at an injured puppy that was whining.

Though, Tai tried to raise their spirits after they stared at her for about a minute,

"Well either way, you two managed to fight off and injure the guy when you weren't even expecting him. That speaks on a whole new level on what you both can do together. And like Gage said, he probably won't be coming back anytime soon. So be proud of that. "

"Yeah. What Tai said." Qrow added with a swig of his flask.

And thankfully it did work, as the young couple smiled and moved close to their significant other so they could feel safe.

But then, Qrow lowered his mug from his lips, as he just remembered something unrelated to their situation, but was crucial to tell Gage about.

"… Anyway, Gage… mind if i uh… talk to you outside for a minute?" He asked him.

Yang just thought he wanted to thank her boyfriend a lot more than what he just did, so she was fine with it and smiled happily while she continued to hold Noodle in her arms,

"Yeah…. Sure." Gage answered him.

So, The old man gestured towards the door, and the ghost followed him out as Taiyang tried to start up a conversation with his daughter, as to not make the situation anymore awkward than it could be.

"Hey Yang, who's that little critter in your lap anyway?"

"Oh! He's a ferret, and his name is Noodle. He showed up in my dorm and Gage picked him up so we took him in and-"

…

They exited the dorm and shut the dorm behind him as Yang's voice was droned out by the door being closed. The two men soon looked at each other, and since Gage was curious as ever, he wanted to know why Qrow had called him outside.

"What is it Qrow?"

At first, Qrow's smile faded, and he narrowed his eyebrows as he leaned against the wall of the hallway and crossed his arms, making a long and dramatic pause while he didn't even look at his niece's lover… but he still revealed his secret.

"...Emile and Grisha found a trail of evidence while you were on your leave. And, it could lead to the truth about your dad."

"What? Really?"

He nodded, and yawned before he turned his head and was now looking the ghost in the eyes before he went on,

"Yeah. And it ain't some of those crappy leads that you've been investigating either. This thing could be a goldmine Gage. I'm talking names of members, weapon info, and mission reports. This would destroy everything about the Fang's anonymity."

Gage's eyes lit up now. The memory of the absolutely scary and shitty day he had so far was blocked by this new one, and it seemed like it was all he needed to hear. "W-Well… where do i start?" He asked him.

This time however, it was unbeknownst to him that he didn't have to search for a place to get information from. Now, he had to search for someone. Someone different than Adam Taurus thankfully, and Qrow relayed this to him as he took out a folded photograph out of his back pocket.

"Hmm?"

It was a photo of an older man with a grey beard and a bald head. He was of faunus decent, as he had Ram horns on top of his head, and he was wearing a white lab coat in the photo, but was smirking while his arms were crossed.

And so, the old man introduced him to Gage,

"Find him. His name is Doctor Orville Cordelia. He was an Atlas scientist, like your dad, turned White Fang leader."

"...Why is he so special?" Gage asked.

"It's kind of a long story…"

Qrow moved away from the wall, and pointed at the personal information of the man that was to the right of his picture, and he rubbed the back of his head slowly as he tried to answer his question.

"He was an Atlas whistleblower who actually leaked and revealed many of the Atlesian army's supply train routes, secret weapon factories, and foundries. And of course the White Fang took action immediately… so..."

Gage noticed a connection just then, and he gripped the paper roughly now while he stared daggers at the picture of the Doctor...

"...So… he indirectly caused the death of my dad. And is the reason why the Fang has access to their mechs, advanced computers, and weapons..."

"Yup. And as a way to repay him, Adam and his little cult offered him sanctuary from the government, and gave him his own safehouse-slash-compound, called… 'The Archive'. So he can work, and weaponize them all."

The ghost now lowered the paper, and sighed heavily at this new shocking discovery, "Qrow. If i find this guy and his 'Archive', then… you think i'll really find my answer? About who the other person on that train was…"

"It's a hell of lot higher probability that you will. I'll say that much."

Now Qrow took another long sip of whatever was in his flask, and saw that Gage was looking away from him too now, so… he knew that he was driven to do this now, and he smiled at the sight.

"...Hehe. So. Will you do it? Will ya come back to The Collectors Gage?

"...Yeah. I will. Just give me a few days to try and convince Yang…."

The drunk closed his eyes and let out another stifled chuckled, and walked past his prodigy so he could get to the dorm door again. "No problem. I'll send you the details of your next mission once it's been finalized."

"Got it sir."

"And Gage… it's good to see you back to your old self."

Then, he went back inside just as he opened the door and Yang's voice could be heard… but Gage didn't even take a step with him yet.

He thought about what he just learned, and about this new, 'villain', or just a random mad scientist, and nearly crumpled the paper into a ball as he seemed to have had a hand in his father's demise…

So, Gage growled, and grimaced at the paper before he crushed the picture in his hand, as he was now more than eager to get back out there, and actually succeed this time in finding out the truth. Even if the truth was something inconceivable...

"I... Will... _NOT..._ Fail…"

…

 **Author's Note #2:** Hey everyone! Before i get to the point of this second note, I'd like to give give a shout out to one of my other friends here on the site named **Mtop70**. And if you liked Rwby: Desertion, then i highly suggest you check out his RWBY fic, **Dead Man Walking.**

His oc Jackson is one crazy motherfucker, and ironically, he also has a Grimm companion named Beanie! So yeah. Check it out if you'd like. Now for the main and honestly short point of this note, i'd just like to inform everyone that the re-edited/re-made version of chapter two of RWBY: Desertion has been uploaded!

And that's all i have. So until next time, see ya later!


	16. Green Light To Engage

**Author's Note:** Hey! We just hit 13,000 views on Part Two! Yay! Now, unfortunately this chapter won't be a big one in celebration, content wise at least. I'm just trying my best to ease into the plot again. Anyway, thanks for the love and the views!

And also, the re-edited versions of RWBY: Desertion chapters 3-4 have been uploaded, so there, just wanted to let you guys know!

Enjoy!

 **Song:** Jungle by Jon Bellion

…

Silent breaths and dripping hot water were all that could be heard from the inside of Gage's locked bathroom, as he, and Yang, were both taking a hot bath together.

The air in the room felt moist, and the steam from their bath managed to fog up the bathroom mirror. However, they still were focused on each other.

Gage was lying back in the tub, naked, while the soap water covered him and went up to his stomach, and Yang was laying ontop of him, and she was also naked.

The busty blonde was on her side and had her ear against her lover's heart while he had his right arm around her, and was stroking his only hand up and down her backside as she just continued to use his chest as a pillow…

"...*sigh*..."

She sighed, and thought about what they were doing, since they had decided to try and calm down and to try and forget about the terrifying morning experience that they had yesterday morning… well… it was her more idea than his.

"It's alright Yang…"

"I know it is…. I'm just… mad…"

Yang's eyes were red, and locks of her wait hair were tickling the side of Gage's arms as he continued to soothe her, and tried not to look down at her chest since her breasts were currently pressed up against his chest, which was making him blush.

"M-Mad? Why mad?"

"...I cried so much yesterday. And not that i was scared…. But i was just so… shocked…. You know?"

The whole experience was frightening for both of them, but Yang was more terrified than ever.

Mostly because of the knowledge that someone had been watching them, watching, and decided to do god knows what to her and her Care-Bear…. It was simply too much to take in.

But, thankfully, Gage was still his old caring and passionate self, and he tried his best to comfort her to the best of his abilities,

"Yeah i do, but… still, it's alright. Because it'll never happen again."

"...How can you be so sure?"

Her question just urged him to use his only hand to turn her head towards himself so they'd be face to face, and then he brushed some of her hair over her ear, so he could see her better.

"Hey. Don't be like that." He said, narrowing his eyes at her before they became relaxed, and he just kissed her on the cheek. "*smooch* ...Yang…. I will take care of you."

"I know you will Gage…. But every time you do, you end up getting hurt… *sniffle* ...:"

"Well…. It won't happen again."

She looked up at him, and nuzzled her head under his neck while Gage looked back into her lilac orbs. "I'm beginning to learn that both my safety and yours matter….. I'm just too dumb to figure out how both can turn out well…"

That made Yang smile, and she ran her hand up and down his chest and abs before she rested her head back onto his chest again,

"You're not dumb… you just… don't want to take chances."

"Maybe…. But i guess we'll find out soon, won't we?."

His remark now made the blonde rolled her eyes and hugged her boyfriend hard, as she closed her eyes once more.

"Yeah… just stop getting hurt. It kills me to see you like this..." She said, talking about his bruised eye and the bandage that was still on his abdomen.

"I will Yang. I'll just be…. Careful now. I promise."

"*sigh* ...Good…"

Now, with that acting as a nice little way for them to go back to their relaxation session…. Which was surprisingly easy to do since they were both naked, and they stayed silent for about ten more minutes until Gage opened his eyes, and simply became bored.

So, as a way to break the ice, he decided to ask her a very casual question,

"So Yang…. Why a bath instead of a shower?"

At first, she opened her eyes again and giggled before she scooted closer to him, and looked around the steam filled bathroom with another smile.

"Showers are too quick. Baths… they're slow and relaxing. And they're great, especially after a day like yesterday. But, why would you ask that?"

"Um…. I don't know… i just thought if you wanted to cuddle then we could have done it in the bed."

Yang smirked now, and sat up on top of Gage, giving him a full and glorious view of her wet and ample breasts, and even a few bangs of her hair managed to barely cover her nipples.

"...What? Is the view not doing it for you Care-Bear?~" She asked him, seductively

She said this, and placed both of her hands on top of his shoulders, and began to press herself against closely… making her two squishy mounds of flesh come be pressed against his chest, clearly giving him a message…

"N-No! T-This is…. Really nice…. Really, really nice Yang…. E-Ehehe..."

His nervous laughter humored him, and she giggled while he blushed… but… after Yang stopped, she stared Gage with loving and lustful eyes… as she ran her hand up his chest again and bit her lip before she whispered into his ear...

"Hehe…. You know… part of the reason why I chose this… is because deep down inside…. Sometimes i just want you to see my body... ~"

This made her boyfriend become flustered, and his hand accidently tensed up as he placed it onto her left hip… and admittedly, felt his member throb a bit.

"My wet…. Curvy… and naked body…"

And since the blonde was sitting ontop of him… she felt his shaft poke her rear, and it made her giggle again since he visibly began to sweat…

"T-This feels like that time back at Hilltop... when we were in that hot spring..."

Gage was struggling to keep himself composed as Yang's body and words began to allure him… and he was tempted to give in to whatever she wanted to do.

"It kind of does, but the only difference… is that this time we're not in public…" Yang purred.

With his bulge still touching her left asscheek, and her hands tracing themselves up his chest, he looked down at her breasts and ran his hand down her back while he started to take in some small breaths.

"Y...You're really testing me…"

But his struggle only brought Yang to make it even harder for him, so then… she reached behind herself, into the hot water… and gently grasped his cock with a predatory grin on her face. "It's not a test Gage… it's a message…~"

Then out of the blue… The busty blonde brawler smiled, raised herself off of Gage, and moved his cock up so it's head was against his lower stomach… and after that… she giggled, and sat back down ontop of him, so the lips of her pussy were touching the bottom of his shaft since it was raised...

"Y-Yang… agh…"

Yang just smirked again, and looked into her lover's turquoise eyes while she blushed, and began to rub the lips of her pussy up and down his member.

Both of their privates parts were submerged, but it didn't feel any different to them both. It was pure erotic ecstasy for Gage more although, since she kept rubbing her crevice right up to the tip.

After his gasps started to become a bit louder, Yang thought it was as good of a time as any to audibly purr and plant her lips against the ghost's neck, grasping his broad shoulders again as she did so.

"Mmm…"

"Ah…"

His eyes drooped with pleasure, and he put his hand onto her ass, squeezed it tightly, and looked down at her while she continued to rub her body, up and down and back and forth….

She sucked and nibbled on his neck until his eyes closed, and he cleaned his head back. So, then she decided to move her head down… and bit down playful onto his chest like she use to.

"Fuck…" He moaned.

Yang knew that he was well past his breaking point… so she knew that he was just too relaxed and aroused to decide whether to just let her do all the work, or grab her and go to town on her, which made her continue to put more force down onto his cock, and bite his chest just a little bit harder.

"I swear Yang… sometimes you're like…. like my own succubus that was made in heaven…."

"Hehe.. then i guess you're my incubus …"

"I… It doesn't work like tha- ...*sharp inhale*..."

Before he could finish his correction, his beloved used her tongue to like the newly red marks on his skin, and made him squirm and sigh as she went on to moved her tongue, and lick the side of his neck with a huge smile on her face.

She traced out more and more up his neck until she reached his chin, and gave him one quick kiss on the lips before she moved her head back, and sat up, so her breasts weren't against his chest anymore.

Then, she moved Gage's hand away from her rear, and placed it in between her boobs, in her bosom to be more specific.

"...*pant* *pant* *pant*..."

His panting and the fact that she could feel the heat coming off of his dick from under her made her think that he was at the point where his precum was going to be leaking out of his cock.

Now, Yang simply gave her boyfriend a look that told him, 'i want you to take me. _Now_ '. And, she whispered her next hint afterwards….

"You know, Ruby and Qrow are coming over here in an hour Gage… so if you want to have some fun with me… now's your chance…~"

The ghost looked back into her lilac orbs with a blush, and panted as he smiled back at her and ran his hand up her chest so he could cup her cheek gently. "*pant* ...Well… *pant* ...i don't have much of a choice now do i?"

However, she placed her palm on top of his hand shortly after with a blush in return… but… then she grasped it, and placed back down onto her lower back as she raised her body off of him, and got so close so their foreheads were touching,

"Nope… because i know you've wanted to ever since you let out those moans..."

"Hehe… *pant* ...You know me so well..."

That last quip of hers was all that Gage could take in before he grabbed her ass tightly, raised her up so his head was below her neck, and lowered her back down onto his lap. With Gage's hard cock entering her womanly depths in one rushed and quick move as she also felt him begin to such on her breasts.

"*gasp!*"

She gasped, and felt him thrust himself in and out her slowly before he started to repeat the process over and over, causing the blonde to moan, close her eyes, and wrap her arms around her boyfriend's head…

"Mmmph… y-yeah… like that..."

Gage smiled again, and nibbled on her teat one more time as he put his hand on her right hip, and started to force her down onto his erection.

The feeling of their sudden fooling around turned to love making session felt so amazing to Yang, that her eyes turned red due to just her being excited and aroused, and her hair even appeared like it had caught on fire as they continued to fuck in her boyfriend's bathtub.

And the heat coming from that and her fiery aura made the water become even more hot, to the point where it just made them moan in the same breath together, all while the sounds of breaths, water splashing, and flesh slapping against each other as Yang let out one last loud cry, and steam began to fill the room again...

"Aah!"

…

 **Later…**

…

Later, around twelve-thirty, Ruby had decided to head over to Gage's dorm a little late, since she had to take Zwei out and thought that Qrow would get there at the same time she would, since he was generally known for being, 'fashionably late', and so on.

She had decided to head over since she had thought the couple would want more company with them ever since their…. Terrifying encounter that had occurred yesterday morning. And, she also made some plans with Gage for her to come over so she could help him repair and possibly improve Javix.

So now, the rose was on the ground floor of the dorm building as she turned a corner, and saw Gage's dorm.

"*sigh* ...Here we go." She sighed.

Ruby made her way to the door and stood in front of it… but then she noticed the little camera that was installed to the top right corner of the door frame. So, she took her scroll out as the camera beeped and started to play an audible message,

"*beep!*"

" _Hello! Please show identification so that you may enter."_

Ruby just raised her scroll high in the air, and the camera let out a laser beam that scanned her scroll once, and beeped again once her School I.D. was detected on the device,

" _Identification- received! Ruby Rose. Age: 15. Student year: First year. Daughter of Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long. Sister of Yang Xiao Long. Leader of Team RWBY… Threat level: ...Harmless."_

That last comment made the rose grumble something under her breath and glare at the camera angrily, until it beeped once more and started to unlock the door.

" _-Access Granted! You may proceed!"_

"Yeah yeah…"

" _Keep it clean, and respect public property!"_

She hastily grabbed and turned the door handle once she heard the lock click, and entered the dorm with a scowl on her face as she saw Gage sitting at his desk.

He was wearing his black suede jacket, black shirt, and brown pants while Yang was on his bed, sitting crisscrossed as she had her black tank top with her symbol on it, and her orange pajama pants on, smiling as she saw her little sister come through their door.

"Hey Little sis! Why the long face?"

"Hmph… Your new, 'security system' thinks i'm harmless, and I am not!" She growled with crossed arms.

Gage just turned his chair towards her and laughed. "Haha! Well, it's not like you don't look the part Ruby!"

"Rrrgh…."

Then, A loud blast of music came from Gage's desk, as his scroll was plugged into a portable speaker he bought as a christmas gift for himself, and it was playing, _Build God Then We'll Talk_ by _Panic! At the Disco,_

"~Shes getting a job at the firm come Monday, the missus will stay with the cheating attorney- moonlighting aside, she really needs his money, oh, a wonderful caricature of intimacy!~

It just made Ruby become surprised at his musical taste, since ahe thought he was more into classic rock, but she instead chose not to question it, and so Gage went on,

"And to be honest, I kinda like the security system. I even named it Virgil"

The two sisters both squinted their eyes at him, and Yang almost burst out laughing after a few minutes. "You named him?!"

"Yeah. I-I dunno… his voice is just so energetic that I thought he deserved a name."

"Haha… You're such a nerd Gage..."

He just blushed and stuttered as he heard that, since Gage knew very well that he had just bought the Pip-boy edition of Fallout 4 before Christmas and he was hiding it under his bed from Yang so she wouldn't humiliate him.

"P-Pfft…. N-No."

"Mmmmhmmm. Anyway, what were you two doing all morning? Hehe, Cuddling 'n snugglin?~" Ruby teased them.

That made Yang go red as well, and they both nodded in agreement, but smiled nervously at the same time, "Y-Yup!"

Gage then nervously reached into his desk drawer and took out a weapon blueprint, some tools, and the dismantled piece of Javix so he could place them on his desk

"A-And I spent a couple hours trying to completely take Javix apart. You know, to make it easier."

"Oooh! The let's get to work before Qrow gets here!"

"Where is he anyway?" Yang asked them.

He shrugged, and Ruby did too as she stood next to her sister's boyfriend and just began to look at the blueprint that he had provided.

"He said something about a hotel or something he's staying at in Vale I think… so he should come soon." Gage answered her.

"Oh. Okay."

Yang just sat and watched the now as Ruby looked at the blueprint, and saw that he was actually trying to make the revolver appear more different.

However, Gage had actually decided to scrap mostly everything about the hand cannon except for the silver kukri blade, the .44 round receiver, and the comfort grip handle, which was now colored dark green or sage instead of the usual brown leather color.

The blueprint showed something different. The revolver now appeared to not be based off a magnum python at all. Instead, it was still around the same size, but looked just a little bit more bigger than it was.

And, it had a sketch of what the final product would look like to the right corner of the blue print. In it, the revolver appeared to have a sage/dark green grip/handle, the barrel and receiver were both colored black, and the top of it has silver metal covering the top, and half of the two sides of the barrel and receiver, and the iron sight were also apart of that metal.

But, the fronts of two pieces of metal that were on the two sides of the barrel were jagged, as they were actually apart of the Kukri blade, which nearly made Ruby drool as she looked at how the weapon would shift into it's blade form.

"Wow….~" She gasped, as her voice became higher and higher in pitch.

She exclaimed because there were arrows pointing upwards, and the blueprint showed that the revolver's connected barrel and receiver would shift so it was pointed upwards so the hammer of the pistol went into the top of the weapon grip.

Then, the main part of the barrel and receiver would shift so the would become smaller and retract back downwards into handle, and after that the silver parts of the barrel would stay, and the curved and jagged edges would combine, and rest on top of the pistol grip, forming the kukri and it's blade.

Also, the black trigger ring would stay connected to the front of knife hilt so Gage could put his index finger through it when he was holding it normally, like you would hold a machete.

"That looks so cool Gage! How'd you come up with this?"

The ghost looked at her smugly, pleased that she was impressed by his work, and put his finger on the top left of the blueprint, where in black pen it said, 'Javix 0.0'.

"This was the original design i had for Javix, but i didn't have enough money to build it piece for piece. So my parents got me a .44 Magnum Python to use as a base to work on, and the rest is history."

The rose had both her hands on the desk, and kept scanning the design up and down until she notice something else at the bottom of the blueprint.

There was what appeared to be a quote at the bottom, which ominously said, " _...Is when death becomes an afterthought."_ And its vagueness made Ruby squint, as it was weirdly worded. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know actually. One day i walked into my room when i was eleven and just saw that written on the blueprint. My dad said he did it, and he didn't tell me exactly what it meant. Something... about a curse i think, but i don't really remember. I just put it there for the memories."

She giggled again, and Yang just watched them happily, as she was glad that they were having a nice time together after such a traumatic event. "So, you two gonna get started or what?" She asked them.

They both looked at the blonde, and Gage looked at Ruby with a grin, "You have the gist of it, _Rubles_?"

"Yeah. Now let's get to it!"

And so, they took a few tools and pieces and started to get to work on remaking Gage's beloved revolver while the song by _Panic! At The Disco_ continued to play, and echo throughout the entire room,

"~There are no…. Raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses, it's sleeping with roaches and taking best guesses- at the shades of the sheets, before all the stains, and a few more of your least favorite things!~

…

After about an hour, Gage and Ruby managed to finish the receiver and barrel, attached it to the grip, and now, all that was left was to finish putting in the pieces that would hold the weapon together.

Yang was still on Gage's bed, but was half asleep with Noodle on her lap while her head was resting on her pillow, but was really close to drifting off.

The ghost knew this because of the occasional yawn and sound of her snoring softly came soon after she closed her eyes…. And that was when he looked back at his girlfriend… and leaned closer to Ruby,

"Hey… Ruby?" He whispered.

"Yeah?"

"...I wanna show you something."

She raised an eyebrow in response, and she watched as he reached into his desk drawer, and took out yet another blueprint!

"What is it?"

The ghost cleared off the desk, and put the remaining nuts, bolts, and pieces of his revolver to the side before he laid out the design in the front of her.

"Something… that isn't for me."

Then, as the paper became unraveled, it revealed a design for some sort of… gauntlet. A very familiar gauntlet in fact, as it was a very good attempt to recreate the blueprint that would be for Yang's own pair of gauntlets, Ember Celica!

But, it wasn't what was the focus of the diagram. Instead, there was what looked like an attachment to the front of the gauntlet, which was a ring that had three blades around it.

One was on the bottom, under where the user's wrists would be, and the other two were on the top of the ring, but were far apart from each other, as there would be one blade on both the top right and left corners.

And then, Gage revealed what it actually was,

"It's gonna be Yang's birthday present. A little attachment for one of her gauntlets. W...What do you think of it?" Gage asked Ruby, sounding a little worried about his own design.

"...Aww! It's so sweet of you to do that for her!-mmph!"

"Shhh!"

She was about to squeal in excitement, so Gage covered her mouth so Yang wouldn't be woken up by accident, and he just whispered into Ruby's ear again.

"If i'm gonna make it, then i'm gonna have to get Ember Celica's design right. So, you think you could get the blueprint for it? If she has it?"

The small girl moved away from him, and stared at him with a happy little smile, as she thought she could help Gage complete his, 'quest'.

"Y-Yeah sure! It's probably in her desk since me and her like to keep them for reference if they need to be repaired."

"Good." Gage replied.

Then, suddenly Gage's scroll started to go off, as it was his alarm tone that was a section from the song, _Fat Bottomed Girls_ by _Queen,_ and it played loudly, so he jumped and immediately tried to turn it off

"~Ohhh, you gotta let it all hang out- Fat Bottomed Girls you make the rocking world go round!~-*click*"

He let out an audible squeezed and tapped the scroll's screen once before he looked back at his bed and… saw Yang stir a bit.

"Shit..."

After that she let put a quiet yawn, and tiredly began to raise herself back up from the bed, which made her boyfriend panick.

"R-Ruby go, now!" He whispered.

"Eeep!" The girl squeaked as well, and quietly ran over to the door as she looked back, said, "I won't let you down!" And continued to use her semblance and nearly warped out the door.

He could hear her supersonic footsteps echo for only a few seconds from the hall before the door closed. Yang looked up from her pillow, and stretched her arms as she looked at Gage tiredly

"Mmm…. What band was that?"

"U-Uh… Queen. Fat Bottomed Girls…"

The blonde giggled, "Hehe… of course." And then she just crawled to the edge of the bed so she could stare at him again.

"I remember that video you sent me a while ago… you were drunk and was singing one of their songs I think?'

"Yeah… that was embarrassing.." He said, with another blush.

Yang tilted her head, and smiled again as she watched him get up from his chair and approach her,

"Hey! No it wasn't! Because of that, I found out that you can sing too."

"Yang…. I was drunk."

"Yeah, but it was still on key!"

Her chip expression then turned into a tiny glare that was aimed at him, and it made Gage take a step back and cowardly raised his hands up in response.

"Wait a second... You could have been able to sing for me this whole time…"

The blonde stepped off of the bed after she said this, and stood in front of her lover with a disappointing stare… that made the ghost feel bad, because of how cute she looked while doing it.

"L-Look…. I'm sorry Taiyo-chan, but i'm one of those guys that don't generally like to sing around people… even if i have a decent voice..."

She purposely turned her head so she was looking at him with only her left eye, but she was also giving him puppy dog eyes at the same time, "...Not even for me?" She asked in a very innocent voice.

"Y-Yang… don't do that to me…"

"It would have made this morning so much better thab it already was…"

Gage's eyes sunk, and he looked down for a few seconds before he looked away from her, "...i guess i can't take back that, 'You'll make me do new things and i'll enjoy it', thing i said to you when we first got together, now can i?"

"No. Because you don't know if you enjoy it yet or not!" Yang replied with a grin.

That comment just made him whine quietly, and scratched the back of his head at the same time, "You know i'm secretly really, really self-conscious right-"

But, she silenced him almost instantly, as she pressed her finger against his lips, and shushed him while she out her other hand on his right shoulder,

"Shhh… Don't be hard on yourself Care-Bear. It'll just be for me, so i promise i won't laugh. And i know that i'll enjoy it..."

He took account that he had… well… probably owed her a favor after what they did in the bathroom earlier that day, and it wasn't like he was going to sing in front of an audience. Just to her. As a sort of lullaby… like she did for him the first night they spent together in the same bed…

And, he also took note that this would probably help Yang fall asleep, since she was doubtlessly still spooked by their late night encounter yesterday morning.

So, just sighed, and held her close with his hands wrapped around her waist, as he was now more obligated to go through with her simple request,

"*sigh* ...Alright Yang. How about… later tonight, we cuddle up in the bed… all warm and cozy… and i'll try to sing a bit of whatever song you can think of… And if i like it, then… i'll think about doing it more often. How does that sound?"

Yang blushed, due to the way his soothing voice made it sound, and smiled happily. With her gaze fixated on his Turquoise eyes yet again, "...That sounds perfect.~"

Gage chuckled, and let his arms fall from his body as he reached back, took his scroll off of his desk, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he turned back around,

"*smooch* ...Good. Now, i gotta go out. That alarm that went off was for when i had to go feed Beanie. Which is right now, so uh… yeah..."

Her expression changed although, into a more…. Sad, and sort of anxious blank smile. Since she was admittedly feeling a bit scared about being left alone in her boyfriend's dorm room...

"Oh… okay Gagey..."

If she was really acting, she would have already let out a loud and depressing sign… but she wasn't. So the ghost looked at his girlfriend and brushed his metal hand against her right cheek calmly.

"Hey. I'll be back as soon as possible. So just lock the door and window until me or Ruby comes back. Alright?"

"Alright… just… please be quick."

Gage now moved over to the dorm's door, and opened it fully as he looked back at Yang, and smiled as he saw her sit back onto his bed.

"I will." He said.

Then, he moved out into the hall, and said one last thing to his lover before he finally closed the door, and left to go out to Beanie's makeshift barn, "...Love you."

Yang waved, and frowned right after the door closed.

And after that, she even climbed back onto Gage's bed, sat on her pillow, and started a process that would include looking back and forth from their window, which was fogged up from the snow outside, and to the front door as she sighed, and hugged her knees tightly.

"Love you too…"

…

Gage did make his way outside to Green Bean's place, and he opened up the doors so she could gallop around in the snow, and he just sat down under the oak tree that was next to the place so he could watch her for a few minutes in silence, as a way to relax for a bit.

Beanie however, was stumbling as her hooves felt weird touching the snow, but she had a bucket of veggies next to her, and she wasn't that far away from the oak tree.

Gage just decided to take a carrot from her bucket, and just let it rest in between his teeth as he was on his scroll, reading up on some class notes that he transferred onto the device,

"It's alright Beanie, just been a while since you've been near the ice is all."

"*snort*"

She snorted, and walked slowly over to the ghost so she could sit down next to him, and he just sat up and brushed his hand under her chin,

"Yeah… hehe. Missed you too."

The horse closed her eyes, and fell flat on her side so she could let Gage continue to pet her, and she just rested her head on his ankle while he smiled at her,

"...Sorry i haven't been around a lot. I've just been dealing with some stuff… Yang stuff. You know how she is…"

He continued to brush her head… until she suddenly raised her head back up, and started to… sniff his metal hand. Since it was the one he was petting her with.

Gage became a bit saddened y the sight but, him being his optimistic and happy self, turned his frown upside down as he tried to make himself laugh.

"The 'metal' s just something new is all… don't worry about it. And don't bite it either! Okay? *fake gasp* ...Can you sey oki?~"

She gave another small snort, and looked up at him before she just pressed her head against his chest, which prompted Gage to hug his beloved horse with a chuckle,

"Hehe, Good. Now come on girl, i've got to put you back inside before you start shaking from the cold." He said as he let go and started to get up.

Beanie started to get up as well, and Gage just handed her the carrot that he had bitten the tip off of, and she chewed on it while they both began to walk towards the open barn doors, with him having a hand on his injured abdomen since it still hurt,

But as he got closer, Gage felt his Collector's scroll vibrate from inside of his back pocket. So, he took it out, and saw that he had just received a text from Qrow, which read,

"Hey Gage. I'm on campus but i don't think i can see you and the girls today. Oz wants to catch up, and then there's all that jazz with Ironwood."

The ghost rolled his eyes as he thought it was stupid to have such a casual conversation on such a hardcore and secure device, but he still texted him back. "Yeah no prob. I'll tell em soon."

"Alright. Tell em i love em too."

"Got it sir. Ttyl."

Beanie snorted again as she went inside and sat on a pile of hay that was strewn about, and he put his scroll away, and placed her food and water buckets near the entrance of the 'barn', but not inside of it.

No. He put them next to the door and was about to walk inside so he could feel the warmth of the place's heater… but then something strange happened.

He was entering the barn, and felt the front of his shoe come into contact with something that was buried under the small layer of snow, and he accidentally kicked the object. Making it rattle, and slide into the building with a small skidding sound.

"Hmm?"

Gage saw the object as it slid onto the cold floor of the 'barn'... and he could see that it gave off a reflection… and it was covered in a mix of ice and snow.

He first thought it was a piece of glass that Cardin and his lackeys had placed at the entrance so Beanie would step on it as a way to get back at the ghost from what happened during their last encounter, and it made him growl

He then crouched, placed his metal hand on the frame of the door, cautiously picked up the object, and began to rub most of the snow off of it.

However… he didn't do it for long until he noticed… a small patch of dark red snow that was at the top of the object… which was revealed to be metal.

"What is this…"

The ghost's question was soon answered, as he got the snow off of the meal part… and finally saw that it was the blade of a small knife.

His eyes went wide, and he looked at his hand to see that the dark red snow that was on his fingers, was in fact dried blood. "W...What the hell?!"

That was when he cleaned the bottom part, and saw what it truly was. In reality, the object was actually a… bloodstained switch blade. With a black handle.

Now, Gage knew that it was the same weapon Yang's stalker was using the day before! And he nearly gagged once he put two and two together, and realized that the blood on it… was his own.

"O...Oh my god."

He covered his mouth, and just tossed it down onto the ground, so he couldn't tamper with any fingerprints by holding onto the handle any further. But he threw it down, and he backed up as he looked below himself and saw more smaller splotches of dry blood in the snow...

"W...Why would he hide it here out of all the places?"

Gage was now gripping the back of his head with his right hand, and… slowly took his collector's scroll back out with his prosthetic, as he… wanted to tell Qrow.

It wasn't because he just needed to tell someone. No. If it was that he would just tell Ruby, or even Yang, but he didn't want to make them more paranoid than they already were…

"Qrow. Answer now!"

He called the drunk via video call, and it didn't even take a second for him to answer, with his camera focusing on his tired red eyes as he looked at Gage through the other end,

"Ugh… what is it Gage?"

"I found something. S-Something bad."

Qrow opened his eyes even more, and he was more than awake now for sure "What? You found Yang's stalker?" He asked.

"Close…"

The ghost moved his camera away from his face, and aimed it so it had a clear view of the switch blade as it laid on top of the snow covered grass. "I found his knife… he left it right in front of the place where i keep my horse…. And it still has my blood on it."

That, just made the old man sigh, "Jesus christ…."

"I need you to come and get this…. So you can give it to the police for me."

"Why me?"

Gage turned the camera back to his face, and just rubbed his forehead, looking… like he was at a loss for words. "*sigh* ..I...I promised Yang i'd be back soon and, if i'm not back soon, she'll ask where i was, then she'll get her answer. She gets answers from me easily Qrow… and if i tell her and Ruby about the knife… it'll make them even more uneasy…" He said, kind of rushed.

"Alright i'll be right there kid. But…. you gotta do something for me in return."

"...Do what?"

Qrow looked away from the screen for a few seconds, got up from the bench he was sitting on near the CCT, and mumbled his response indistinctly. "...You'll see very soon. Now, go back to Yang. I'll take care of this…"

Gage paused for a moment… and suspected that he was talking about the beginning of his next mission. The hunt for Dr. Cordelia. And, since he knew Qrow was already concerned about him, he agreed to his offer, as he was hoping the start would just be a… simple quest.

"...Okay. Thank you sir." Gage thanked him.

"Don't mention it. Now, see ya."

And with that, the drunk hung up, and the ghost just put his scroll back into his pocket before he kicked the knife back into the snow, and looked at Green Bean while she was still resting on her pile of hay peacefully,

"*sigh* ...I'll be back later girl. Alright?"

She showed her teeth a bit, and nipped at him from a distance. It made him smile, and he heard her snort as she closed her eyes so she could sleep deeply. So, he closed the double doors to the barn, and put his hands in his pockets as he began to walk away...

"Good… now… hopefully that song Yang chooses can help me forget about this…"

…

 **Later…**

...

Gage made it back to the dorm building after quickly grabbing some food from the cafeteria for him and his girlfriend, so he had that in one hand, and was approaching his room quietly.

He spent the extra fifteen minutes he had walking there to try and forget about his discovery, and was just glad he had a cup of coffee in his other hand, and it was in his 'World's Okay-est Student" mug.

"Maybe he just ditched it there out of convenience… i mean the two buildings _are_ right next to each other…"

"*bzzzt* *bzzzt*"

That was until he heard his collector's scroll buzz again, so he set his bag of food down next to the door step, and opened it to see that he just received a message to Qrow… that had a file attached to it.

"Please be something simple…"

He tapped on it, and opened the file to be greeted with the sight of a blurred picture, and a few words to go along with it, "Recon. Important. Time to shine Gage."

The ghost opened the photo… and saw that it was taken from a distance, and it was also of two people talking in an alleyway.

However, Gage didn't even need to look at the second person in it to figure out what he was scout, as the first person was a man with ginger colored hair… who was dressed in black and white with a black bowler hat that had a feather in it… and… was currently smoking a cigar… with the bottom of his cane pressed against the broken and dirty concrete below his feet.

Unknown to him until this point, Qrow had gotten word that Roman Torchwick was spotted in the bad side of the city of Vale, and one Collector managed to snag a picture of him while he was making some sort of transaction.

So, why not give his niece's recently injured, but very strong-willed boyfriend the task of tailing one of the most wanted criminals in the world through the most sketchiest of places in the city?

"Recon… that means stealthy stuff right?"

"Hey! I'm back!"

Then, suddenly, a flurry of footsteps came from the end of the hallway he was in, and he was too slow to turn to see what it was. All he could see as he turned was a bunch of rose petals hit him in the face, and fly past his head.

Once they fell, he saw Ruby standing in front of him…. As he had his scroll out… giving her a sweet, and clear view of the picture of Roman as she started to speak to him,

"Hey Gage! Wait. Why do you have your black scroll out!"

"U-UH-"

He looked at his scroll before he tried to close the screen but… Ruby moved closer, and tilted her head confusingly as she looked at it as well.

"And what's… that?"

And since it was now impossible for him to take the thing out of the girl's sight… Gage just sighed, hung his head down low, and closed his eyes, feeling defeated by his own ignorance...

"*sigh* ...Crap…."


	17. The First Step

**Author's Note:** The rising action be rising." _Deshi Deshi Basara!"_ And now maybe we'll see some Gage and Ruby stuff! ...And hopefully no one ships them. I swear to god one of my friends keeps telling me they'd be perfect together, so…. I wonder what y'all have to say about that. (Personally, it's a hell no from me)

Also, i'm just gonna thank **Mtop70** for allowing Gage to be used in his RWBY oc story, **Dead Man Walking.** And, for those of you who are fans of his fic as well… then you'll be in for a treat.~

Hehe, enjoy the chapter everyone!

 **Song:** Black by Kari Kimmel

…

Gage was standing in front of his dorm room with his head hung low, and his hand extended out, which had his collector's scroll in it, and he exhaled loudly as Ruby swiped the scroll out of his hand and gasped loudly at the picture that was being displayed on it,

"I-Is that Torchwick?!"

"*sigh* ….Yes…."

Her eyes were almost literally planted against the screen, looking every single detail of Roman's picture up and down, but Gage already had the palm of his hand against his face so that his eyes were covered. "Someone saw him in Vale, ,and now Qrow wants me to go after him… _today_."

"...By yourself?"

He rubbed his eyes, and walked past her so Yang couldn't accidentally hear them through the door, and she just followed and continued to stare at him, desperate to get a yes or no answer from him.

"… i didn't want to drop anything stressful on you or Yang… so… yeah. By myself…

"Gage… you're not a one man army."

"I-I know! ...That's why i got a reconnaissance mission instead of some takedown shit…"

She simply crossed her arms, and handed his scroll back to him with a glare, feeling a bit mad that he was going to attempt to deceive her and her sister… again.

And Gage saw it. He felt guilty just like he did the day Yang and Ruby found out he was a Collector…. But he still thought he was in the right. He couldn't just not go. He told Qrow he would either way...

"Ruby… I'm sorry. But I promised Qrow so… can you please keep this to yourself? For me? As your close friend?"

He asked her this with his hands held together, and he even got so close to her that she backed up and pressed her back against the wall of the hallway. "U-Um…"

However…. She was just as interested in the mission as he was. And to be honest, she really, really wanted to spend some more time alone with Gage since it just felt… nice to be around him without Yang.

"...Alright. But on one condition..." She stuttered, with a half smirk.

He squinted his eyes at her, and crossed her arms as well. "And what's that?" Gage asked Ruby

"...You get to take me with you."

"N-No! No no no-"

The small girl just grinned, and walked past him… so she could grab onto the door handle of his dorm, and spoke a little sultry as she smiled,

"Hehe… then I guess I'll have to tell Yang-"

But before she could continue to tease him into letting her go, Gage suddenly used his metal hand to angrily grab onto her arm, and forcefully pulled her away.

"N...No! Rrrgh... Ruby!"

"Whaa- Gage, What's the big deal?! You said it's like a scouting thing-

His grip actually hurt, and after he pulled her away from the door, Gage pinned her to the wall next to the door and covered her mouth with his other hand before he growled at her quietly,

"It's Roman! And Yang told me what happened. That night you stopped him from robbing that dust shop… you would have gotten hurt if Glynda hadn't jumped in!"

Her joking demeanor changed after that, and she just looked down at the ground sadly as he uncovered her lips,

"I… I know… but that was months ago Gage…"

Then… Gage just stared at her, and already knew that he would regret what he was going to say to her next. "...Then what happened at the docks that night I fought Adam? "

She raised her shoulders in defense and looked away from him after that…. Staying In a silent regretful expression… and hearing her friend speak about something that was clearly her fault in such a condescending way made her feel even worse.

It was so bad that Gage thought he made her close to crying, so he let go of her, backed away, and stared back at her remorsefully as she started to speak again,

"...Why do you think I want to learn from you? To make sure nothing like that happens again… and I can't learn if you won't let me."

She took a step towards him now and stood up straight again. The peak of her height reaching just up to his chin as she looked up at him, and grabbed onto his shoulders softly. "Ruby…"

"Gage. Just this one time…. Please?

He looked down at her, and thought about how her older sister would react to them being caught… or worse. How mad should we be at him… but then again, he could just say that they didn't want her to be worried, and that the small rose had pestered him into letting her go.

So, with all this and maybe-not really-possibly his relationship hanging in the air, Gage sighed, and reluctantly agreed to take Ruby with him,

"*sigh* ….Fine. But you're going to do _exactly_ what I say, and you're gonna stay quiet around any of my other contacts we see. Understood?"

Her sparkling silver eyes returned to normal, and Ruby stood on her tiptoes as she jumped, hugged him, and nodded. "Yes! Yay! Thank you!"

Gage closed his eyes and hugged her back for a few seconds before he let go, got one one knee, and her own hands out towards himself...

"Okay Ruby…. Now, think of something quick to tell Yang!"

...

After five minutes, Gage and Ruby entered his dorm, and 'Virgil's' automated voice alerted Yang as she was inside, and she jumped as she looked towards the door and watched them both come in,

" _Access Granted!"_

"Gage! Ruby"

The blonde was still in the last place, and even the same position she was in when he had left, but now she became less anxious and looked delighted to see both her boyfriend and little sister again,

"What took you guys so long?"

They both walked over to the left side of the ghost's bed, and he stood in front of his desk with his hands behind his back rather nervously before he spoke to her, "Oh uh… we were talking on the way back annnd Ruby…. Ruby wanted to…-"

"-Oh! I uh… wanted to head into town with Gage so we could… get some dust and weapon materials! Because… we ran out?" She asked, finishing his sentence.

Yang peered her eyes at Ruby weirdly, and scooted all the way up the the front of the bed so her legs would hang off the edge, "Oh. So you're going to Dust Til Dawn? On the… bad side of town?"

"Y...Yeah."

"Hmm… i should come too then."

The brawler jumped at the opportunity, and hopped off of the bed, but Gage raised one of his hands to sort of wave her off. "N-No! -Um… she just wanted me to go with her actually…"

Ruby nodded, and also put her hand behind her back like Gage. "Yeah.. i mean, it's still daylight out, and i thought if Gage comes with me, then he could just scare any bad people off with his arm…" She mumbled.

"Mmhm! A-And… we thought it would be better if you just stayed here…. S-So you won't have to worry about anything and just relax for the rest of the day!"

Gage said this while he secretly used his hand to reach back onto his desk, grabbed his new-ish revolver, and slowly placed it inside of his back pocket as Yang frowned. Again.

"...But you just came back…"

Ruby saw him do this, and backed up so her rear touched the desk, and he moved closer to his lover so he could brushed the side of her head with his hand, so his fingers could run through her hair soothingly.

"...I'm sorry." He whispered, as he began to stare deeply into the visibly depressed, but yet very beautiful lilac orbs that were her eyes. "Just… try and think about that song while I'm gone."

He smiled at her in an attempt to get a reaction from Yang… but all she did was cross her arms and look away from him with that frown still plastered onto her face

"...Look. If you feel…uneasy about being in here alone, then go up to your dorm with Weiss and Blake. Can you do that for me?"

The blonde nodded, and continued to go on and hug her boyfriend as tightly as she could, so he hugged her back and brushed Yang's back gently as she was sitting on the bed,

"Just think about tonight Taiyo-chan. I'll be there for you then. I promise.~"

"Okay…"

She was still visibly sad, so Gage quickly gave her a kiss on the lips, wrapped his arms around her waist, and… thankfully made her grin as he pulled away right after.

"Again... I love you." He said quietly, trying to not let Ruby hear so she wouldn't squeal because of the moment. "...And we'll be back soon."

Yang cupped his cheek, and gave him a cute glare with a blush to go along with it, as Gage let go of her waist and took a step back towards the door.

"...Love you too… a-and you better not get into any trouble!"

Ruby then tugged on Gage's hand and pulled him over to the door, "We won't!" And threw it open so she could push him out into the hallway.

Her older sister gave them both a small wave goodbye, again, and watched as Ruby shut the door, and exhaled once it closed again, so that the brawler wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Phew…. That was surprisingly easy…"

Gage just smiled, and put his hands in his pockets as he began to walk down the hall casually, even though deep down inside he felt like shit for leaving Yang like that.

"You wanna know easy? You should see how fast it takes me to say yes when Yang asks me to take a shower with her…"

And of course, Ruby covered her ears and whined because of his insensitive response, even though he didn't say it by accident.

"G-Gage! Don't tell me that!"

"Sorry. Anyway... Let's go meet that contact of mine..."

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage and Ruby both headed into Vale after it hit six o'clock. They did this because it would usually get dark after this time in the afternoon during winter, and he thought it would be easier for them to go through their operation easier.

He managed to finish the rest of Javix's touch up on the airship they took into the city, and Ruby swiped Crescent Rose before they left, and now they were both walking down a street that would go towards the bad side of town.

"*sigh* ...Let's just get this over with…" Gage sighed.

"Gage, Yang won't be mad at you. I mean, come on. She's obsessed with you."

"I know! But… she looked so sad…"

Gage was walking ahead, and Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder as they both spotted a bench that was next to a bus stop.

And since they thought they were nearing the meet up point, they both sat down on the bench, and put their hoods up. Though, he was already growing impatient.

"At least you made her smile at the end?"

"...Whatever…"

Ruby's hand remained on his shoulder blade after that, and she just casually leaned her head against him while he sat there with his arms crossed.

And they stayed like that for around ten minutes, until she saw that someone was walking towards them, and was coming over from the opposite end of the sidewalk.

Gage saw the apparent man as well, and glanced at him, only for a small tilt of his head to be aimed at the ghost in return.

The other man was wearing a big black backpack, a black kevlar hoodie, black slim fit jeans, and black combat boots. He soon walked past the two, and was about to sit on the bench next to Gage, so he turned to Ruby and whispered,

"Lower your head and stay quiet…"

She gave him a small nod, and made sure to look away from them as the other man took down his hood, and revealed himself to Gage.

He had tanned skin with a few scars to show across his body, jet black hair, and dull golden or hazel eyes. They weren't glowing, they just… looked like they were made from the skin from an actual metal gold bar.

The ghost did know this man from long ago fortunately, when he first returned to Vale and started his field work as a Collector. This man, was in fact Jackson Wesson, a fellow Huntsman in training turned info broker for the Collectors..

"Funny to see you here. Could have sworn I was in your shoes last time…"

The ghost stifled a chuckle, and Jackson just hung his head down as he rolled his eyes, feeling a little condescended. "Yeah yeah yeah…"

"So… how's your throat Jackson?"

"It's _fine_ Gage. *sigh*…."

He sighed, and just rubbed his eyes as he took out his black backpack and unzipped it in an angrily fashion.

Gage just sat there smugly, and Ruby was still looking away, which Jackson noticed… since he thought she seemed familiar. But, he didn't pay that much attention to it, since he had a job to do.

So then, he took what looked like a… circular monocle, but without the little piece of string attached to it, and also a triangular piece of metal.

"Anyway, here. Simple surveillance and tracking gear. Now, your viewpoint should be around here somewhere…"

Gage took them both, and just stared at the gear before he put them in his pocket while Jackson stood up, and pointed to the top of a building that was in front of them.

"There. About a block down in that direction. I saw two trucks blocking out an alleyway, so that's your best bet. And with a semblance like yours, the mission shouldn't be a problem."

The ghost smiled, and stood up, putting his revolver in his holster before turning back to Jackson again, "Hopefully not…. I want to get back to the Missus as fast as possible."

Jackson smirked, and was a inch away from audibly groaning since almost every single one of Gage's contacts has heard about Yang before...

"Yeah… good luck with that. Knowing her…"

And since Gage thought his tone was a bit toxic, he looked at his fellow Collector and laughed… but unknowingly with red eyes showing.

"Hehe... _What was that?_ "

The red eyes had startled Jackson, as he hasn't seen Gage with that particular trait prior, but he shook it off soon enough, more focused on the audible challenge the ghost had offered him.

If he had the rest of his gear, Jackson most likely would've challenged him, as a way to pay back for what happened in the past… but only maybe.

He declined to think better of it, as he soon realized that even with his weapons, he probably wouldn't stand much of a chance.

"*sigh* ...Nothing!" Jackson relented, still taken aback by this new trait of his. "Now, I've gotta go. So... 'till next time Gage!"

He then turned and hurried off down the sidewalk, into the night. And once he disappeared, Gage and Ruby both stood up as well, but she continued to watch the man until he was out of sight. "Who was that?" She asked Gage.

"No one. Just a Dead Man Walking. Like yours truly."

"Oh… okay. Well, what do we do now?"

Gage placed a hand on his revolver's handle, and looked up at the roof of the building above them, "We go up."

…

It took them about fifteen minutes to see the vans, find the nearest fire escape to climb, and ascended to the top of an apartment building.

Gage and Ruby stood there on top of the building, and looked downwards, where there was indeed some sort of exchange going on.

The location wasn't actually an alleyway, but instead it was an old run down mechanic shop, which had piles of cars on top of one another that surrounded the yard, and there were indeed two black vans blocking out both exits.

"Yup… this is the place…" Gage said as him and Ruby both crouched next to the ledge of the building.

He came to this conclusion mostly because there were two groups of people on the ground below.

Both were separated by a trash can that was lit on fire… but he could tell that the left side looked to be a bunch of faunus civilians… while the other side was populated by a squad of White Fang soldiers… but these ones were different….

They had full sets of lavender, white, and red colored body armor. They had plated boots that went all the way above their knees, bulky chest plates that were accompanied with some shoulder plates, heavy gauntlets, and a very, very new and distinct grimm mask, or helmet rather.

The helms were a mix of white and lavender, but covered their entire face except for the slits that revealed their eyes, which had a circle of red outlining it.

Aside from that… they had decals that represented the teeth of grim where their mouths would be, and they were colored white with lines of black and red lining it.

Some helmets had slits on the top of them for some of the soldier's…. Canine esque ears, and others didn't. But the ones without ears, had an array of multi-colored wolf tails, indicating that they were all from the canine/wolf side of the faunus family tree.

However, the one thing Gage noticed… was that each and every single one of them had three tally marks smeared against their helmets, where their foreheads would be to be specific. But he couldn't tell if it they were marked in red paint… or blood.

"Whoa… what kind of armor are those faunus wearing?" Ruby asked him, as she was just as clueless as he was. "You ever see them dress like that before Gage?"

"No…. never…"

They both became slightly pale, and they just watched as the two groups approached each other… and they all stood face to face as another person opened the back doors of the van the fang came from…

Gage exhaled, and took out the monocle thingy before he pressed a button on the right side, and placed it against his right eye, so it would stay in place around it and form what looked like a cylinder, which wrapped around his eye socket so it was like a tiny telescope.

He kept it in place with one hand, and remain quiet… as he saw a girl, dressed in brown, pink, and white with an umbrella exit the van… along with the man they were looking for. Roman Torchwick.

Ruby mumbled something negative under her breath, but Gage just pressed a button on the side of the scouter scope, which made it begin to record what he was seeing. "They there are…"

Roman was holding a big black case, and walked over to the unarmed faunus, just tossing it in their direction as he smiled, and put a hand on his side, "There's your gear… 'initiates'... now, do you have your end of the deal?"

"Yes…" One of the civies replied.

The ghost just kept the scope traced on the ginger-haired crime lord, and was able to hear every single word that was spoken… but… then he noticed that some of the White Fang soldiers began to scan the surrounding area…

While this happened, two of the citizens moved a large crate next in front of the soldiers, and backed away quickly, as the thugs began to… sniff the air. Every single one of them.

Roman just smiled, and opened the container to be greeted with the sight of dust crystals, lien cards, and A LOT of automatic rifles placed in it. Common weapons that could be bought from gunsmiths and weapon shops.

"AR-15s, AK-47s, and a bunch of money. This'll cheer that old-throatless bull up….. Maybe."

Neo smiled and rolled her eyes before she just sat on the back ramp of the van, waiting for this to finish up…. But soon one of their canine soldiers walked over to Roman, and put his arm around his shoulder,

"*sniff* *sniff* ...New scent…. Need to leave. Now." The man growled, his helmet distorting his voice completely.

Roman just sighed, "Oh… of what?"

"*sniff* …Roses… and metal…"

Gage's eyes widened, and he immediately grabbed onto Ruby as he pushed her, and himself, onto the surface of the roof, as to stay hidden from their sight, and he took the small triangular beacon Jackson had given him out of his pocket quietly.

Ruby mumbled and nearly yelped as he covered her mouth with his hand, causing her to shut her eyes in fear as he leaned over to her, and whispered into her ear as quietly as he could. "Oh shit…"

She quickly moved his hand away from her lips, and she glanced back at Gage, now feeling a bit on edge. "W...What is it?"

"Wolf faunus i think…. Just stay quiet…"

"Why?"

He soon raised himself off of her, and lied on his side so the edge of the roof blocked out his head from being seen, and she did the same.

Then, Gage turned his head, and made it so only one of his eyes could peer down at the wolves…. And they started to become riled up...

"Their senses are incredible. And that means that they can hear us….. they can _smell_ us…"

Now, both parties in the arms deal started to pack up as fast as possible, the civilians already in their van while the wolves were just waiting for Roman to enter their vehicle…. But he wouldn't. He stood there, and just looked around with a smile on his face as he leaned on his cane.

"Sir. Need to leave. NOW-"

The squad leader tried to warn him, but the miscreant stubbornly waved him off, and looked right at the roof where the two were hiding. "...No… you go ahead. I want to see what they've planned…"

After that, Roman just smiled, and began to pace in a circle, with the tap of his cane going hand in hand with the sound of his footsteps…

He knew who was near once he heard that rose petals were involved, and it pleased him. Knowing that the overconfident sixteen year old girl was still ever so fixated on finding him and bringing him in.

"Red…. come out to play…~"

Gage turned to Ruby, and saw that her silver eyes shone with total, and absolute fear. Her expression just giving off a blank stare full of terror, as she moved her shaking hand down to his metal hand… and held it.

"Little Red….. Come out to play-ay! ...Hehehe…~"

The ghost clenched her hand, but let go after a bit as he took out his scroll, and whispered into it as he recorded himself, and already had it set to be sent to Qrow automatically…

"Position may be revealed... Roman's in the vicinity… please advise…"

There was a pause for about ten seconds between Roman's threatening voice, and Ruby's breathing, until Qrow replied with a text, rather quickly. "If you can take him alive, then do it. No matter what."

That made Gage sigh heavily, and he looked back at Ruby again, whispering again as he tried to talk to her calmly. "...You think we can take him? If not, we can just get the beacon on them and leave…. Your call."

"...Let's get him Gage."

"Okay…. I have an idea…"

…

Five minutes went by, and Roman stopped his intimidation tactics. He was just looking around the junkyard as Neo looked bored as hell, and huffed while she sat in the passenger seat of their black van.

"*sigh* ….Fine Neo. We'll go."

Some of the faunus soldiers kept snarling, but thankfully for them, the civilians had left, and Gage and Ruby's scent had become clearer to them. Now, they sighed with relief since Roman began to walk to their getaway vehicle.

But, that safe feeling changed, as Gage raised his body, and leaned over the edge of the roof with his revolver aimed at them as he yelled, "NOW!" And fired one shot, which below the sideview mirror on Neo's window off.

Ruby, who was still unseen by them, jumped down from the roof of the building they were on, and landed on the top of a small convenience store that had a clear view of their vehicle.

She had Crescent Rose drawn with her scope aimed at their tires, and she just waited, staring at them while Roman aimed his cane at Gage, and fired an explosive ball of fire dust at him.

"Shit!-"

"*BANG!*"

The shot collided with the brick building, but it only managed to cause the section of the roof that Gage was standing on to crack and give way, including the ground below him. It creaked and rumbled, as he went down with it, but the ghost managed to vault over the ledge before it collapsed and he landed on top of a crushed car.

"Rrrgh!"

The smashing of metal and concrete was heard, and was followed by the Gage's grunting as he landed and rolled off the car before he saw Roman, and could see that he was making a mad dash to the getaway vehicle.

"Come on! Let's get a move on!"

He ran across the junkyard, and saw that he was about to pass the barrel that was set ablaze for warmth. "Hmm… i wonder…" Gage thought to himself and looked down at his prosthetic arm for a few seconds…

Then, he ran to the barrel, grabbed onto the bottom of it with his metal hand, and flung it towards Roman.

"Take-this!"

It twirled so the end with the cinders was aimed away from the criminal, and it slammed into Roman's back, making him crash into the side of the van so hard that it even left a massive dent in the metal.

"Agh!"

Gage froze in place as the hooligan slid down onto the black pavement, and he just stared at his arm again as he almost let a small nervous chuckle.

"Jesus… Weiss didn't tell me about the strength part…"

Roman groaned as he stood back up, and just decided to pound on the side of the vehicle as a way to signal for them to get away while they could.

"Go! *cough* ...Go now!"

"Yes sir!"

The van's engine turned over and the went in reverse before peeling out of the lot, with Neo hanging her head out the window, using her hand to try and reach out to her mentor, since they now left him behind.

But before they could make it out of the junkyard, Ruby fired one round into the vehicle's back right tire, making it slow just enough so Gage could get the triangular beacon out from the interior of his jacket's sleeve, and hurl it towards the car

He threw it at their car, and it acted like a magnet as it became stuck to the back of the exterior, and out of sight.

"Yes! Got it!" Gage growled.

It now left Roman in the dust, it's engine roaring while it became lost in the urban jungle that was the City of Vale. And he, turned around, smiling awkwardly as both Gage and Ruby were now standing right in front of him.

Ruby held her scythe closely, giving the man a menacing glare as she cocked her weapon loudly and a used shell casing clattered onto the sidewalk they were standing on. "...Alright… _Now_ i'm ready to play Torchwick…"

The crook took a step back, and one more even once he noticed Gage's metal hand, and the nervousness he felt in that moment reached it's peak, as he chuckled to himself awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

"E-Eheheh…. Gotta go!"

And he began to run once he got that out, down the road the van went to, which was poorly lit and surrounded by an old apartment complex.

Gage and Ruby both gave chase, and attempted to fire a round at him from one of their own respective weapons, but he manage to dodge the shots until they reached an intersection and watched as he turned down to the right, and towards a construction site.

She turned to her sister's boyfriend, and tried to speak to him as he was panting, trying to keep up with her. "Gage! He's gonna try to lose us in there!"

He nodded, and saw that there were steps formed from a stack of iron bars in front of them, at the entrance to the site that could allow someone to run up them and leap onto the warehouse that was being constructed.

"...Split! I'll stay behind him and lead him towards the docks! We can corner him!"

"Okay! I'll meet you there!"

Ruby then noticed the stack of bars, and she began to run up them as she was also using her speed to get ahead of Gage, and quickly jumped up onto the second story of the partially built structure so she was out of Roman's vision.

The ghost just continued to run after she was gone, following Roman through the muddy and cold dirt as it began to snow again, and further into the construction yard…

…

They ran through it, and eventually made it out without losing distance from each other, but Gage was starting to slow.

Now, they were running towards an archway that was already built, and it led them right to where the docks or boardwalk began.

Roman had already began to slowly get further and further away from his pursuer… so the ghost pulled out javix again, and aimed it at him as they got out of the construction site, and managed to cut into an alleyway.

And at the same time…. The whirring of an unseen bullhead airship could be heard from right above them. "...*pant* ...Stop! Now!" Gage yelled as he heard the sounds.

"You really think yelling it will make me want to-"

"*BANG!*"

Before the miscreant with a mouth could attempt to make some sort of witty remark, Gage pulled the trigger again fired a warning shot that accidentally skimmed the side of the man's shoulder, tearing through the white outfit he was wearing and causing blood to run down his sleeve!

"ARGH!"

Roman groaned, and held his arm as he quickly turned the corner of the alley and tried to hide behind the wall in an attempt to fake Gage out…. But he didn't run past him.

The criminal simply peered back into alley, and yelled into it angrily, "Ugh…. *pant* ...asshole…. I just got this thing clean!"

He shouted that… and opened his eyes even more to see that… there wasn't anyone in the alley. All that was there was an empty trash can that had been knocked over in their chase… but then he heard Gage murmur into his eardrum through clenched teeth...

"You're lucky that thing isn't completely red already…."

"Huh?!"

Then, Roman turned to see the ghost's metal arm reappear along with the rest of his body since he had decided to go invisible, and it smashed into the part of the wall that was right next to the crook's head, cracking it.

Dust swooshed away from the cracks and floated along with a few snowflakes that fell in that same exact moment, and the ginger-haired man wasn't fast enough to dodge his attacker's other hand.

Gage's other hand managed to clamp onto the collar of his shirt, and he threw Roman into the street that was in between where they were and the docks, where there was a tiny pier which was crafted so it hung above the now icy and snow filled ocean water.

In his struggle to get his target closer to the docks, Gage accidentally managed to let his hood lower so his face was now revealed, and he just sneered down at the older man angrily.

"You know, i thought it would have been harder to find you Torchwick."

"Yeah well…. Sorry to disappoint you…"

That made the nineteen year old smirk, and slowly sauntered over to Roman as he stood back up, and he could finally see the ghost's face…. And he paused for a moment as he began to scan him.

The black and sage colors, invisibility, auburn hair and facial hair… the red eyes that changed to turquoise. It was all too much of the description Adam gave his soldiers after the… throat biting incident.

But, that memory made Torchwick snicker while he got back up and pointed at Gage with a smile

"Oh. Hehe, Oh it's you. You're… 'The Ghost'." He said, using air quotes as he began to back away towards the pier.

"You guessed right."

They were now standing on the wooden planks, facing one another with their hands gripping their weapons, but at their sides as they stared each other down, and Gage allowed himself to… actually grin, since his enemy actually knew who he was.

The crime lord then looked him from head to toe, but put a hand on his side once he noticed how young the ghost was compared to Adam, even though it was about a two to three year difference.

"Hmm… i thought you'd be older."

"Yeah? Well… i thought you'd be taller…" Gage replied.

His grin soon faded, and he gripped Javix's hilt with his metal hand as it slowly shifted into it's Kukri form, and the sight made Roman take a step back while he moved his hand up his cane's body, in a position where he could easily strike someone with it,

"Look, if this about that whole, 'me traumatizing you and your friends because i blew off your arm with a lazer gun,' thing…. I'm really, really sorry about that, but… Pfft-wait. What am i saying? No i'm not."

Now both of the ghost's fists were clenched, as he could not have possibly known that information before, and it infuriated him!

"Wait- it was you?!"

"Oh… *sharp exhale* ….Yeah it was me…" Roman said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he did so. "...But look at the bright side. You can park in handicapped spots, and you won't end up being killed by me since i honestly feel pity for you… can't say the same about your old pal Adam though."

All Gage did after that, was hold his kukri upside down so the blade was coming from the bottom side of his clenched fist, and held it sideways as he began to slowly walk to the older man. "Well, i guess we'll see who'll be dead in the end. Won't we?"

"Mmm… Yes we shall. Hahaha!"

Roman and Gage both ran at each other after that, one having an unusually large grin rather than the other, and they both yelled as they swung their weapons at each other and made them clash together. Javix's blade clashed against the body of Roman's cane.

The older man followed up with a swift kick to Gage's shin, and it made his leg buck and allowed him to pull back and deliver a hard sideways strike with his cane that collided with his the side of his neck, making him wince in pain.

"Agh!"

But, The ghost fired back as he used his right hand to send a jab into the side of Roman's face, and dodged a whiff from his cane again so he could kick him back in the side of his stomach, causing the criminal to growl with his odd smile,

"H-Hehe…. Funny thing about this that you're putting up just as much as a fight as little old red!"

That made Gage punch him again in the chest while he let out a shout to go along with it, and he began to send a flurry of slashes and punches following that initial first impact, but Roman just continued to smile and block a majority of the blows with barely any effort at all.

So, the ghost tried something different. He tried to punch the man hard in the throat, and he went to block, and he pulled his right hand back, flung Javix up out of his metal hand, and grabbed onto it with his right hand before he used his knife to stab Roman in his left shoulder, making his blood leak and stain even more of the white fabric of his outfit surrounding the wound,

"Don't you say shit about her!"

But, in the moment of adrenaline, Roman didn't act like how someone normally would. Instead, he ripped the blade out of his shoulder, and flipped his cane, using the hooked shape handle to…. _Hook_ it around the wrist of Gage's prosthetic.

Then he pulled him towards himself so he could move away his cane and use the blunt end to bang it against the back of the ghost's right leg.

"Okay fine kid, but tell me, which hurts more?! A…. or B?!"

Gage yelled out and fell onto his knees, so the ginger-haired man moves his cane back and swung it into the side of his head, making the ghost fall onto his side.

"Forehand, or Backhand?! Ahahaha!"

He heard Roman cackle, and he grew annoyed by the sound of it, so he quickly activated Cynica and was about to get up… until the whirring sound of an airship drowned out his opponent's laughing.

So, Gage got up and looked at Roman with his red eyes, and also with his blade at his side... but he also sheathed Javix at the same time, and began to reach for the back of his belt..

"*pant* ...You're winning and you're not even going to finish it? *pant* ...Weak..." He panted.

Torchwick replied with another smirk, and flipped his cane so the hooked handle was facing towards the ghost. "Eh… it's not like you'll die." Yet, he still aimed it towards him.

"...But then again… I can still try to kill you!"

And in one cheeky move, the crook swung his cane at Gage one last time, right as he clicked a button on the side of it so it's hook shot out, and it's grapple mode could be engage.

He swung his weapon so the line that was connecting the weapon would wrap around Gage's neck, and it was unbelievably tight. "Crap!" He thought to himself.

They both had also began to get closer and closer to the edge of the pier throughout the entire ordeal, but now, the ghost was only a feet away from the edge with icy ocean waters. as the only thing that could save him.

Unfortunately.

...

Ruby was still running across the rooftops, but she could hear some yelling and grunting coming from the docks, so she tried her best to get closer to the noises.

"Gage can take him… or hold him off long enough for me to get there!"

She eventually hopped down into the alleyway that the two men came through earlier, and the small girl made her way out onto the street so she could a clear view of the docks… and that was when she saw them both.

Roman had Gage in a headlock at this point, and he was trying to choke her sister's boyfriend out with the line that his cane wrapped around his throat, and now the ghost's feet were being pushed onto the edge,

"O-Or not!" Ruby stuttered. "Gage!"

Gage was struggling to keep still…. But…. he froze once he heard Ruby's voice, and that was enough for Torchwick to finally push him over the edge, and off the edge of the raised dock!

The ghost immediately managed to move his metal hand through the loop the line made around his neck, and it prevented him from being hung, but he was still choking as he dangled from the rope, and looked down into the nearly frozen water below him.

"*pant* *pant* ...Grr…"

Roman began to laugh again, and the white fang bullhead started to descend… so he had to act fast to get out of this debacle. But he didn't have a lot of choices to go with. Only two so far.

"W...Which is better? Being hung from a pier by a criminal that probably wears eyeliner…. Or cutting the line and falling into the water, and/or dying from hypothermia…."

That was when he felt the line tighten, so he decided that he's had enough. So, Gage used his left hand, and tapped the top of his prosthetic hand before another white holo-sphere formed before he slid it all the way down his forearm, and made his metal hand's metallic nails form.

Then, he slashed the wire open, causing him to fall into the cold ocean tide as Ruby ran towards Torchwick, who whined as he saw the line was cut,

"Awww… you're no fun…"

"*SPLASH!*"

"Torchwick!"

She only managed to get halfway across the pier as his airship aligned its bay doors with edge of the dock, and the crime lord tipped his hat to her as he hopped into it,

"Sorry kiddos but i have to go! It's been fun though, i'll say that much. Right 'Casper'?" He said with a smirk as he looked down at the water below, which had only a few bubbles that reached the surface of the water. "Yeah… you might wanna save him before he freezes to death down there Red."

Ruby just growled, dropped Crescent Rose, and looked down at the rocks that lined the coast, before she hopped down towards them. All while Roman waved goodbye and the airship started to ascend back into the sky,

"Anywayyy… be a good girl, finish your homework, and be in bed by nine. Ta Ta."

She heard the ship fly off, but she didn't care now, as Gage's head broke through the water with a loud gasp to go along with it. "*GASP!* ...F...F...FUCK!" And he began to desperately doggy paddle over to Ruby.

"G-Gage are you okay?! Talk to me!"

He got to the rock shore and was visibly shaking as he climbed up to the small girl and hugged himself tightly. She became panicked, helped him back up onto the boardwalk, and he laid down and rolled onto his side while his cold breaths could be seen due to the cold air,

"R….Ruby…. I'm so cold…."

She feared that he had gotten stabbed or something instead of remembering that it was the middle of january and there was still a bunch of snow, so Ruby crawled and hovered over Gage as she covered her mouth,

"Gage no! Don't leave me! Not again!"

But thankfully for her, he sat up from the ground and shouted at her while he held the white wool-knit collar of his suede jacket, trying to feel somewhat warm.

"'N-No! Ruby i just fell into fucking ice water! I-I'm c-c-cold as fuck!"

"Oh… hehe… sorry…."

She apologized with a blush, and… began to take off her red cloak so she could wrap it around his body. "Here." And then she nuzzled next to him, but he was too mad to give her a blush in return.

Gage simply looked up into the sky, and took out his collector's scroll, which wasn't damaged at all since it was waterproof…

"T-T-Thanks…"

"So… mission failed?" She asked him.

"N-No…." He replied shakily. He began to also feel the rose's body heat, so he scooted closer to her as he went on. "W-We got the beacon in place and took the p-pictures… that was the main thing…"

Gage was also feeling really short of breath, probably because of the hanging that was close to being his fate, so he began to pant heavily as he just hugged Ruby to comfort himself.

She jumped at first, but hugged him back as she heard him let out a small shiver that seemed painful to her ears, "You okay?'

She patted his back at the same time, and he nodded as he wrapped her cloak tighter around himself again. "Y-Y-Yeah… just… t-tired…. And c-cold…"

"Sorry I didn't get here in time… we would have had him then…"

Gage sighed, and tried to not think about that. So, he decided to remind her of what was really important as she helped him stand up, and they both began to walk down the boardwalk, "I-I-It's okay Ruby… W-W-We're both alive. That's all that m-m-matters." He told her.

"Yeah… we should probably get you a coffee before we head home… or something."

The thought of feeling heat again made him think about Yang,.. About how alone and or possibly scared she was. And now, all he wanted to do was go home and sing whatever girly or weird song she had in store for him… but… he was sure that she would be mad at him.

"T-That'd be nice Ruby… b-but…. b-but I have to get Yang something first…"

"Something like what?"

Gage just smiled, and was wondering if there were any flower shops open during the winter… that would also let him write a special little note for his lover as well…~

"...Something that'll cheer her up… n-n-now come on, let's go."

…

 **Later…**

…

" _Access Granted!"_

After about another hour of walking around in his soaked winter clothes, Gage eventually made his way back to his dorm at around nine o'clock, alone. But with a bouquet of roses in his hands…

Ruby had gone back to her team's dorm but texted Yang that he was coming home, and that he was really tired, which he was.

Now, he opened the dorm's door, and walked inside as a loud yawn escaped from his mouth, but he did not see Yang on the bed. Instead, he saw that there was light coming from the crack under their bathroom's door, and he could also hear that she was humming too.

"*sigh* ...At least she sounds okay…."

Gage sighed, and closed the door. Then, he placed the bouquet on his desk, since he thought she just turned off the water and that it would take a while for her to get out, and… took a little card out from his pocket, and placed it in front of the roses.

After that, he closed his eyes, took off his suede jacket, and put it on his desk chair. "Ugh...… so fucking cold…" He groaned as he walked towards their bed.

He was still shaking from his accidental dive into the frozen ocean water, and even the heater that was blowing hot air into the room couldn't help him endure the coldness. And, since his wet shirt felt weird, he took it off and tossed it under his bed before he just threw himself onto his bed, and whined as he pulled his blanket over himself.

The ghost was already feeling a massive headache coming on, so he grumbled to himself for a second, and turned his body so he was laying on his back, and he closed his eyes while he placed his right arm was on top of his forehead so his forearm was touching his brow.

"*sigh*..."

…

Yang came out of the bathroom about five minutes later. Her hair just dried, and she stood in the doorway, wearing only her yellow tanktop and some black laced panties as she saw Gage and smiled, happy to see that he was back.

"Aw… he's sleeping already?" She thought.

She turned off the lights, stepped out into the room… and immediately turned to see the bouquet that Gage had left for. "Is that… *gasp!*" And she let out a small gasp once she could see the red rose petals.

The blonde covered her mouth, picked one of the flowers out of the posy, and she sniffed it before she held the rose close to her chest, feeling enchanted by her boyfriend's gracious little gift.

But that feeling of being treasured would soon overwhelm her once she saw there was also a card next to the bouquet as well, "Oooh… what's this?~"

Yang had a little smirk on her face as she picked up the card… and read it. But what she didn't know was that it was both a poem, and a note! Which read,

 _~Orchids are gold, and Oak leaves are green_

 _I'm sorry if my actions seemed a tad bit mean._

 _I wish my romance skills were a lot more keen,_

 _As sometimes i feel i treat you just like Green Bean. So I know that it may sound somewhat serene, but in the coming days, i will promise to treat you as if you are_

 _My Queen!~_

 _I felt so bad about leaving you by yourself that i bought the most expensive flowers i could find, and i made this poem for you. So… i'm sorry about today. I love you. And i'll do whatever i can to make it up to you._

 _-Your Care-Bear, Gage._

The blonde tried not to squeal with excitement and happiness, so instead… she set the note down onto the desk next to the roses… and looked towards Gage as he was on the bed with a very, very lustful stare. With her smirk growing even larger…

"Hehe…"

Gage wasn't snoring, so she knew he was awake and it made her grin even more as she strutted over to his bed… and lifted the blanket so she could crawl under them, but strangely she decided to this where his feet were resting.

He could feel the blankets ripple and stretch away from his body, and he opened his eyes once he felt her weight as she crawled, and soon sat on his crotch.

This made him become surprised, so he lifted the covers to look down there, and was greeted by his girlfriend as she poked her head out from under the blanket, and hovered over him with a blush.

His turquoise eyes opened more once he saw Yang and felt her hand move up his bare chest, and he stared into her lilac orbs right before she smiled again and spoke to her boyfriend in a soft tone of voice…

"Hi."

"...Hey-Mmmph!"

...But before he could reply, the blonde brawler pounced onto him and kissed her beloved on the lips passionately, and still with her smile showing.

Gage flinched at first, but he closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he just laid his head back down onto his pillow. "Hmm...This is fine." He thought while the sound of their lips started to become louder.

Their breathing became heavier, and she would let out the occasional giggle before she would begin to straddle her boyfriend, and grasped his shoulders as he put his hands on her lower back, and pulled her closer to himself.

Yang felt his hand smove down further towards her rear, unintentionally of course, so she gave him one last kiss with a little bit of tongue before she laughed again and just decided to rest her head on his chest snugly, and Gage was panting due to her surprising him,

"*pant* ...I...i thought you'd be mad at me…." He said.

"I was a little bit… but… then i saw the flowers…"

He smiled, and closed his eyes as he began to feel his lover's warmth, and so he began to run his hand through her hair delicately as Yang wrapped her arms around Gage's body. "...Did you like them?"

"Hehe… obviously. But i think the card did it for me more…."

"The poem wasn't too cringey was it? I'm a terrible writer..."

The ghost asked that, and the blonde brawler sighed as she closed her eyes too. "No… it was fine Gage. Hehe, It's kinda why i just shoved my tongue down your throat…" She giggled.

"Well, thank you Yang…"

He chuckled as well, and used his metal hand to grab onto his pillow, as that position, along with Yang's comforting embrace, just made him feel a lot more relaxed after such a crazy night… but she still found a way to make him laugh again,

"So… i'm your queen eh? Then i guess you're going to be my little love slave.~"

And it did work, as he tried his best to do the same to her in return. "Well…. You found me in the woods. So you do technically own me…" He whispered.

Yang shook her head and grinned while he wrapped only his right arm around her body, but she was honestly trying not to laugh.. "Pfft… you're not a dog Care-bear…"

""Arf… *yawn* ...Arf…"

He let out another yawn, and it made Yang look up at him again to notice that Gage was trying to fall asleep… but was staying awake. Just to talk to her. "Jeez. You're really tired aren't you?" She asked him.

He nodded, "Mmhm... " And opened up his eyes just a bit for her to see that his they were also bloodshot, and he had them open for only a few seconds… but… that was when Yang noticed that his body was cold.

Gage then tilted his head towards her, and asked, "Hey… Yang… can you warm me up? I'm cold…" Tiredly as his eyes fluttered a bit as well.

"Yeah sure!" And right On The Spot, the blonde's aura began to slightly glow yellow, which made him let out another small sigh, though, she still sat up and saw that his hair looked like it was just dried, "Hey wait… why do you look wet Gage? It wasn't raining."

"U-Uh… me and Ruby were over by the docks and… i… may have accidentally fallen into the water... "

His response made her stifle a giggle, not knowing about his partial lie, and she cupped the sides of his face with her hands before she used her right hand to brush his hair as she just smiled and whispered to him.

"Dumbo…"

The ghost smiled, closed his eyes again, and felt her heat begin to sooth him as she started to question him, "Are you sure that you're okay? You're not quietly dying of _hypothermia_ or _pneumonia_ are you _?_ " She asked, but in a joking type of manner.

"Yeah i'm alright. I just wish i could turn my brain off for a minute… but i just remembered something..." Gage answered her.

"Remembered what?"

"...I still have to sing for you."

Yang blushed once she heard him say that, and she tried to look away with him as she continued to sit on top of his crotch, "Y-Y...You don't have to Gage. I mean… you can barely keep your eyes open!"

He just laid there, and opened his eyes as he let his hand fall from her body, and instead ran it down her side until his metal hand made it's way down to her hip, and the contact made her blush even more.

"No. i said i would, and you know me... when i make a promise…"

The blonde smiled once again as she placed her palm on his abdomen, which still had the bandage on it, and she skimmed her hand over to his bare chest. "*sigh* ...You keep it…" She sighed.

"Now… what'd you come up with?"

Yang tried opened her mouth to speak… but it didn't for about thirty seconds. And when it did, nothing came out of her for about thirty seconds, and her face became even more red as she giggled nervously.

"What is it? You're as red as a tomato Yang."

She just sat there, on top of him for a few seconds before the blonde bent down, and buried his head into the side of his neck in an attempt to hide her blush. "I...It just… makes me feel... weird if i try thinking about you singing it to me…"

"Just tell me. I'll try my best."

Yang let out a small breath after that, and she finally decided to tell him as she leaned closer to him with her red cheeks showing, and whispered the song into his ear,

" _J-Just The Way You Are_ … by _Bruno Mars_ …"

Her choice brought a smile to his face, and he looked up into her eyes since he, admittedly, use to sing along to it . Way back when he would hear it on the radio during long car rides with his mom and dad…. Even though they made fun of him for it. (True personal story by the way,)

So, since Gage knew the song's lyrics well, he was happy to give Yang what she wanted, and with a huge smile to go along with it, which surprised her. "Haha, What would you say if i told you i use to sing along to that song when i t was on the radio?" He said.

"R-Really? So… are you gonna try?"

"Mmhm… Just for you…"

"Hehe… you really are turning into a romantic Care-Bear. Thank you…"

He grinned, and put his arm around his lover again as she closed her eyes, smiled again, and sighed happily while Gage did the same,

"*sigh* ...You're welcome. Now… close your eyes… and enjoy the show…~"

And with that, the ghost leaned his head back, and started to remember the beginning vocals of the song, just as Yang let out a small laugh and smiled as her head laid gently on top of his bare chest again.

"Hmmm…. Hmm-Hmm-Hmm….. Hmm-Hmm-Hmm-mm…. Hmm-Hmm-Hmm….~"

But he came up with a twist to make his lover even more special. Instead of just using the regular lyrics…. Gage wanted to visualize the song as if it was about her… so, that's exactly what he did.

"~...Oh... your eyes, your eyes make the stars look like they're not shining…. Your hair, your hair falls perfectly without you trying…. You're so beautiful... And I'm sad that i don't tell you everyday...~"

"~...i know, I know when I compliment you, you won't believe me… And it's so, it's so sad to think that you doesn't see what I see… But every time you ask me, 'do I look okay'? I say…~"

Then, Gage looked down at her, and was proud to see that she was still blushing, but also felt as she began to squeeze his body even harder as he went on…. Using a small and gentle tone, which didn't break or falter.

"~...'When I see your face… there's not a thing that I would change…. 'Cause you're amazing…. Just the way you are… And when you smile…. The whole world stops and stares for a while…. 'Cause girl, you're amazing…. Just the way you are'...~"

Yang didn't want him to know it but… she was trying not to look at him because she didn't want him to notice that she was trying to keep her eyes from welling up.

This was happening because she actually listened to this exact song a lot when Gage was in the hospital… mostly when she was walking through the halls of Beacon alone, or she sitting was on the train that was her only way to get to the hospital so she could visit him there.

"~...Your lips, your lips, I could kiss them all day if you'd let me… your laugh, your laugh, you hate it but I think it's so sexy.… You're so beautiful… And I'm sad i don't tell you everyday…~"

"~...Oh, you know, you know, you know I'd never ask you to change… If perfect's what you're searching for, then just stay the same… So don't even bother asking if you look okay. Because you know I'll say….~"

Everyday during that time… she'd only think of him. The music she listened to, was being sung in his voice, through his smiling lips, and the image of his bright turquoise eyes would be the only thing she would want to see. For an entire month.

"~...'When I see your face… there's not a thing that I would change…. 'Cause you're amazing…. Just the way you are… And when you smile…. The whole world stops and stares for a while…. 'Cause girl, you're amazing…. Just the way you are'...~"

Then, out of the blue ,Gage flipped Yang so he was ontop of her, and just looked into her shining lilac eyes with another grin, which she had also, as he went on to sing the tune quietly into her ear… trying to make the final part of the song soporific for her..

"~...The way you are….. the way you are… Girl, you're amazing…. Just the way you are….~"

She was trying not to giggle, so she just bit her lip, dug her nails into the pillow her head was now laying upon… and felt Gage's right hand make it's way to her left hand, which was also holding onto her pillow.

He ran his palm up her wrist, and she turned her hand so he could hold it, and press it against the bed, intertwining their fingers as his passionate hymn finally came to a close...

"~...'When I see your face… there's not a thing that I would change…. 'Cause you're amazing…. Just the way you are… And when you smile…. The whole world stops and stares for a while…. 'Cause Yang, you're amazing…. Just the way you are'... Hehe….. yeah...~"

Gage's voice became still… and now the couple just looked into each other's eyes. Yang looked absolutely flustered, but… her blush, beautiful expression, and yearnful eyes melted her boyfriend's heart.

The silence afterwards was just and slightly awkward as he now had a blush on his face because he thought he was staring at her for too long… yet… he started to move closer to her until their foreheads came into contact with one another, and both of their eyelids closed halfway…

And after moments of their hushed breaths being heard, Gage squeezed his lover's hand, and used his prosthetic hand to caress and hike her right leg up as he formed a gentle kiss between them both…

Yang just gasped, and could only wrap her left leg around her lover as he moaned and they kept their loving embrace for almost an entire minute.

For some reason… he just felt drawn to her in that instant. He yearned for the feeling of her fiery aura and luscious thigh as both wrapped around his body, along with her soft lips. He just thought he owed her a romantic moment…. And so much more.

"Mmm…"

They huffed, and panted with every kiss that ensued after the first initial one until they stopped… and Gage pulled away from Yang, with a more… somber expression than before,

"Yang… seriously though… i'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you like tha-"

But, she didn't want to hear it. He was there, and they did what he promised to do with her. Cuddle and sing, so she was pleased, and happy that he was there with her like he said he would be,

"Shhh… you've more than made up for it Gage, so you don't have to apologize." She said, still squeezing his right hand tightly.

Gage hovered above her, and soon sighed as she brought his head closer to her neck with her left hand, "*sigh* ...You sure?"

"Yes…. Now, we should probably get some rest. Hehe, especially you sleepy head… i have something planned for us in the morning..."

She then let go of his hand, and allowed him to lay down beside her, but only so she could put her hand on his chest and snuggle up next to him before she pulled the blanket over themselves.

And after that, Gage and Yang both closed their eyes… and finally started to fall asleep together… but not before he became curious of what his beloved had thought up for them to do in the morn. "Oh…. something like what?" He asked her, tiredly

"Hehe… you'll see Care-Bear…. You'll see…."


	18. More Dead Men

**Author's Note:** HAHA SURPRISE UPLOAD! Anyway, i'm just gonna tell you all before hand that the next couple of chapters may be a little short, and this specific one probably won't focus on our main couple. As to why, well plot reasons of course! And just school too. So, I hope you all will understand. And as for this chapter…. It won't focus on our main couple, as to why i'm keeping it short.

 **Song:** Take It All by Ruelle

…

 **Two Years Ago...**

…

The sound of a metal door opening, growling, and panting could be heard, as Adam Taurus entered a dark black room, deep inside of a White Fang compound that was located near the border between Vale and Vacuo.

He had a man with him, bound by ropes, and covered in blood, who was just laughing casually as he was thrown onto the floor of the room. "Heh…. didn't think I'd have a room to myself… *cough*..." He chuckled.

Roman Torchwick also entered the room, and Adam shut it with a look of angere while their captive just got onto his knees, and looked up at them both.

"You'd be six feet underground right now if I didn't need you."

"Well… *cough* ...least it ain't shallow …"

The bull turned the lights on, and it allowed for the bleeding man's face to be seen… but… there wasn't much.

He was wearing a tattered winter jacket and brown jeans, which were also tattered, and he had bandages wrapped around his face that were stained with blood. And the only features of his face that could be seen were one of his… white and misty eyes, along with a dark brown beard that was not covered up.

But now, he smiled, with blood in his teeth, and just watched as Roman grinned. "Hmm. I'm starting to like this guy already!"

"*cough* ...Don't get too comfortable. I bite…"

He then gave them both a wink, which made Adam take Wilt and Blush off of his side, and he used the sheath to whack their prisoner in the face, causing him to fall and lay on his side as the mystery man laughed again, but painfully…

"Damn it… *sigh* ...Don't start with the head Adam." Roman said, glaring at his partner in crime. "The victim gets all… fuzzy…."

"*cough* ...He's right… you know…."

"Rrrgh… shut up!" Adam then stomped on the man's head, and soon picked him back up from the ground by the collar of his winter jacket, "...Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"

However, the man knew that there was no way for him to get out of here… so he just tried to have some fun while he was still conscious,

"Yeah…. *cough* ...some edgy kid that someone decided to give a paper crown to…"

That earned a rough kick to the stomach from the faunus, and it left the man breathless as he almost couldn't keep his easy-going act up anymore. "Agh!"

"So wait, is this what I'm like to the police in Vale?" Roman asked himself as he also rubbed rubbed back of his head. "Jesus I must be annoying…"

Adam continued to roll his eyes, and just threw the man onto floor before he stood above him… and began to take out a photograph.

"*sigh* ...Fine. If you don't comply… then i guess i'll have to start asking the questions… starting with this…."

He used his hand to rip off a piece of the man's face bandage, and allowed for his other eye to be seen, which was emerald green., and then he showed him a picture… of Gage Sim.

Not the Gage that Adam knew well today, but his student picture from the university he was going to. He looked younger, had a blank expression, and was cleanly shaved.

"Do you know who he is?" The faunus asked the prisoner.

"*pant* ...What do i look like? A sperm bank?"

The bull saw his one working pupil dilate a bit… and it made him smile, so he looked at the young ghost and began to speak ill about him with that same smirk,

"Hehe… Tell me something….. does he bleed? …...Because he will…."

Now, the man's hands tightened, and he just stopped his fearless ruse on the spot because he didn't think they'd be willing to hurt… just some random kid that he didn't even know…

"...*cough* ...… what the fuck do you want from me?"

"We want… _everything._ So…. I will ask, and _you_ will answer..."

Then, another person came through the door, a girl in fact. _She_ was small, wore the colors pink, white, and brown… and she also had a smirk on her face.

Roman smiled, and the man kept his breaths silent… as he watched the infamous Neo saunter over to him while she began to pull her sword out of the handle of an umbrella she was holding...

"*huff* ...Alright… shoot…"

…

 **Present Day…**

…

Roman's airship, and the van that he was suppose to escape in arrived back in the same compound a few hours after his fight with Gage, and it landed on a pad that was overlooking a calm lake.

Walls surrounded their base, along with a dense winter forest that covered the front of the site for miles, which had a few camouflaged watchtowers set up inside of some of the tree branches.

The ship landed and the van parked in the middle of their camp, just as Adam walked out of an old abandoned storage building that was close from the landing pads.

"*wheeze* ….This trade better, -*cough!*-have gone well…." The faunus choked through his respirator.

He walked up to the pad, and was about to reach for the ship's bay door, but then Neo suddenly ran past him, and nearly pushed him onto the ground as she reached and opened the door first!

"Agh! ….*cough* *cough* ...Damn child!"

The multi-colored teen just smirked deviously, and opened the door for Roman, who hopped out of the ship immediately with a smile, despite the bloody bandages that were covering his shoulder and forearm.

But, he still ruffled the girl's hair before he just walked past her and stood in front of Adam, "So... *wheeze* ..did they supply us?" He asked the criminal.

"Yeah, but I ran into a little trouble… your little friend actually."

"The ghost is already onto us? *cough* ...Grrr… I thought we'd have more time…"

They began to converse about the operation, as Neo went back to the van and began to struggle to pull out the loot cache they were given, but luckily one of the armored wolf faunus helped her with it.

The other wolves gathered from both the van, and the airship, and all stood behind the two men anxiously as they growled and snarled to themselves quietly, their helmets and mannerisms blocking out any sign of being truly human under those masks of the grimm.

"He seems to be well again, since he managed to hold his own and stab me. That really hurt."

Adam let out a struggled sigh, and just gripped the hilt of his sword as he and Roman turned to face their soldiers, who formed two lines so they could pass through,

"Well… he'll die. In time.."

Then, they both grinned, and walked through the line their men formed with Torchwick in front, however, all the wolves would snarl, get on one knee, and bow their heads towards Adam as he walked past them.

"Hehe, so… how's that paper crown of yours feel?" The criminal asked him.

The bull just… gave a cheeky smirk through his mask, and glanced back confidently at the wolves… or… _his_ wolves rather. "It feels… pleasant."

"Seems like they're acting like good little loyal servants… these ones at least."

They walked away from the large pack, and they all stood back up as they walked down the steps of the landing pad, "They're loyal, 'to whomever shall prove being their alpha'... *cough* ...From what one of the more literate ones told me." Adam told him.

"And who's the alpha?"

"You're talking to him."

Torchwick laughed, and just rubbed his injured shoulder while he glanced back at the faunus soldiers with another smirk. "Wow. Nice! Now you've got a small army of bloodthirsty slaves…"

"They aren't slaves. They're obedient yes, but most of them don't know any better than this… *wheeze* ...So, they saw it as… a way to strengthen their 'pack'."

Now, they made their way over to the cache that Neo was standing by, and watched as some of the other faunus made their way over to her and began to move the supplies into the storage building to hide it. "Either way, these wolves haven't disappointed me yet." Roman said.

The bull simply nodded, and looked up into the sky. "I don't think they will. But still, this seems like a way to… return to how we use to be. Somewhat..."

"Hmm?"

"There was order in our cult once… far better than how we are now. And i know we won't be able to get back to the way we use to be if we are to change this world the way we want it to, but this new unification will at least make it harder for our enemies to win this silent war…"

Although… Roman's smirk faded, and he gripped his cane tightly before he turned away, and stared at the guns that their men were holding. "That word… 'silent'… i don't like it."

Neo watched them talk to each other for a few more minutes. Adam went on to explain on how the Fang would, 'no longer be silent', and that, 'they will become triumphant in the end', and bla bla bla.

She became bored, and eventually just leaned against the side of the dented door of the van… but then she suddenly felt her neck rub against something cold and metallic, that wasn't a part of the vehicle.

It rubbed against her and it felt uncomfortable… so she turned around and felt the metal until her hand eventually rested upon… the triangular beacon that Gage had managed to attach to their getaway vehicle as they tried to drive off.

"Hmm?!"

Neo hummed, and quickly pulled the small, blinking beacon off of the car door… and she saw that there was also a camera lens on the side of it, and she tapped on the screen, which made the device beep and caused her to jump.

"*beep!* *beep!*"

She then took a step back, and turned to Roman before she began to wave it furiously at him, and pointed at it at the same time, "Neo? What's that?" He asked her.

The small assassin shrugged and just handed it to him… and his face went blank once he saw that the camera lens and lights flickering shut off once he touched it… and it even let out one last ping as it went dark.

"Oh… crap…"

"What?" Adam asked him.

The criminal's hand clenched the beacon with enough force to crack it, and he tried to explain as best as he could once he figure out what really happened, "That kid… he threw something at me before i tried to run away… but i thought it was a knife…"

"I think it tracked us… and it just turned off."

The bull began to huff angrily once he heard what Roman said, and his red hair even began to glow.

"Wait… then they could know where we are?!"

Neo stomped her foot on the ground, and threw her arms down in anger as her mentor crushed the object in his hands, and yelled loudly so everyone could hear.

"We gotta get out of here!"

The wolves all turned to him and clenched their teeth with more growls and snarls escaping from them all, and the other faunus gripped their weapons… but… all Adam did was raise his hand in the air with a cough as a way to calm them all,

"No! ...You and the rest of the men will move everything you can to The Archive… even if this is a false alarm… *wheeze* ...Me and my wolves will remain here to make sure the everything we can't move is destroyed.…"

Adam turned to the rest of his men after that, the ones that could understand him more at least, and he coughed out his demand,

"You hear me?! *cough* *cough* ...Everyone needs to pack and get ready to move to the archive. Everyone, and Everything. Do i make myself clear?!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Then get to it, _NOW_. Knowing them, they'll be here by dawn…"

And without any interruptions, everyone began to run and get to work on moving their supplies into any airships or trucks that were available to them… however, Roman and Neo both looked at the faunus leader with another grin...

"...What do we do about… the prisoner~?" Torchwick asked him.

"Take him to our other outpost on the opposite corner of the border… it'll be better to have him out of their sight."

He nodded, and watched Adam as he walked away, unsheathed his sword, and waited for his wolves as they began to approach, and bow in front of him again.

"Got it…. Come on Neo…. let's go hide your old toy…"

Neo giggled, and her and her mentor walked to the airship he came in before one of the bigger armored wolf faunus looked up to their alpha, and asked the bull a single worded question in a deep and gruff voice,

"...Instruction?"

"Hide. And if they find you…. Then we'll kill them all…"

Then, they all stood up, and began to walk away into the forest that was to the front of their compound, but Adam just stood there for a few minutes… and stared up at the shattered moon before he stared at Wilt's red blade... And whispered to it softly…

"…You better come Sim… because i'll be waiting for you…"

…

 **Meanwhile… At Beacon…**

…

Qrow was at Ozpin's clock tower, as he was having a late night chat with his old friend up in his office. He was looking out the massive circular window with a mug of coffee, with some sort of alcohol in it of course, and was just staring at the shattered moon…

"So… James is losing his trust in me because, 'i think too highly of Mr. Sim'..." Ozpin told him.

Ozpin sat in his chair, and was also looking out the window as well, and his words just made Qrow chuckle to himself, "Hehehe…. I guess jimmy can't tell the difference between him and his dad.."

"Seems so. But… it also worries me as to why it's so hard for him to process that…"

"Why'd you think that?"

"He believes that we are both wrong to trust him… and he doesn't understand that he is resourceful…."

Qrow grumbled to himself, and took a sip from his mug as he turned away from the window, "Well… he managed to hit it off with two of the most well known huntsmen in the world… i guess it could seem kinda weird." He mumbled quietly.

The headmaster stood up, and also drank his own coffee with a smirk too, "Well, i have my reasons."

The drunk raised an eyebrow to his friend's statement, and walked around the room so he could just sit on Ozpin's desk before he decided to ask, "Which are?"

And it made the professor smile. As he finally felt sort of free to share his own thoughts for once for the first time in a while.

"It may sound odd… but he reminds me of myself when i was young. Headstrong…. Optimistic… and caring… although, i was only to an extent, unlike him..."

"Hehe… can't argue with that. And… no offense, but i'd rather not see him end up like you. Mostly for Yang's sake…"

Ozpin leaned against his chair and looked at his friend as he rolled his eyes… but still was amused by his comment nonetheless… strangely. "I can't argue with that either, so no none taken. But, what brought you to grow fond of him?" He asked Qrow.

Qrow smirked, and just set down his mug on the desk before he stood back up, and put his hands on his side while he yawned and stretched his arms,

"*yawn* ...Well, he saved my niece's life and is dating the other, so i'm kind of obligated there. But besides that….. He just seems like he deserves to be here. He's a survivor, and so far looks like he'd be a nice leader too… but… i can still agree with Ironwood on one thing about him…"

"And what might that be…"

"That it seems like he could go off the deep end if he's pushed too far… i mean… you heard about what he did to that Adam guy right?"

The headmaster nodded, and let out a sigh once he was forced to remember, as the image of seeing the news report was a little shocking to see when he was originally emailed the video back in early November…

"*sigh* ...Yes. But i still thought he was just with his actions…."

He now had his hands on the glass surface of his desk, and looked visibly exhausted, as the darkness of the night began to become a little more brighter, mostly because daylight was approaching in a few hours.

"Yeah… i guess so…"

They stood there ins eilcen for a few moment after that… until Qrow suddenly received a text message from Grisha. Grisha Tumma, as his contact read, and it simply said,

"Beacon worked. We have coordinates for their base."

He smiled once he saw it, and stood up from Ozpin's desk as he smiled, and chuckled a bit again, "Well shit, i gotta go. New lead."

Ozpin took another sip from his own coffee, and sat back down his chair as the drunk began to walk towards the double doors that lead to the elevator,

"Hmm, alright. It was nice to speak to you again my old friend."

"Right back at ya. See you later Oz."

"Farewell Qrow."

Qrow put his scroll in his pocket and opened the doors, letting them slam behind him once he was gone… and it made Ozpin let out a heavy sigh.

Not because his friend was gone… but because of how everyone else couldn't see his own point of view on Gage Sim… that his mental stability could definitely be questionable…. But Ozpin saw that factor as both being a good and bad quality.

However the ghost may turn out in the future, Ozpin knew that he was the one to trust the most, as… their side in this silent war needed to become stronger. And that process, would only begin once the find the person who was willing to take that first step….

"*sigh* ...They need to understand... that madmen are the only ones who can fix a mad world such as this one… Maybe one day they'll see… maybe…"


	19. It Followed Him Home: Part One

**IMPORTANT UPDATE (PLEASE READ):** Okay so i was originally going to talk about RWBY Volume 4 hype and the trailer, but i just can't. Too much has happened for me in such a short time to keep this note small enough to talk about both that and this, so… i'm going to be real with you guys and explain what happening with me.

So i doubt people will remember this, but way back in chapter 51 of RWBY: Desertion, i told you guys that i was going through something in my life that could possibly affect my writing. Back then it didn't because my family had a plan but… that's changed. And now this thing has caught up with me, but it seems to be a lot worse than it was before.

Obviously i won't get into specifics, but i'll try to give you guys an idea. Let's just say that… California's real estate is terrible, and now i'm going to be moving somewhere else within the next two weeks… but we may be 'in between homes'... for a bit. That's putting it lightly, and this is a repeat of what happened in february… but i don't know if it'll be this forgiving this time around. Oh, and the best part? Yeah, right as my favorite time of the year begins, and when my two favorite TV shows are about to come back. RWBY and The Walking Dead.

Now i know that there's a lot more to think about than those things and this fanfic… but this, this is all i got right now. This fic is therapeutic to me, you know, an escape. Only people who really know me irl would know how, but no one i've met through RWBY does… so you wouldn't see the small similarities with certain things i've put in, but i'm okay with that.

I'll try to keep you guys posted on what happens and if everything turns out okay. The chapter deadline may increase a bit if i can't keep up, but i'll try my best to make up for it in the future.

And lastly… i'd like to thank you, the viewer, and all of the friends i've made on this site and in the roosterteeth community, for helping me through the last two years and other bad times, because… well, a lot of people might see themselves as depressed if they were in my situation, (Maybe, maybe not) And i don't feel like that yet. So… again. For those who decided to stick around and read this wall of text and take it seriously… thank you. So much.

 **Author's Note:** Fuck it. This is going to be a long chapter anyway. So, i saw the new RWBY Vol. 4 character trailer, and i just have to say…. Animation is great, i don't like the way Ruby's face is structured/animated, but it may just be a new thing since she's older now, and i'm hyped as fuck for the premiere. BUT. The trailer looked like it could be in an area/theme that will coincide with my future plans for Desertion…. So i'm just gonna put a disclaimer down below. In the meantime, stayed hyped my friends, and enjoy the new chapter! ALSO HOLY SHIT WE HIT 100 FOLLOWS AND 71 FAVORITES! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

 **Song:** We Intertwined by The Hush Sound

 **DISCLAIMER: I'm just going to say now that ALL of Desertion: Part Two, and Part Three, (if I decide to make it,) have been mostly planned out at this time. I'm just saying this if some story elements from RWBY Volume 4 somehow show up in any of my future installments. But i will possibly include any new canon characters if they can placed somewhere in Desertion.**

(Oh and sorry for the long note. I don't like to word things poorly!)

…

 **Two Years Ago…**

…

Gage was sitting in his old living room, being his old seventeen year old self, and was watching some old Christmas movies on the couch that was in the middle of the room.

His father had just left about half an hour ago to board an airship to Vale so he could oversee some Schnee Dust Company train's shipment, and it was going through the Forever Fall forest.

A forest that was both infamous for its beautiful trees that had rose petals for leaves, and it's amount of White Fang activity within the past couple of years… so the young ghost was rightfully worried.

It also was the infamous week before Christmas that was responsible for Gage's act of Desertion, so… he never realized how important this moment in time was until after that happened...

At this moment, he there with his scroll in his hand while the other was nervously tapping the armrest of the couch, as he had his dad's phone contact pulled up… but he couldn't think of an excuse to call him.

But, he eventually forced himself to press the call button after five minutes, and just decided he would try and come up with an excuse right then and there. So, he called his dad, and the elder Sim answered after around three rings.

Gage heard the sound of the air and a crowd of people through the other end, and he just tried to talk first before his dad could begin, "H-Hey uh… you're not boarding yet right?"

"I've got ten minutes to spare because of the normal airport bullshit, but anyway... what's up cub?"

"U-Um… i wanted to ask you if i could have some of that wine you bought for dinner?"

"Is there any eggnog left for you?" Gaigus asked him.

Gage chuckled a bit… and looked at the half full carton of eggnog that was next to him along with a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"No…"

His father let out a sigh of disappointment, but saw it as being hilarious at the same time, so, knowing his son was responsible enough to not trash the house, he reluctantly agreed to allow him access to his wine cabinet,

"*sigh* ...Alright monsieur risk-taker. And why don't you throw a party you're at it? Gals'll be all over you if you give em the good stuff i buy.~"

"Shush up dad. I'm not _that_ desperate..."

"Just a suggestion! Hehe."

They both laughed for a few seconds… until the call between them became silent on both ends, so much so that Gaigus could hear the movie playing on his TV back in his mantle home, and Gage could hear the wheels of rolling suitcases in the airport that his father was waiting in.

The ghost stayed quiet, with his smiling fading quickly, and he remained silent until his dad moved his phone closer to his mouth, "So… is that all you wanted to ask?"

Then, Gage stuttered, and nodded as he tried to answer his question, but he didn't know how to get to the subject he wanted to talk about...

"Y-Yes-wait… no-erm..."

"What is it?"

Gagius stopped, and asked that tenderly while his voice became more concerned, since he knew Gage didn't stutter unless he was nervous about something, and his son knew that he was waiting for an answer… so he blurted out question in a hushed tone of voice,

"You've uh… heard the story on the news about the military leaks… and the White Fang raids right?"

"Yeah, but I'll be fineee. My chi is mad focused, 'yo'!" Gagius said, trying to do his best crappy impression of a hippie.

"Dad, im being serious. They've killed other workers before…"

He closed his eyes once he managed to put his concerns out in the air, and was frustrated since his dad didn't tend to act as serious in situations that he should be, but… Gage knew if he was worried, then Gagius would try to calm him down a bit, and he thankfully tried his best that day...

"Not that i don't blame 'em in some cases, but… *sigh* ...Yeah i know, but this transport is different. It has all those knight and paladin prototypes i told you about remember? They're meant to kill grimm so, i don't think those lunatics could stand a chance against em..."

"Yeah... i guess…"

"...This is why you called me. Isn't it?" His dad asked him.

Gage wished he could just talk to him face to face… but it was already too late, and he felt helpless. So, he just took a cookie off of the plate that was on the couch seat next to him… and thought about his mother.

They were all so happy back when she was still alive… and now, he didn't want to lose his dad to the same people who took her away from them both. "Look… just… promise me that you'll come back in one piece… and then after that… maybe we can try to make this family whole again..."

"He really does miss her as much as i do..." Gaigus thought..

The elder Sim knew that they would never be able to get things back to the way they sue to be… but if a new start was what his son wanted, then it was worth a shot. It would have been what Miriam would have wanted for him too…

"Gage... I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that i won't. I just… need to change up my career, but we need to get yours started first. So, that's why i'm going to be there to see how you do on that Huntsman Academy entrance exam… you hear me?

"Yeah… i do…. And thank you dad."

"Anything for you kid…."

"Hehe… Yeah."

Then, Gage could hear the airport's overhead announcer begin to speak through Gagius's end, and it announced his flight was beginning to board… so he knew it was the call had to end very soon. "Shit, i've gotta go Gage. Plane's starting to board. So… stay safe while i'm gone. Alright?"

"Yeah… i will. You know me."

They both chuckled again… and he heard his dad as he began to walk again, and the ghost just imagined how funny it would be if he did miss his flight… and how it would make him feel better.

"I sure do…. Now… i'll see you in a week… Love you, cub."

"...Love you too dad..."

…

 **Present Day…**

…

" _You build up hope... but failure's all you've known…"_

The ghost awoke from his dream, with some ringing in his ears to make him feel even better, and he couldn't help notice the faint sound of yet another feminine voice speaking to him… but then that was blocked out by the loud and cheerful voice of his lover Yang, as he felt her rub the back of his head gently….

"Gage… Rise and shine.~"

"Mmm…"

Gage groaned as he had his head against his desk, and just wanted to fall asleep to the sound of Dr. Oobleck's lecture since he was still in his final class of the day, but Yang unfortunately wouldn't let him sleep, probably because the school bell had just rang only minutes ago.

He was just planning to go right ahead and sleep after class, but his wondrous lover still had plans for the both of them that day, and he didn't want to disappoint her.

Yang just stood up from her seat next to him, and picked up her boyfriend's note and textbook before shook his shoulder again until he raised his head up, and squinted at her tiredly,

"Yang…. Care-Bears like to hibernate too…"

"Hmph… then I guess it's my fault since I kept you up late last night…"

"Mmhm…" He mumbled as he stretched his arms.

They were both wearing their normal school uniforms, but Yang had a yellow and white winter scarf around her neck, and Gage was wearing his black suede jacket, with the left sleeve tied up since he wasn't wearing his prosthetic, over his uniform due to the snowy weather outside.

Gage stood up after rubbing his eyes, and he yawned right as Yang decided to wrap her arms around his body tightly from behind, and she just used one of her hand to tilt his head to the side so he could look back at her,

She just had her usual loving smile aimed towards him and she pressed herself even more against his back as she ran her hand through her boyfriend's hair gently,

"Are you going to stay awake for me?" She asked him.

"Yeah… but what are doing anyway?"

She giggled and let go of him there before she backed up the steps of the lecture room and started to head to the top of the room so she could leave,

"You'll see soon… just get dressed all warm and cozy, and then meet me at that tree near Beanie's place in half an hour… alright?"

Gage followed her to the steps, and all the way until she got to the door that lead into the hallway. "Ughhh…. You're such a tease." He groaned with a tired smirk.

"You'll get me in your arms again eventually cowboy.~"

She turned one last time as they were both in the doorway, and Yang grabbed Gage by his collar with one hand as she gave him one last kiss on the lips before she blushed, and began to walk away into the halls of Beacon.

"Love you!"

"Love you too."

She began to step away, with the sound of her boots becoming nearly inaudible, and the ghost smiled, put his back against the door frame of the lecture hall… and just watched his lover from afar as her figure disappeared into the rushing crowds of students that soon filled the hallway.

He watched her with his one hand hanging at his side, and realized something… weird, but also sort of funny at the same time.

And, it was… that almost throughout their now seven month relationship, Gage has never ever admired her from far away like he did when they were first starting to develop feelings for each other.

It sounded creepy, but the ghost just loved to… stare at her. Not her more, 'distracting' characteristics that she had due to her physique, but… just her.

To Gage, only Yang walked in specific way that he had never seen before. Seeing her smile made him feel like it was something someone he had to see once before they died, and he was just glad to be apart of the reason why she did it everyday.

Her hair was a blonde, fiery, and luscious cross between a lion's mane and a warm blanket made from the finest of silk that would emit an intoxicating fragrance that he would think smelled better than any rose or flower he's ever gotten a whiff of before…

...And her eyes? Her eyes were what he thought made his first true love whole. Her bright lilac orbs made him see her both as exotic, and irresistible to look away from if they were caught in his gaze.

They were like… the embodiment of the bright purple sky that would outline the world as both dusk, and dawn would begin. And that one thought defined what he thought of her.

Yang was simply… as if a beautiful sunrise could be a human being.

Bright, breathtaking, and warm enough to start a raging fire in someone's heart that would match her own… and thankfully for Gage… she chose him to love.

It was unbelievable to wake up next to her every day, and to have her passionate arms caress his aching and tired body every single night… so much that he was always glad to live in such a world that would allow them to be together...

"...Heh... I should probably write that down... "

After his moment of clarity, Gage's smile faded, and he soon began to drift his eyes down to his only arm, and he began to stare at it as he raised his hand up, and made a fist with it.

"...I love her so much."

He said it aloud since most of the students had already left the class before Yang woke him up, so he thought no one would hear him… but that was proven false, as soon he felt someone chuckle and take his shoulder

"Hmhm, I can tell. You're still staring at her!"

"What?"

Gage heard a familiar feminine voice that went along with the giggle of another, and he turned around to see that both Coco and Velvet were watching him from behind

"Hey there Shady." Coco said.

Velvet just walked up to him, with a weird box in her hands, and smiled at him while her rabbit ears were as visible as ever, "Morning Gage." She greeted him.

"O-Oh, hey Velvet, and Coco."

Coco smirked, and leaned against the other side of the door frame so she was standing in front of him, in her usual relaxed manner. "So, how's Yang looking? Cuz' it looks like you got a real eyeful of her.~" She joked.

Gage's face became red, and Coco snickered as she saw him look away from them both nervously while he answered her, "S-She just looks really nice o-okay? I never really get to stare at her without her saying i'm weird, so since she went to do something… i took the opportunity that was given..."

Velvet just smiled and shook her head, and looked Gage straight in the eye. "Oh. Awe that's sweet. But… why aren't you going with her?" She asked him.

"She basically said that it was a surprise, and that i should meet her near beanie's place in half an hour, so i don't know."

That made CFVY's leader suppress her laughter even more, and she just lowered her glasses from her brow, and gave the ghost a suggestive stare as her eyebrow was raised,

"Oh a surprise now? Haha, Okay, just make sure to bring a condom with you Gage.~"

She followed up with a small jab to his side… and it was right where Yang's stalker had cut him with his knife, so instead of becoming flustered, he flinched and grasped his side in pain. "*sharp inhale* ...Ughhh! ...C-Coco…"

"Oh shoot, sorry. That's all i'll give you for today, i promise!"

"...Thanks…"

They both half-smiled, and looked down at the ground soon after, since his wound had reminded them both of his still bruised right eye, and his more obvious stump that was his left arm.

Coco felt bad for hurting him, so she scratched the back of her head, and grinned at Gage so he could possibly give one to her in return. "Man… No wonder Yang always wants to snuggle with you. You always have some sort of new bruise or cut, and it even makes me feel bad."

He knew how much that would make sense, so he laughed and rubbed his bruised eye while Velvet leaned in closer as to get a better view of it.

She brushed his purple bruise with her finger, and it made him close that eye while Coco crossed her arms and listened to him as he began to speak,

"Hehe, yeah. And it may sound bad, but I honestly kinda feel normal if I have a part of my body that hurts... it was like that back in Vale when I was kid, and in Atlas when I was just with my dad."

They both hummed with a questionable tone, but Gage shrugged and continued to lean against the doorway. "Well… whatever makes you feel at home I guess!" Velvet replied.

"Mmhm! Anyway... what brings you two here? Because I can't remember you guys ever being in this class with me."

The two older girls smiled, and stood next to one another while the rabbit faunus allowed for his box to be seen… and it was wrapped in a red bow and wrapping paper, just like a christmas present.

"Oh, well… Velv made this thing for yo-"

"I actually made a present! Just for you-"

They both took a step towards him and accidentally decided to answer him without the other one knowing, so Coco backed up and let Velvet reveal her gift to Gage, "Uh… just... here. It's for you. As a sort of late Christmas gift." She told him as she handed him the colorful box.

The ghost grinned, and took ripped the colored paper and bow off with his one hand while Velvet held it, and he soon opened the brown box that was under it to see that there was a dark green poncho or tarp looking thing because of the size, and there was also a medium sized box of candy canes on top of it.

"Candy canes... and a poncho?" He asked the faunus.

"Yes, and the poncho is for your horse. She's been really cold this last month, so i thought i'd make her something warm."

Coco looked at the box and chuckled to herself as she took it partially out of the box so that Gage could get some idea of how big it actually was.

"I suggested ankle socks because, let's be honest, all girls look good in thigh highs, but Velvet thought it would look, 'ridiculous', so it was a no..."

That made him laugh and crack a smile, and Velvet just put the lid back on the box and rolled her eyes as well, "Haha! Wow, my horse has her own personal care-taker, _and_ fashion designer? Hehe, I think Weiss would be jealous."

The faunus nodded with another smile, and let Gage put the box under his arm so he could move it, and she took the rest of the wrapping paper off of it so he wouldn't have to.

"I made it on the spot, and I know it's not exactly a gift for you, but i just thought the whole thing would be some sort of good omen…. especially after what happened with Yang's stalker…."

"Yeah… How's she holding up anyway?" Coco asked him.

He let out a tiny sigh and closed his eyes for a few seconds, since it felt like his wound would hurt even more whenever he would think about that night… and his heart ached when he remembered how shaken Yang was in the days that followed.

"She wasn't that great at first…. But it's turning around pretty quickly, and... i'm just glad I can still make her smile. You know?"

Coco and Velvet became even more jealous of their romance, but had to admit that it was really cute of him to focus on his lover throughout such a traumatizing event, so they both cooed,

"Aww…"

Gage blushed afterwards, and just took a few steps out into the hall as he remembered how little half an hour really was, and he really wanted to change out of his school uniform… and maybe start off Fallout 4 since he still had it in a inconspicuous box under his bed…

So with all those reasons to go piling up, the ghost decided to say his goodbye right here and now...

"Well, I have like twenty minutes now until I have to go meet the Missus outside, so… I'll talk you guys later!"

"Oh, okay. Have a nice time!" Velvet replied.

Coco crossed her arms, and just gave Gage a little wink as a goodbye while she watched him move out into the hallway, "Make sure to thank Yang when you finish homeboy!~"

"...Rrrgh…."

…

 **Later…**

…

After he took a shower, got dressed, put his prosthetic on, and managed to make a new character on the game that looked like himself, Gage made his way back out to where Yang wanted him to meet her.

He was walking up the tiny hill next to his horse's makeshift barn, and once he got to that oak tree that was at the top…. He noticed two things that seemed different.

First off, there was a picnic blanket set out on the ground in front of the tree, under the leaves of it so the snow wouldn't cover the thing, and it also had a wooden picnic basket in the middle of it as well.

And secondly, he noticed that there was in fact a leg that had a high sock on it peeking out from behind the tree, so Gage smiled and walked towards the blanket. "Yang? You here?" He asked out loud.

Then, his lover soon peeked out from behind the tree, and had her hands behind her back, still dressed in her school uniform, as she gave her care-bear a little smirk to go along with blush she had.

"Hey Care-Bear~."

She came out and walked over to Gage slowly until she stood on top of the picnic blanket, and she looked down at everything she had set up for them both. "So… what do you think?" She asked him.

"I think your surprise turned into a date… that's also picnic themed."

She smiled again, and just sat down on the picnic blanket as she continued to stare at her boyfriend. "Hehe, well you thought right."

After that, the blonde lifted the lid of the basket up, and began to take out some china, which included two tea cups and two small platters that she took from the student kitchen….

...But it made Gage feel disappointed in himself that they haven't been able to go on a date because of everything that has happened in the last month, so he looked at his lover and sighed,

"*sigh* ...i've been meaning to ask you out during the past two weeks, but i just couldn't think of anything special we could do. Never would have thought of this though…"

"Gage, don't worry about it. Just come here and sit next to me silly! I even cooked for us."

That was when he noticed that there was an amazing smell that was coming from the picnic basket. It would smell of something mouthwatering, like toasted bread and meat, along with the smell of a mix of…. Chocolate?

"Oooh really?! What'd you make?" He asked her joyfully as he made his way to Yang, and sat down in front of her so the oak tree that was sheltering them from the snowfall.

His eyes were wide open now, and his expression looked like he thought that there was a birthday cake hidden in that basket, and it made Yang giggle.

So, she took the lid off, and let her boyfriend get a full view of the little lunch she had prepared for them. "...I made us both sandwiches. Grilled cheese for me-" She said as she took out a paper wrapped sandwich out and handed it to him. "-And a B.L.T. for you!"

Gage's eyes shone with thankfulness, mostly because he had barely eaten anything that morning, but the second reason was that the last time he had something that was made by his lover, it was simply delicious.

"H-Hohhhh…." He jokingly gasped. Then, he took the sandwich from her, and unwrapped it to see the bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes smiling back at him, in his mind at least. "Y-Yes! Fucking bacon!"

Yang laughed at him, and began to take out two thermos from the basket… Or… Thermoses… or thermi... Whatever the hell the plural is for it. Either way, she took two of them out, and each one hand a label on it with one of their names.

"Hehe, see Gage. I'd be a great wife now wouldn't I?"

"Y-You got that right."

He couldn't keep his eyes off of the sandwich to see that his girlfriend was now pouring coffee into both of their teacups, but she paused once she was about to give him some, since the thermos with Gage's name on it contained black coffee instead of some that has a crap ton of creamer like hers,

"Now, do you want black coffee or some with creamer? I made two because I know how much you like it black." Yang asked him.

The ghost was quick to respond to her, but his eyes still stayed fixated on his food, which kept her smile from going away as she watched him dreaming

"Um, creamer please. I only drink it black when I have to focus on something." He replied.

She nodded and slid the coffee cup in front of her boyfriend while it was still giving off steam, and then she took her sandwich out of the basket... But Gage was still just staring at his food weirdly at the same time.

"Okay… and you can go ahead and take a bite out of it Gage. Hehe, this isn't thanksgiving."

He flinched, and blushed once he noticed the funny look she was giving him, even though she had a tiny grin to it too… and he tried to say something to her get attention away from how his stomach basically just took control of his brain

"I know…. Just thought I'd admire it for a bit…. Since it came from you."

He tried to allude to something like… 'your cooking looks just as beautiful as you are' or something similar to that, but it sounded really stupid in his head, so he blushed, and just began to eat his sandwich.

Yang perked an eyebrow however, since it did sound a little weird and… mis-worded to her. "...What's that suppose to mean?"

"*Nom* *Nom* …-Nothing!"

"Pssh…. You're weird."

…

They finished eating not that long after, and they continued to converse with each other while the snow seemed to have gotten a bit more wild, so Yang decided to move the now empty basket to the corner of their little picnic blanket, and it allow her and Gage to lay down on it.

He was resting against the large oak tree with one of his knees bent, and Yang was lying on her side next to him, using her hand to hold her head up while both still had their half-full teacups of coffee on the edge of the blanket.

The ghost felt a gust of icy wind brush against his face, and it made him raise the sherpa-lined/wool-knit collar of his black suede jacket up, but his lover soon scooched next to him, and made it feel warmer with her aura right as he tried to break the silence,

"So... tell me Yang…. Why have a picnic in the snow? ...Not that i'm complaining..."

Yang did a double take, and lowered her hand from her chin as she leaned up off of the ground, and looked over at her lover questionably, "Oh-um… well… it's just some weird taste i have. Or something like that… it's hard to explain." She told him.

Gage turned to her, and just moved closer to her so he could put his arm around the blonde, gaining a smile from her as he did so.

"Well thankfully when i'm with you, i always have time.~"

She smiled at him, and closed her eyes as she raised herself up, and sat down next to her boyfriend with her back against the trunk of… _their tree_ , as she tried to give him some background on what she was talking about.

"Heh… okay. So… every year, between february and september, i'll always hear someone say one thing to me every day… and it was always, 'nice day isn't it'? And i'd say 'yeah', but… whenever i'd look up at the sky after that, it'd always be sunny… and i'd think that it was… boring."

"Hmm…" Gage hummed, since her response seemed weird to him.

"I know. Expecting the opposite right?"

Yang snuggled up next to him, with his metal arm around her, and she picked up her teacup as he looked towards his horse's barn and tried to understand her viewpoint, since he was sure she has seen a lot more brighter days than he has, physically and sentimentally.

"Well, i'd think that a bright person like you would eventually like a gloomy day every once in awhile…. It's the same with me and how i occasionally like a nice sunny day." He replied.

Yang set her cup on the plate that she was holding in her other hand, and giggled a bit. "Wow. I think that might be the only thing we don't have in common!"

Gage nodded, and yawned before he rested his head on his lover's shoulder tiredly.

"*yawn* ...That and our experience with kids… probably."

However, that comment made the blonde brawler give him a lewd stare, along with a tiny smirk that lasted until she decided to turn away from him, and took one last sip of her coffee.

"Oh, we'll see if that's true… *sip* ...I'll make sure of it.~"

Her suggestive tone made the ghost snicker, with a crippling amount of fear, and stutter as he tried to point the conversation away from their future together, and back to what his girlfriend was going on about,

"S-So…. W-What you saying about the t-thing….. The erm… weather thing?" He asked her.

"Oh yeah. Sometimes, not a lot, but every once in awhile, i just get bored of sunny days. Me, Beacon's, 'Sunshine girl'." She then set her teacup and plate down next to her, and looked back at Gage with another grin. "And i'd ask for gloomy, rainy, and snowy days. That's why i like the winter so much like you. Even though i grew up with snow a lot back in Patch..."

He stared back into her lilac eyes with a blush… and said something he knew she'd take as a joke, even though he was going to attempt to say it in a serious tone of voice...

"I'd grow up with them a lot too, a-and… it seems like winter's just my season of love..."

And of course, Yang tried not to laugh at him. "Pfft…. Well i can vouch for that."

Gage rolled his eyes and continued to move his arm down lower so he could wrap it around her waist, and bury his head further down onto her shoulder. "N-No, you know just… family _and_ my girlfriend. I'll make sure to keep february as _your_ season love."

His words made her eyebrows rise, and she turned to her boyfriend, looking kinda embarrassed that she thought he wasn't serious, and that she took it that way. But, she smiled soon after, and just cupped his chin with her right hand before she lowered it from him, and stared into his eyes as well,

"Awe… thanks Care-Bear. Anyway, as i was saying, i just think that snowy days like this, are really those 'nice days'. Since they're so quiet, they come and go only once a year… they always make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside…. And… now that you get to spend them with me... they give me this… new warm feeling. Not too hot, not too cold... But just… right."

Gage didn't respond, and instead smiled as he new uses both of his hand to hug her, yet, it still made Yang smile nervously."*sigh* ….Jeez, i must sound weird right now…. This coffee must've done something to me…"

And that, that right there shocked him a bit to the point where he had to smile and raise his head up so she could look at him again clearly. This was because it was the first time he'd ever heard Yang talk or ramble on about something tiny… and she seemed… nervous even.

So, the ghost let out a small chuckle once he noticed this. "Hey, i always get to vent and speak my mind with you, don't i? You have the right to do the same with me. And besides, it makes me feel like i can relate to you more when you do!"

"*sigh* ...Good. I was starting to think my teasing habit was starting to rub off on you…"

"Hehe… don't worry. I'll only make fun of you when we're close to making out or something else lewd. It just seems appropriate..." He joked.

"Hmph… You better."

His humorous remark made her smile, and soon she hugged him back tightly while her aura began to glow it's usual bright golden color when she would try to warm her lover up… and he did appreciate warmth but…

…He just couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier that day. When he was staring at Yang while she was walking away from him… and he also began to think about everything he thought about her in that moment… _everything._

Gage couldn't begin to think of how he could try to explain all of that to her… or what even caused him to do that… but he was still glad he did. He just wished she could telepathically read his thoughts so she could at least have some idea or something else poetic… however, all he could think of to do was ask her another weird question...

"Hey Yang… do you know how often i say that i love you?"

It did catch her off guard at first, probably because she was feeling rather relaxed to be in his arms, but she knew he had a tendency to do this, so she went along and answered his question, since Yang would honestly keep track of when he would say those three little words

"...Every morning before class, and every night before we go to sleep… and every time after i say it to you….. Why?"

"U-Um… No reason… i just think that i don't say it as much as i should…"

That made her look at him blankly for a few seconds before looked down at him, and she decided to give him a peck on the cheek since he was looking as glum as a plum.

"*smooch* ...You're fine Gage. There's nothing that'll make me think of you any less…"

She said this as he raised his head back up and looked away from her, and out towards the sight of their school while the blonde went on to brush the side of his face, with her palm brushing gently against his facial hair, which was starting to become a little thick….

"And by the way… i'm loving the way you've been keeping the beard… or whatever this is…"

"Hehe… thanks. I knew you liked it how it looked the first time we met, so… i'm just gonna wait to get rid of it for now."

"Wait until when? It gets all crazy?" She asked him as she ran his hand through the front of his hair, and she let sat up so she could move onto Gage's lap.

She sat on her knees in between his legs, and continued to face her boyfriend while she just ran his finger against his chin, and made him blush at the same time, "S-Sort of. But not that crazy Yang… if you wanna see that, I could show you a picture of my dad. Now his was fucking thick."

"Haha, did your inspiration from him by any chance?" She chuckled.

"Nah… i just was a teenager that got lazy. And once I found out that the girl I had a thing for liked it, I let it stay..."

She could easily recognize how his facial hair was beginning to drift more and more away from just stubble…. And it looked nice to Yang since she had to admit, that him being a tiny bit older than her did drive her affection for Gage…. For about the first three days they knew each other.

After that half-week, she just wanted to have him in her grasp, for his looks, his mysterious background… and his respect for herself and her friends.

Though now, she loved him for who he really was under all the dark and stormy clouds that hovered above him, and shrouded his true personality. She just loved Gage for who he was.

"Yeah…. I can't imagine what you'd look like without it Gage."

"...I wonder what my dad would say if he saw what I look like now… hehe… and what jokes he'd make if he knew about me and you."

"Oh, so he's one of _those_ dads…"

She grinned and rolled her eye before she began to rest her head against Gage's chest, since she was very much aware that her own father was almost exactly the same…

"Yeah, but he was still funny." Gage replied,as his metal hand brushed against the back of his lover's head.

But then… as he held her…. The ghost realized something. Something that was important to their mission on finding out what actually happened to his dad, and who the other person who helped Adam carry out the deed was...

"...Speaking of him, i've been meaning to ask you something Yang..."

"What?"

He knew he was going to receive either a little depressed frown or some flak from the blonde once he asked her about if she would let him finally get back to working with the Collectors… so he wouldn't have to do those things behind her back.

So, he asked, right after he looked down at Yang, and was ready for whatever counter argument she had. Though… he wasn't ready if she would somehow use puppy-dog eyes on him like she has before during rare occasions….

"Okay… a while ago you said that you'd decide if we could… finally get back to working with the Collectors in the middle of January… and now the month's almost over…"

He said that, and didn't gain a reaction from her. Yang instead continued to hide her face from her boyfriend, and this time, she chose the depressed frown over blushing. However, after about thirty seconds of silence… Gage ran his hand through her hair again as he pestered her more, and almost made her blurt out her own response,

"...So-"

"I-I said that i'd _think_ about it!"

"Well… what do you think?"

She groaned at him with annoyance, and raised her head up so she could glare at the ghost with a tired, and sort of frustrated expression while she placed both of her hands onto his shoulders.

"*sigh* ...Gage, people who've just lost a limb like you usually rest for six months at least… it's only been two."

He of course didn't take that as a reason to stop, since if he knew that the white fang was deliberately trying to not be in the eye of the media, then Yang would at least be taking it into consideration for an explanation to their sudden disappearance.

So, Gage just sighed, since it was beginning to look like the blonde's overprotectiveness was in the way of her seeing eye to eye with him.

" *sigh* ...It'll almost be three in about a week. At least it's half right? And… I have a weapon form on my new arm for a reason Yang…" He told her.

Yang contained herself from letting her eyes change color, and she chose to sit in front of her boyfriend, and on her knees as she let out a deep breath. "And yes, you should be able to use it, I know!"

Then, the blonde's eyebrows narrowed even more than before, causing Gage to lean upwards from the tree trunk and cross his legs while Yang sniffled and covered her left eye with her hand, looking grief stricken.

"But… you want to go right back into that immediately after you got stabbed… or did you forget about that too? *sniffle* ...God, It's almost like you want to get hurt…"

"I won't get hurt this time- t-this next time. As long as you're with me. The last two times I got hurt were because of little… surprises?"

He shrugged his shoulders a bit high to try and make his calm attitude a bit more laughable since he knew how easy it was to make his lover smile… however, it didn't phase her at all this time around. All it did, was make her look back up at Gage with her bright red eyes, but… she looked more depressed than sad.

"Gage..."

Her tone made him feel condescended, but for good reason since Gage knew she had a better sense of judgement than he did, but it still didn't dent his stubbornness..

"Yang… I don't want to get out there this fast just to find out what happened to my dad... Its because of what I said i'd do with you when we finish this…"

Now the blonde simply looked away from him, and he exhaled as he scooted towards his lover, placed a hand on her cheek, and turned her head so her eyes were looking into his once again while he began to speak softly to her, as if he didn't want anyone to hear what he was about to say...

"That night… what did i promise you?" He asked her.

Yang shook her head and chose not to look back into her boyfriend's turquoise orbs, and she only scooched close enough so she could rest her head upon his shoulder… before she mumbled something that was surprising to hear come out of her mouth...

"...Your promises have been through a lot of bumps recently…"

That shocked him. For her to say something like that, was uncommon in their seven months of being together. Even if her heart was keeping them from getting back into action, Gage had to help her see that this was what they needed to pay attention to,

"But if we slow down and don't risk hitting bumps, then the fang will be one step ahead of us. That won't end well…"

"Grrr… You do know i've been losing sleep because of you right?" She asked him with even more frustration.

"O-Of course I do Yang! It's one of the more important reasons i stay with you at night! It's because I love you, want to spend whatever time I have with you, and I want to make those dreams stop! But, I can't make them stop if _you_ don't stop worrying about me getting hurt. How am I,- how are we going to do that, AND help save the world at the same time?"

All the blonde brawler could do was huff and shrug her shoulders as she just closed her eyes and whispered, "...I don't know." To her lover quietly, while he just put his metal arm around her tightly.

"*sigh* ...There's gonna be something soon Yang. I've checked the Collector's chatter. And when that comes… let's have it be the test run. I'll make sure you're close, hell I'll let you hold my hand if it'll make you feel better about me going out there! Just… please. I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for the both of us."

Yang sniffed again, and Gage helped her onto her feet as he stood up, and watched her red eyes return to normal. "B...But what if-"

But of course, the ghost decided to give her a quick kiss on the lips while she was rambling on, sending her into silence, and allowing him to keep their kiss going for a few more seconds before he chuckled, and smiled at her again.

"If something happens, then i'll do my best to stay one step ahead of anyone i have to go up against, and i'll do what i have to Yang, to stay alive. For you."

Yang continued to stand there, frozen. Not from the snow, but how dire both his assurance and confidence was, yet, she still didn't feel convinced that they should go… until Gage frowned. "Yang… Do you trust me?" He asked her.

"..Yes."

"Then let me fight. Or… at least help. A-And if i get hurt from this next mission, then i'll stay here and rest for three more months like you want me to. Okay?"

His vow seemed both a fair and beneficial to her, since she knew how reckless her lover would get whenever he was in a uneven fight… so, Yang sighed with a tiny bit of relief, and could only think about the sight of Gage being in another hospital bed again...

"Gage… *sigh* ...if you die again, you better stay dead so then i won't beat you to death after you wake up in another hospital bed …"

"Hehe. Nah, I'd still come back to you.~" Gage said with a smirk as he lowered his hands from her body. "But… is that a yes Yang?"

"Yes Care-Bear, it's a yes… so you better look out for yourself."

He nodded and let out a breath with a tiny laugh, just as he pulled Yang into a tight hug and even lifted her off of the ground a bit, swaying her from side to side a bit as he did so. "I will! ...And thank you."

She grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he put her down, looked down at her, and sighed as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. "*sigh* ...Now, how about we get out of here and… go watch netflix or something?" He asked her.

Her eyes lit up even more, with the possibilities of cuddling dwindling in her mind, and she immediately picked up their tea cups and the picnic basket.

"Sounds good to me. But, i'm going to have to grab some popcorn before we get all settled in your bed."

She put them away, rolled up the blanket, and just stood there with her things as she and Gage both began to walk down the hill, and he put his hands in his pockets,

"Alright… you go do that, and i'll meet you there in ten?"

"Sure thing. Just don't choose something before i get there!"

Then Yang winked, and instead chose to run down the hill and back towards the dorm building so she could head into the student kitchen again quickly to get their tiny snacks, even though they would probably fall asleep before whatever they were viewing would end.

'I won't!" Gage shouted as he watched her walk away.

The ghost smiled… but only for a few seconds until she was out of sight, and he made his way to Green Bean's barn. After he made it there, he suddenly turned around to face the tree again…

...And he could clearly see a figure standing there, to the left of it's trunk. Just… standing there under its leaves.

Throughout that entire hour of eating and talking, Gage _could feel_ the presence of something else standing behind him, but he didn't want to drift his attention away from Yang, as to keep her from asking what he was looking around for.

But now, she was gone, and he glare at the figure…. Since it was of course, the glowing white apparition of Summer Rose. AGAIN. And this time her hood was covering her eyes from being seen, unlike before.

"...You talked last time we met. What's stopping you now? Huh?!"

The ghost of the woman just smiled back at him, and took a step back so her cloak and body could be covered by the shade of the tree, and it just made Gage huff with anger… as now, he knew these… encounters, were no longer a regional thing.

This time… _it_ followed him home.

Summer eventually dissipated into nothingness… or just blended in with the snowstorm that was starting up, but either way, he couldn't see her anymore… so, all he did after that was walk away, and back towards the dorms while he kept mumbling the same sentence over and over again…

"She's not real… she's not real… you're just stressed as hell, so she's not real…"

 _Summer! Thank you… and if, somehow this works...… then i'll always be grateful._

 _The day will come when you won't be…_

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage and Yang arrived back in his dorm a little while later, and they both were now lying in his bed, snuggling together as they watched a movie on Gage's computer screen, Strangely though, the couple had their pillows flipped so that their heads were laying where their feet would usually rest, as to get a better view.

Yang lied there smiling, as her boyfriend was right behind her with only his one arm wrapped around her waist, since he took off his prosthetic, and he spooned her as he had his head against the back of her neck.

After a while of lying there, she began to hear his soft and shallow breathing become a lot more rhythmic, so she knew that he was falling asleep peacefully.

"Hehe… i guess he's immune to coffee sugar…"

"Mmhm... and i'm still here…" He whispered into her eardrum.

She jumped a bit from his voice, obviously because she didn't expect it, and she just glanced back at Gage with a sigh, "*sigh*...i know it's early Gagey, but sleep if you're tired. I'll be right here with you."

"...Thanks… Taiyo-chan.."

He sounded like he was completely out of it, due to him trying to act as casual as can be after he saw… _that thing_ outside.

So, the blonde reached back with her hand and just brushed the side of his face before he pressed his body against her back again, making her blush and giggle as she spoke to him softly in a sing-song voice...

"You know If you take a break from all of this, then it can be like this everydayyy...~"

But, Gage chuckled and replied back with a more passive aggressive version of the same tune she spoke in, mocking her pushiness, "I've already made up my miiiind…~"

"Hmph… well, can't blame a girl for trying…"

Yang puffed her cheeks and closed her eyes once her lover smiled and went back to cuddling her again.

They then started to fall asleep again, with the sound of their movie lulling them to sleep as the warm air of their room's heater made them feel like they were sleeping on a giant marshmallow…

The ghost laid there just in his brown pants and black shirt, and she was still wearing her school uniform, but with her black jacket missing so her blouse was the only top she was wearing.

It was still hard for her to relax this much after what happened with the mysterious man that attacked them, but now, she felt safe thanks to their new security system, how Noodle was somewhere in the room, and how both her and Gage handled the situation last time.

So… she was confident enough to let her guard down and rest… but she wasn't ready for what was about to happen next…

"*Tooot!* Yay!"

"..Hmm?"

Yang opened her eyes again, and she… thought she just heard the sound of confetti flying, a party horn (Yeah that's the best sound effect i came up with…), and a bunch of people cheering… but it sounded like it was more of a ringtone or something…

"*Tooot!*"

"...What is that?

She could hear the sound of a phone vibrating, and she knew it wasn't hers because her scroll was in her jacket pocket… so it had to be Gage's, since it was under his pillow. She didn't want to disturb her boyfriend, so she reached under his pillow… and pulled out his Collector's scroll.

"*Tooot!*"

It vibrated and played the sound effect again while it was in her hand, and she unlocked the screen to see a strange image or… notification that appeared on the front of the home screen.

The image, was of a pink kazoo or party whistle that was surrounded by a bunch of confetti, and there was text under it that only had four words. Four important words set in a way that she didn't know the meaning of… but Gage did.

And those words were… " _House Party Protocol Initiated."_

Yang hummed to herself, and leaned up from her bed so she could shake Gage's shoulder lightly, making him grumble as he opened his eyes again…

"Gage. Gage wake up."

"Mmm… what is it Yang..."

"Your black scroll. It's beeping… or something."

The ghost rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before he sat up from the bed, took the scroll from her… and she watched as he lowered his hand from his face, and his turquoise eyes enlarged a lot more than they would be capable to.

Gage's palm quivered, and he stared at the screen with a blank expression as he uttered a quiet, "Holy shit…" Before he looked over at Yang, who looked confused.

"Yang…. Remember back in September, when all those Collectors showed up to help us with that one mission?"

"U-Um…. Yeah. And Qrow was there too…. Why?"

He knew she wouldn't like hearing it… but this was a House Party Protocol! This meant all hands on deck for those who were still in Vale… and if they were asking for Gage after what's just happened, then they're asking for everyone they can get.

"It's the same thing… but this time they're calling for us. They _need_ us. NOW."

"...W… W-What?!" She shouted.

Now Yang was completely awake again, and had nearly fallen out of bed one she heard what he said. But, now she looked like her entire world was turn upside down.

She didn't expect this to happen today, literally right after Gage got her approval to go and… she instantly thought that he knew this was coming. He knew she would assume that although, and the ghost just backed away from her as he put a hand up to defend himself,

"Y-Yang, I swear I didn't see this coming! N-Not today at least! You gotta believe me-"

However, she was having none of his apologies right now, not until this new development was over with and he was conscious enough for her to be able to yell at him.

So, the blonde simply sighed again with frustration, and shook her head to keep herself from exploding into an anger induced rage that was aimed towards her lover,

"Grrrr! …*heavy sigh* ...I don't care… J…. Just make sure to give me a few days next time!"

Gage internally groaned for whatever argument or talk they would have about this in the future, but now all he could do was ask her for forgiveness before hand as he hung his head low.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I will and I'm so sorry-"

Yet she still didn't give him a break, as she stood up once he spoke and began to walk towards their door so she could head back outside,

"Gage, shush up and start getting our stuff together. I'll be back…"

"Where are you going?" He asked her.

The blonde brawler took her black school jacket off of the back of his desk chair, and soon opened the door with another huff before she answered him,

"To tell my team about this… hopefully if they're awake…"

"Okay… but what about Sun and Neptune?"

She froze again once she heard the homewreckers name… and she stood there with one foot out the door, thinking about the possibility that he could have been their attacker… and her stalker.

Sun on the other hand was fine, but… Yang knew he'd drag his best friend along if there was the mention of any fighting, so she decided they were better off without the two being there.

"...No. Not them. There's not a lot of time right? So we shouldn't have to wait on just two people if it comes to that…." She answered him, in a sort of… cold tone.

Gage stood up from his bed, and was about to grab his suede jacket and belt that had the connected holster for Javix… but he had to get once last glance at Yang before she left. So, he stared at her for a few moments… and finally caught his breath before she could go….

"Alright…. I'll get your stuff and call for one of their bulkheads to pick us up…. A-And be ready Yang. I don't think this one will be like that one night…"

"Yeah… I already know that much."

She then walked out the door, and immediately pressed her back against it as she closed it, and it became locked again as she covered her mouth and closed her eyes.

" _Safe and secure! Please, have a pleasant day."_

The blonde stood there with her body against the entrance to the dorm as she panted, and struggled to keep herself quiet. She struggled so much that she had to now use both of her hands to make sure she couldn't be heard.

Her body felt like it was on fire, not because of her aura though, and she just stood there as if her body was like hard stone… and she wished it was so then Gage wouldn't be able to leave…

"*pant* … *pant*"

Yang let out a small squeak in her attempts to remain silent, which was followed by a loud gasp that was enough for her panting to subside, and it allowed her to breath normally again.

"*pant* ...We can do this… just one time… one time and i'll be able to rest easier…"

They had so much riding on this next mission, she couldn't even imagine or comprehend what the consequences could be if they failed… well… if _he_ failed.

"Please… Don't let me down Care-Bear… my heart won't be able to handle it..."

She moved her left hand so it was right over her heart, and the blonde brawler turned to face the door before she placed her right hand against the wooden material that it was made of.

Her heart thumped gracefully as she bowed her head and sniffled a tiny bit… but unbeknownst to her, Gage was on the other side of the door, doing the exact same thing.

He had his hand against his door while he watched the metal pieces of his prosthetic clamp and wrap around his stump until he felt the shock of his nerves recognizing it as a part of his body, and he grinded his teeth once he felt the pain…

After that, he looked down at his metal hand as his palm was open, and he heard Yang's footsteps disappear… so, he exhaled again, and just clenched his metal appendage so it become a fist before he looked up, and unknowingly let his eyes change to their new red color...

"*exhale* ...Let's do this."


	20. It Followed Him Home: Part Two

**Author's Note:** First off, HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Anyway, so i managed to watch the first two new episodes of volume 4, and since there are some people who probably haven't watched it, i won't say anything about it… except that at the end of the first episode, after the credits rolled and i saw the words, "A series created by Monty Oum." I laughed a lot, because i just felt so happy to see what this series has become. And after that episode, i am proud to say one last thing.

We're Back Baby

(Also holy shit I think I broke the record for my longest chapter again with this one! I mean goddamn, I surprised myself here for once! Yay!)

 **Song:** Shooting The Moon by Mona

…

"GET DOWN!"

"*BOOM!*"

All Jackson could hear now was the sound of his own shallow breaths, his ears ringing, explosions, yelling, and gunfire. His dead gold eyes could barely see anything through the smoke and snow that surrounded him.

The smell of hot iron and fire filled the air as he tried to stand up, but when he did, the hunter suddenly felt a hand grasp the collar of his Kevlar hoodie, and the person pulled him up so he could become face to face with them … and that person was Grisha Tumma.

He looked Jackson straight in the eyes, with his one white eye covered by his bangs, and he just pinned him up against the surface of the trench they were in.

"GET UP! Collector's don't sleep on the job!"

Wesson soon snapped back into reality, as the cynical brit picked up his bowie knife/revolver, named Títan, off of the muddy ground and pressed it against his chest, so he took it and just nodded.

"MOVE!"

They were at the base of Bolin Peak, a large mountain that was near the Vacuo-Vale border, and it was apparently the location of one of the White Fang's small command centers that Gage managed to find, thanks to the night operation he ran the day before.

Under Qrow's word, the Collectors sent a small team, that Jackson Wesson was apart of, at dawn to see if they could perhaps stop whatever forces Adam had left in the area and take them in for questioning… however, the bull had left a lot more of his soldiers than were expected…

Jackson was apart of the first wave of their men, and they called in for a second wave once they made contact with the enemy… and then a third… and now a fourth, which he had hope was on its way so they could all get to the top of the hill they were trying to take easier.

Jackson looked to his right as Grisha jumped up and grabbed the edge of the trench, and all he could see were men and women beginning to climb out of it with him, not even realizing that the Wolves could already have a gun traced on their position

But, they knew they were able to push up then and there, so, Grisha growled and just called out to every other Collector that was near them both as he cocked his black sniper rifle, and let it shift into an XM8 Assault rifle prototype,

"Everyone o'er the top! We've gotta push them back now while we can!"

He was the first to go up, and a platoon of hooded followers went up after him, but Jackson was the last to do so, so he could get a peek of what was right above them. "Jesus, are they crazy?!" he asked himself.

Knowing how Gage was from his past experiences, he wasn't exactly surprised, but for the rest of them to be this daring? It was unbelievable… then again… it wasn't like he was sane either.

Jackson just continued to watch from the trench that the fang had dug up themselves, and watched as some of their Wolves entered the fray, and charged towards the other group of Collectors.

Some had weapons, and some didn't. They just collided in a heap of yelling and bloodlust, a few of them tackling each other to the ground while the others engaged in fist and close ranged gun fights, and soon Jackson felt Grisha grab his arm, and he pulled him up over the top of the trench.

The seasoned Collector waited until he was on his feet again to push him forward, but the young hunter glared back at the man in black with annoyance,

"Asshole, I was just about to get up! Don't fucking fling me around like a rag doll, and-"

"*Snarl!*"

The sound of one of the armored wolf faunus came through the crowd of fighting soldiers, and one of them manage to make its way towards Jackson and Grisha, who both noticed it right away.

"Shit!" Jackson quickly raised his revolver as it changed form, and had his finger immediately on the trigger.

And since the gun was already traced to the faunus's head, he pulled it… but right as he did, Grisha flipped his rifle as it shifted yet again, and he held onto its barrel right as it turned into the handle of a club.

Then, he smacked the arm that Jackson's revolver was in so the bullet would instead go through the enemy's thigh, and after that, Grisha turned to the wolf and just clothes-lined him with his club, knocking him out instantly.

The soldier fell onto the ground and rolled into the trench, and Jackson sighed once the Collector decided to give him another glare as he smirked,

"...Don't waste the bullets here Laddie."

"*sigh* ...That fourth wave better get here soon..." Jackson sighed.

The two went on to join in on the brawl, and somewhere else on the other side of the trench, Through the Mud and Blood, were more of Vale's loyal operatives, fighting their hearts out.

This second group of the first wave was lead by none other than Emile Ezust, Gage's mentor that came after Raven discovered his skill, and the one that taught the ghost everything he needed to know about their line of work.

The slavic man was fighting against three of the White Fang's wolves at that time, and he seemed to be a force to be reckoned with when his glaive was unsheathed.

The wolves rushed him, with one jumping and digging his claws into the man's back while the other two were pushed back with the force that Emile's large blade gavewhen he swung it, but he still cried out in pain,

"Rrrgh! Fuck!"

He reached back and was able to clutch the faunus's shoulder, and then he threw him forwards, into one of the other two men.

After that, Em grasped the handle of his glaive and leap towards them both before he slashed at the two men with a vertical strike, "Hrrraaah!"

The blade managed to lodge its way right into the first man's armor, and the sheer force of the blow was enough to launch him away, and into the depths of a crater that had been left by a grenade, out of Emile's sight.

The last man was already making his way towards the older collector. The wolf was only armed with an Atlesian laser rifle that was covered in mud and was out of dust to power it, but he still charged at Emile, since it had a sharpened piece of wood taped to the front of it as a makeshift bayonet.

"*huff* *huff* ...Die!" He snarled.

Emile's blade was still at his side once he heard that, and he turned around to see the man almost three yards away from stabbing him.

He froze and felt a bead of cold sweat drip down from his forehead as it seemed like time had slowed down… and then he heard the muffled battle cry of a woman resonate from behind himself.

Suddenly, a person dressed in a full set of old knight-esque atlesian armor, including a visored helmet and a hooded red cloak with a fur lined collar duck under his own arms as he tried to raise his weapon, and the person seemed to have the physique of a female as well.

The armored woman was wielding a polished silver arming sword that seemed to have the parts of a Marlin Model 1893 rifle attached to the hilt, and she managed to move so quickly towards their shared enemy that the faunus didn't notice her, and could not even react as she twirled her sword, and slashed it upwards, cutting cleanly through the man's armor plate and the lower half of his custom white fang helmet.

"Hugh!"

The lady in red iron could now see the wolf's eyes and face as he was completely dazed. And after that, the woman grabbed onto the back of his head, jumped up so she could knee the man in the face, and caused the helmet to split into two different pieces before she pushed him away, and onto the ground.

"*pant* ...You keep giving your guard up so early. *pant* ...Why?" She asked Emile, in a cute british accent through her helmet.

They both let the soldier scurry away from them both as it seemed like half of the other wolves followed, and tried their best to crawl up the hill while the majority of the other Collectors chased after them.

"*sigh* ...Old age, Prin." Em answered her.

He called her Prin, which was short for her full name, Prinella. She was an experienced Collector like himself, and she was actually the last initiate Emile mentored before Gage, but of course she still knew of him.

"Hmhm, That seems credible. Knowing you Emile."

"Ha, ha… just you wait Missy…"

They both looked over to their right, back towards Grisha's attack force, and they could see that their one eyed friend was leading the charge up to the peak… but, Jackson was still in front of the trench, and was straddling a White Fang soldier as he was beating him senselessly with his revolver.

Prinella listened to the cracks, blows, and shouts of their struggle, and looked down at the ground to see the black dirt and cold snow beneath her feet as she took a knee, and touched the ground while she held her sword single handedly,

"Flowers will bloom here once again… one day in spring when the mud dries and the fires are put out…"

Emile only kicked some dirt into the trench behind them, and his old apprentice soon stood up as she wiped some dirt from her helm's red visor, and looked up so she could stare into the cloudy white sky. "Now, where is the young one you spoke of? He will be joining us soon won't he?" She said, reminding her old mentor about Gage.

The elder Collector gripped his glaive tightly, and just did the same as her before… he looked over at Grisha's team again and sighed.

"He'll get here when he gets here Prin… just go push up with your smug fuck for a boyfriend, will ya?"

"...Gladly.~" She answered.

The knightess then twirled her sword, and started to run up after the rest of their army… but… she left Em behind, and he kept staring into the sky, as he knew their fourth wave of soldiers were about to arrive… but he didn't know if the ghost and his friends would be among them…

"Hurry up Kid… you're going to want to be here if we find something at the top of that hill…"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

...

"*sigh*"

Gage sighed and opened his eyes to see the inside of a bulkhead class airship, that was mostly loaded up with other Collectors that were apart of the fourth wave… and the rest of Team RWBY.

He was holding onto a strap that was connected to the roof of the vehicle for stability reasons while they were flying, and he was standing on the right side of the ship's side cargo door, rubbing his eyes as he glanced over at Yang tiredly.

She was doing the same as he was... but the blonde was on the opposite end of the door than he was… and it seemed like she was trying to avoid him, using Weiss and Blake, who were next to her, to distract herself.

The ghost stared at them depressingly while Yang was facing away from his direction purposely, and internally groaned because of their situation… but then, Ruby tapped him from behind, and he looked back at her instead.

She was wearing her alternate Reaper outfit, and appeared to be coordinating with the rest rest her team since they were all also wearing their other outfits as well. Weiss with her Snowpea outfit, Blake and her Infiltrator garbs despite It being cold outside, and Yang was of course wearing her alternate hunter outfit.

Gage just stared at Ruby with his sad turquoise eyes, and slowly pulled his sage hood that was connected to his suede jacket's collar over his head as Ruby looked confused.

"Huh… Yang looks like she's avoiding you…. What happened?" She asked.

He shrugged casually, and could see through his peripheral vision that his lover was looking at him, probably because now he wasn't staring at her anymore.

"*exhale* ...She probably thinks i'm an asshole now because I asked for her permission to start going on missions again, and she said yes. Then not even an hour later, I get a text for this thing while we were bed together… and now we're here." Gage answered as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh… that does sound bad. But… you didn't know this was coming right?"

"Yeah… I told her that too, but i don't think she believes me."

Ruby hummed, and just played with the ends of her cape awkwardly for a few seconds until she found… a bullet hole that had gone through it during her and Gage's recon mission the previous night, and it made her sigh.

She let go of her cape, and stood in front of Gage with a tiny smile, trying her best to make him smile back at her. "At least she doesn't know about the Roman thing… right?"

"Not yet. But I think I'm going to have to tell her now…"

Her posture then slouched, and she immediately pointed at Gage's face with an intense glare to go along with it as she mumbled angrily at him. "That would only make this worse! And I don't like it when you look depressed Gage. Same goes for Yang too…"

The ghost took few steps back until his own back touched the metal walls of the airship, but his expression didn't change at all. He just kept his frown intact, and nodded.

"I know it 'll make it worse for me… but it's what I get for keeping her in the dark."

"Gage…"

Ruby lowered her finger after that, and glanced back over at her sister before Gage placed his metal hand on top of her shoulder, and grinned a bit. "Trust me Ruby, it's better to have the person you love stay and be mad at you than having them walk away and never talk to you again."

"Yeah… the first thing is alot better…."

She put her hands behind her back and sighed because he thought what he said was blowing this debacle of theirs wayyy out of proportion, but she still decided it was best to make him feel better about telling her older sister about their… ' _secret'_ mission together.

"*sigh* ...Here Gage, just…. Tell her that i pestered you into going. Since… i really kinda did do that."

He leaned off of the wall after she said that, and he looked at her with open eyes, and a slightly open mouth. "U-Um. Yeah… i'm sure my contact could've handled it…. But, you'd really let me throw you under the bus like that?" He asked the small girl.

She blushed as she kept looking down, and nodded yes back to him instead this time, and soon noticed that her teammates were looking over her and the ghost.

"Yeah. And if she gets mad at me, it'll be fine. Sisters always get into fights every once in awhile…. Even me and her."

Their glances quickly turned into stares because of their Team leader's mannerism, even though they were somewhat use to them, but not around Gage… and now Yang couldn't look away from them once she saw her lover as she saw him move towards her little sister…

Yet, he didn't see the blonde, and he smiled as he looked down at Ruby, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, you're a lifesaver. Or relationship saver…. B-but, yeah, thank you for doing this for me."

"Hehe, don't mention it."

Then, the overhead speaker turned on with a loud blare of noise before the pilot's voice broke through it, and made everyone look over towards the cockpit.

"Sixty seconds out. Get prepped."

Almost instantly, the other collectors in the ship started up their weapon checks and the sounds of magazines being loaded could be heard repeating over, and over.

Gage sighed, and patted his small friend's shoulder gently after she looked up at him again with a tiny grin, "Get Crescent Rose ready and help the others. I'll be over there in a sec…" He told her.

"Okay, don't take too long."

She knew he was going to make movement checks on his prosthetic, so she did as he said and met up with the rest of her team on the other side of the ship's interior.

Her sister did a double take, and approached her with a look of worry before Weiss or Blake could even move or speak, but they still followed soon after,

"What'd he say?" Yang whispered.

"He said that he feels bad and that he's afraid you won't trust him anymore…"

Yang's eyes drooped, and she let out a tiny sigh of… strife. For making him feel this way of course, as she now was starting to regret giving him the silent treatment to teach him a lesson.

But of course, Weiss just rolled her eyes and had her hand laid atop the hilt of Myrtenaster, looking very disinterested while Blake just leaned against the side of the ship with her arms crossed.

She looked at her blonde partner with pity, and she did the same to Gage as she turned to look at him, but luckily he was still trying not to glance at the team.

"Hmm…. So this is almost like that time you were trying to convince me to take a break from searching for leads and go to that dance, isn't it Yang?" Blake asked Yang.

"No… this is ten times worse."

Weiss then sighed, and it made everyone turn to her as she walked up to Yang, and also crossed her arms.

"*sigh* ...Yang, you're treating him like a child when _he's_ the oldest of us all. In my eyes, it doesn't exactly seem respectful to do something like that."

Yang huffed with frustration, and cocked her head towards the heiress in a way that just said, 'you really have no idea do you?'. "Weiss, you don't understand how it is with him… he _always_ takes a blow that one of us should be taking…"

"And you think treating him like this will encourage him to stop? Because all that is saying, is that we should be improving our own capabilities. And i'm sure we've improved enough since he was admitted into that hospital."

Ruby stood there while her sister and teammate went onto to argue quietly… despite a few collectors glancing in their direction, and she felt obligated to speak her mind… but in a quiet tone,

"H...How about we just… let him do his thing? Because if we've been improving, then he should have too. And it has been two months… so… why not give him the choice to fight?"

Blake peered over at Ruby, and finally moved off of the wall. She opened her mouth to speak but… she stopped before she could get anything out.

The feline faunus agreed with her suggestion… but if Yang was to keep allowing Gage to go on these missions, then he'd definitely find out about the truth of his father's demise.

And she knew him finding out would be inevitable… but this could perhaps give her some time to figure out a way to deal with him….

"Um… He's still getting use to that arm still, and he's only been in a few combat situation with it. T-That's one reason to worry about him." Blake mumbled.

Yang smiled and just pointed at Blake with both her hands, and Ruby's attention turned towards Blake in the form of a glare and small growl at the same exact time.

"Blake!-"

However, Weiss sighed at both her and Yang as she moved towards the cargo door,"*sigh* ...Let's just see what happens. Shall we?" She asked them.

The blonde couldn't make her sighs and exhales any more exaggerated than they already were without grabbing one of the soldier's attention, or Gage's even, since he was now doing the same as Weiss and began to walk towards the four.

"Fine…" Yang grumbled.

Then, they all moved and faced Gage as he held Mistletoe with one hand, and adjusted the white sherpa-lined collar of his black jacket.

"You guys ready?"

He said this as their airship suddenly started to descend, and the sounds of distant explosions, the turbulence of other airships besides their own and the screams of the air's outside winds, making itself known through the cracks in the metal of the vehicle.

Blake's cat ears quickly picked up on the sounds, and her expression instantly turned into one that mirrored discontent and uneasinesss.

"Yeah, but it sounds like there's a lot more than a storm going on down there..."

Yang stood there, and soon began to hear it too as they got closer, but she still kept avoiding eye contact with her boyfriend before she spoke, as he did the same from her.

"Yeah… something worse than a little snow…"

The pilot suddenly spoke through the speaker again, but kept the same calm attitude along with the other Collectors behind Gage and Team RWBY, since they've probably been through something like this before.

"Fifteen seconds!"

That was when Ruby took Crescent Rose off of her back, and cocked it before she reached behind herself again and pulled her hood up… and the sight caused her older sister to shake her head, and turn towards the cargo door with her fists clenched.

Weiss still had her hand on her rapier's hilt, with her other having a few random dust crystals in between her fingers as she too made a fist, and had her eyes narrow as well.

Blake held Gambol Shroud in her hand, and watched as it turned into it's pistol form, and she held it down at her side before she lined up with the rest of her team.

And finally, Gage stood there in front of the four girls as he cocked his shotgun's pull-action lever and let out one last sigh of both yearning and apprehension before he felt the ship slow, and whir as every other man and woman lined up behind them, and they all felt the airship touch down onto the earth…

"Go! Go! Go!"

The cargo door then flung open, rising into the air right before Gage, RWBY, and the rest of the fourth wave were blinded by the misty white light, and began to jog out into the fray.

The first thing Gage noticed however, was that the mist was not actually mist, but the residue of smoke that they ran through, and it blocked the sight of the battlefield that was left behind by those who came before them, which made them all stop in their tracks.

They were at the base of the peak, and there was a large hill in front of them that was covered in snow and the black residue that looked to have come from an explosive of some sort.

Trenches were made, and it looked like the plain they were standing in was a forest before all of this, because there were black and war-torn trees that were surrounded them. Some being partially on fire and destroyed, and some looking to have been just ripped from the ground completely.

"Oh my…" Weiss exclaimed.

She was the first to notice the decaying beauty of the land that use to be, but her other teammates only saw after the other agents began to run along the upwards stretch of the hill.

But once more of the smoke cleared, the group saw that there apparently were a few large tents set up only a few yards away from the left of where their ship landed, in the midst of the dead forest which Gage knew was a small checkpoint that the first wave had set up.

"Hold up."

The ghost just brushed off the look of the dead forest, and started to move towards the camp. More specifically, towards a man that was sitting on the trunk of a burned down tree with a rifle lying against the fallen log next to him.

This was who Gage was suppose to check in with before before moved up to the hilltop, and this man was a veteran from what he was told.

"Um, excuse me?"

He got closer, and could hear the sound of the harmonica that the old man was playing, which Gage determined since he had bright gray hair. And then, the man saw him, and put the instrument down.

"Oh, howdy there!"

The vet stood up from his log, and allowed Gage to get an even better look at him.

The man had gray hair and a long beard to go with it, and he wore a coonskin cap atop his head along with a plains bead jacket made from deer hides, that had a connecting brown hood, and he wore woodland camo hunting pants and boots to match.

He spoke gruffly with a southern accent, and looked like a man who always liked to have a smile on his face as long as there wasn't a reason not to have one.

"I'm Jed. Jed Russet, the, 'overseer' of this here checkpoint. And you must be the erm- infamous Team GRWBY?"

Ruby and the rest of her Team collectively sighed and cringed at the way Jed pronounced it. "Rrrgh…. really?!" Ruby growled under her breath.

Gage snickered at the doyen, and gave him a small nod as he tried not to laugh at both the name and his lover's little sister's reaction to it.

"Pfft… yup, we're GRWBY. The GRWBsters. Hehe… never letting that go…"

Yang then pulled him back, and whispered into his ear with solemn displeasure. "Gage, take it back or i'm never cooking Bacon for you again." She threatened him.

"Annnd I let it go. A-Anyway… what"s going on Jed?"

Jed took his rifle off of the log, which was a bayoneted Springfield M1903 Mk1 bolt action rifle, and approached Gage with his hand extended outwards as they both started to walk towards the rest of their attack force.

Since the ghost just wanted to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible so he could have that talk with Yang, he shook the man's hand, and got his answer from the old timer as he pointed towards the top of the hill in front of them,

"Fang managed to fall back to the top of that hill, and now our boys are dug in up there, waiting to push on through with you guys, the fourth."

"And what about you?"

Jed chuckled to himself, and just rested his rifle on his own shoulder as he began to walk towards the hill by himself.

"Me? Why, i'll be right there with y'all. Just stay outta my sights, I'm known for my bad aim."

"Oh boy…" Blake sighed.

Gage turned and glared at her for a few seconds, but then he and the rest of the faunus's friends began to follow close behind the vet.

"*sigh* ...Alright then, let's get to it."

They began to walked behind him… and Gage made his way up to Yang, and he matched her walking pace as a way to sort of get her attention… and she noticed it instantly.

And since she was still steamed from what happened earlier, Yang stopped walking, and put her hand out towards the path of muddy footprints that were left behind by the previous regiment of Collectors,

"After you Gage…"

Her voice seemed to have a lot of attitude with the way she delivered it, and it made Gage finally give up on his attempt… as he… sneered at his lover angrily, and began to stomp ahead of the group, sighing loudly as he did so,

"*SIGH*"

…

The six eventually made their way to the hilltop, and yet another battlezone was revealed to them, but the fight was still going on in this one, as there appeared to be an outpost sticking out straight like a sore thumb in the middle of a sea of damage, blackened, and snowy trees.

Gage calmed himself down a bit once he took in the image, and that was when the rest of RWBY's eyes opened up, as the sounds of yelling and gunshots came through to them as clear as day.

Jed chuckled again although, and nudged Gage's shoulder in a friendly way before he pointed at the outpost once again, "Heh, think you and your gal pals can handle that one?" He asked the ghost.

"I guess we're about to find out."

Ruby felt her stomach and throat tighten once she could see their 'objective' more clearly, and the sounds of battle only made it worse for her, and the rest of her team.

The outpost that Adam's men were set up in previously was ironically an old abandoned military outpost that was left behind by the Atlesian Army.

It was complete with an outer grid of concrete walls that were nearly fifteen feet tall with a rusty and damaged gate at the front, four watchtowers that were covering every corner, turret slits and scaffolds on the interior that allowed for some white fang soldiers to look over the walls, a tiny storehouse, tents, and a landing pad.

But in the middle, was the main building. A commanding compound building that had two floors, and was HEAVILY guarded… and that building became the center of Gage's attention once he saw it.

"Hmm…. That looks really important."

"That there's your data center-thingy, striplin'. Now's your time to take it." Jed replied as he raised his springfield, and watched as Gage did the same.

The ghost did that, and peeked behind himself at Ruby again, but she piped up before he could voice his concerns.

"U-Uh, l-let's take a look at the situation first before we rush in there Gage."

Blake looked past Gage and Jed, and got a small view of the battle through the mist and snow, thanks to the enhanced vision her faunus traits gave her.

From what she could see, most of the Collectors were taking cover behind all of the trees that were not destroyed completely, and were still tall enough to cover a single person.

They were spread out by two timberlines, and… somehow there was a small truck with a turret on the top of it in the space between the two treelines that was parked sideways, which was completely free to take cover behind.

….But it was being pumped full of lead and electricity by multiple assault and laser shots that were coming from White Fang soldiers inside of the outposts walls. "Yeah, maybe we could help the other Collectors figure out a way to get to the walls safely. Like that truck for example." Blake suggested.

Gage saw the truck once she mentioned it, and his eyes lit up, since it looked to be armored and bullet proof. It was basically a literal rolling shield in his eyes.

"Oh shit, come on. Let's get to that thing before we get carried away!"

He grabbed onto Blake's arm after that, and pulled her towards himself before he turned towards the truck and started to sprint towards it, with Weiss, Yang, and Ruby following close behind.

Jed ran behind them as well, but noticed that the gun truck wasn't big enough to cover the six of them, so he grabbed onto Ruby's arm and pulled her away from her friends.

"Come 'ere with me! That rifle of yours will make short work of 'em guns if you can get an eye on them!"

"O-Okay-Sir!"

Blake was thinking the same thing, so she ran to some of the trees to the left instead of the armored vehicle.

Cracks and snaps of rounds being fired could be heard as they got closer, and as Gage, Yang, Weiss, got to the gun truck and hid behind it, the noise of bullets smashing against their cover began to sound like hard hail pelting against a glass window.

Ruby and the vet got to a pair of two trees that were surrounded by others that some fellow Collectors were taking cover behind, and Jed just got into a prone position with his springfield while Ruby panted and let Crescent Rose extend into it's sniper rifle form.

Yang and Weiss both flinched from the screams of gunfire, and Gage's lover covered one ear as she clenched her teeth and asked, "*pant* ...Now what?!"

"I have to get another look at the wall!"

"Then do it!" Weiss shouted.

The Collectors began to fire back at the walls, and it caused the gunfire from the fang to stop for only a few seconds… and it allowed Gage to forward at the armor car's left side mirror, and he got an idea.

"...Here we go!"

He reached out to it and used his metal arm to tear it away, and then, he raised it above the car in a way so the mirror was facing the facility, allowing him to get a better look at where the guns were placed.

"Crap… got guys on the top with rifles, and two in those slits too on the ground level…. And those walls look like it'll take a lot more than fire dust to break through them!"

Once dust was mentioned, Weiss shook her head and looked into the mirror before Gage could lower it. "...What about the area near the front gate?" She asked him.

"It looks old and cracked, but we'll still need something."

The sound of Yang's gauntlets, Ember Celica shifting into their combat form made them both jump, and the blonde gave off a bright smirk as she too looked up into the mirror.

"I can help with that!"

Ruby smiled as she saw her older sister's expression change, and she pointed at her and Weiss as the heiress also pulled the hammer on Myrtenaster back, making it's revolving dial spin and stop once it landed on the section that contained her ice and water dust,

"Gage! Freezerburn!"

"Huh?"

The only thing Ruby did to respond was put up two fingers, point them at Weiss and Yang, and turned that same hand into a fist before she lightly punched it into the bark of the tree that she was hiding behind, and it somehow made him see what she was thinking.

"Ohhh… I guess you two are gonna be our battering ram..."

Weiss smiled for a few seconds, but Yang had already thought ahead, and about one other important part before they could execute their plan,

"That makes sense… but how are we even going to get close to the gate if we're stuck back here?"

"Just so what ya gotta do youngsters! We'll give you some covering fire!" Jed yelled as he took aim with his rifle, and raised his voice even more. "Right boys and girls?!"

They didn't see who the vet was actually talking to until all of the other Collectors on both flanks peeked out of their cover with whatever weapon they had, and gave one conjoined cheer that made Gage grin with confidence.

"Yes sir!"

More shots coming from their flanks rang out after their war cry, and now was the time for RWBY and Gage to act… and luckily, Weiss already had something going in her head since their strongest team member was right next to her,

"Gage, Yang, do you think you both can push this truck all the way up there?"

"...Can't hurt to try, right Yang?"

Yang nodded her head in agreement, and soon used both her hands to grip the underside of the car. "*exhaled* ...Right. Help me push then Gage!" She shouted.

Gage used Mistletoe's arm strap so he could wrap it around his body to keep his beloved hotgun secured on his back nicely before he did the same as he and his began to push the truck forwards, and Weiss did the same.

At first, they didn't think they could do it, but luckily Yang's own strength made it a lot easier, so much so that it felt like they were just pushing a heavily armored couch across that snowy field they were stuck in.

And at the same time, Ruby noticed that if the two guns in the turret slits of the wall could be taken out, then her friend's job would become a whole lot more easier, and maybe their small army of Collectors could push up with them too.

She didn't think it was a good Idea at first, considering how hard it'd be to get the shot in the first place, but she had try, as Gage and Yang had only managed to push the truck up ten feet from where it was before nearly all of the White Fang's fire power was traced on their vehicle.

"Oh no, how am i going to take those things out in time? ...Wait, do i still have some dust on me?"

She checked her elemental pouch on her person, and took out a few magazines until she found the one that she was looking for, a magazine of fire dust that was marked marked being explosive. "Yes!"

Ruby then disposed of the current clip she was using, and swapped it out for the explosive one before took aim at the fixed gun on the right, that was poking out from one of the two turret slits.

"Come on… for Gage and Yang!"

Her scope was traced on the gun's position as her index finger made its way to the trigger, and she made sure her heart beat was closed enough to keep her own hands from shaking.

Ruby's shot was lined up perfectly now, so she inhaled, and exhaled again sharply as she closed one eye, and slowly pulled the trigger.

"*BANG!*"

The shot became blocked out by all the other gunfire, but this one made it's way towards its target without any delay or wind to make it falter, and it made direct contact with the machine gun's barrel, and it was soon blown apart as the fire dust round exploded, disabling the turret from being used.

It also caused a chain of cracks in the wall that went towards the main gate, and it made Ruby squeal as she waved over at Blake on the other side of the timberline,

"Blake I did it!"

"Did what?"

Blake just sat there against the tree with another male Collector that was wearing armor, and was also covering his own ears, but they both saw Ruby point towards the wall after that.

"I took out the gun!"

"She took out the gun?" The Collector asked.

The raven haired girl reassured him with a nod and the sound Gambol Shroud made as she pulled back it's slide, and that was when she looked at all the other thirty plus agents taking cover in the brush on her own side.

"Yes! Push up before they can replace it!"

Then, everyone on the right side did a double take before they got out of hiding with a loud yell, cheer, or whoop as they made a mad dash towards the right side of the wall.

Meanwhile, Gage saw this act from the rear view mirror he was holding up, and he soon threw it away as he, Weiss, and Yang continued to push the vehicle halfway there, with Yang doing most of the heavily lifting,

"Rrrgh… Weiss, a little help here!"

"I-I'm trying my best Yang! Why don't you pester Gage?!"

"He's thinking about how to deal with the left side, right Gage?"

Gage had his hand on the left side of the front of the vehicle, and got into a crouched position as he held Mistletoe with one hand… and a magazine of his fire dust arrows in the other.

He cleared his throat, slammed the mag into his shotgun before he moved it's pull action lever half way forwards, and the two limbs of the crossbow formed.

He cocked the lever back and forth as hr peeked out for something that was sticking out, and was noticeable. "Uh… yeah. Lemme just think for a second."

Gage cocked his eye a little, and looked at the head of the flanking force that was on Ruby's side, and he could see an old yet very damaged tall tree that was really close to the wall, with the trunk/lower half being weakened and riddled with bullet holes.

He also saw that it looked to be tall enough so that it could land right on top of the wall if it was to be knocked over, and with the fire dust… it may just cause even more damage.

"Got it."

So, he took aim towards the tree as he accounted for arrow drop, kept his one eye closed, and just smirked before he pulled the trigger, and let the arrow fly.

The arrow went out of the barrel with the calm pluck of a string, and it fell right into the tree trunk with a loud bang. The tree then jerked forwards, and the remnants of the red dust arrow tip combusted into small sparks of flame and cinders.

There were so many bits of flame, that the base of the tree soon caught fire as it fell right on top of the wall, making it crack heavily, and rolled to the right a bit.

It stayed there, and was at an angle so that it blocked the gun in the wall's turret slit. Gage chuckled as he watched the whole thing go up in flames and the entire thing began to create a cloud of smoke.

The ghost then looked over towards the gate, and saw that there were now other White Fang soldiers coming out into the battlefield from it!

"Ha ha-oh wait, they're coming out from the front now!" Gage yelled.

Weiss suddenly stopped pushing the truck, and looked towards the ghost with a pant as she unsheathed Myrtenaster gracefully, "Perfect!"

But Yang just saw it as her leaving her hanging, and she just sighed, "*sigh* ...Weiss, now's not a time for attitude…"

"No Yang, i'm being serious! This is a perfect time to act!"

The blonde then let go of the vehicle, and looked back at her with a nervous grin, "O-Oh, heh… sorry."

"Grrr… just get in front of me! And Gage…. Stand back."

Gage nodded, and Yang and Weiss both stepped back about fifteen feet from the car so they could take position, with Yang crouching in front of her sister's partner, her gauntlets loaded and ready.

"Just like we practiced a while back Yang… the icicle strike, remember?" Weiss asked her.

"Oh yeah! Hehe, i got this!"

Yang smirked now as she lifted her right gauntlet, and the heiress pointed two of her fingers at the truck, and one of her glyphs formed in front of the blonde brawler's fist.

It shone with the blue texture that came from the ice dust Weiss was using, but it soon glowed even brighter, as the glyph shrunk, stretched, and wrapped itself around Ember Celica's right gauntlet.

The two girls both chuckled with confidence, and almost every Collector watched as three icicles formed and stuck to the front of Yang's right gauntlet, with two being on the top and one on the bottom.

"Clear! Go, now!"

Weiss shouted that, and lowered her hand as Yang stood back up, and began to charge towards the truck again. She blinked as she stood back up, and her eyes became their glowing red color out of spite and excitement along with the ends of her hair, that looked to have caught fire.

"Haaaaaah!"

Gage watched in awe as his lover ran to the armored truck and grabbed the underside of it again before she flipped it into the air, and let out another yell as she used her right gauntlet to punch it so it was launched towards the outpost's wall.

She let the icicles stab into the belly of the truck and she fired a shotgun round off, causing her to be pushed back towards Gage, as she literally crashed into him, and her strike made the truck launch even further towards their target

Then, Weiss glared at the truck with an icy stare before she pulled the hammer back on her rapier until it clicked, and she clenched her teeth as she pointed her weapon at the icicles.

The three of them began to glow with a loud whir as the truck hit the ground again, and then they suddenly exploded and made the truck start to roll and tumble violently into the path of the gate and the enemy soldiers!

"This is going to get loud!"

And finally, the tumbling truck rolled into the regiment of wolves, and then all the way to the gate with loud and horrendous crash of metal hitting stone that echoed throughout the hills and burning forest.

As it collided with the weakened outer concrete shell, all the cracks between the left and right sides connected and gave way before the main gate came crashing down, and the entire upper part wall broke off, and its remains flew off into the base.

The gate, debris, and the remaining White Fang members from the wall all came crashing down around and into the main compound building, damaging its structure to the point that there were now multiple large crumbled holes smashed into the structure.

The rest of the wall eventually fell while the tree and one of the watchtowers fell in a heap of flames and smoke, and the marvelous sight earned cheers from all of the Collectors that were now leaving their hiding places, thanks to Gage and Team RWBY.

Weiss still stood there in the same stance with her rapier, panting as she soon heard cheers, claps, and whistles that were aimed towards her actions, and they made her smile nervously.

However, after about thirty seconds of this going, she panted and looked into the crowd of almost a hundred and twenty Collectors as they appeared, and she just gave them all a tiny bow as Jed got up from his prone position, and walked over to her with a smile,

"Good work, 'madame'. Same goes for the rest of you young-uns."

Ruby walked up next to him with Crescent Rose, and decided to speak before Weiss could complement herself, "Heh, all in a day's work." She giggled.

As this exchange happened, Gage and Yang were both still lying on the snowy dirt together, with the blonde's head lying on top of her lover's stomach as he groaned quietly to her

"Yang… that hurt. Alot…."

"...Sorry Care-Bear..."

He had his normal hand resting on the back of her head, but it soon lowered as Yang opened her eyes and raised herself up off of him so she could look down into his Turquoise eyes… with a little embarrassment.

Gage was of course staring right back at her, and tried to sit up… but he couldn't do it, as his beloved was still sitting on top of his crotch.

They stared at each other for a good few seconds before Yang blushed, and quickly remembered that she was suppose to be avoiding him, so she immediately jumped back and tried to stand up again,

"A-Anyway, get up! W-We've still got one more building to storm!"

The ghost rolled his eyes at his failed attempt to get her to feel concerned like she always and already was, and he just rubbed the back of his head as he sat up,

"Agh… you're not gonna ask if I'm okay?"

"...Y-You look fine to me…" She replied, in a weak attempt to sound as cold as Weiss.

But, Gage continued to see how much he could tease her into feeling something, so he closed one eye and made a tiny groan to go along with his fake painful frown,

"I dunno… I think I feel a concussion coming on…"

"D-Don't tempt my overprotectiveness! Now get going!"

She growled this at him as she grabbed onto his arm, and pulled her boyfriend to his feet as her Team and Jed just watched the couple, trying not to laugh at their little moment.

"Okay, okay I'm going!' He sighed.

The ghost and blonde brawler soon made their way back to their friends,and Yang still kept her grip on Gage's metal arm with a blush, and tried not to look at him.

"S-So… what's next?" She asked Jed.

The Vet just stood there and pointed towards the demolished wall with a fiery smile as he had Mistletoe in one hand,and his own rifle over his other shoulder.

"Like you said dear, we still gotta storm their command post."

Gage sighed once he saw his own weapon again, and just approached Jed with a very dead and tired expression that was reflecting how much he wanted for this mission to finally be over so Yang could just yell at him rather than neglect him.

"*sigh* ...Those wolf faunus probably already have our scent, so let's not keep them waiting."

"Hehe… then they must love the smell of green."

So since Jed could also see the internal struggle, he handed the ghost's beloved shotgun back to him, and just began to lightly jog towards their final objective that was beyond the destroyed wall.

Blake, Weiss, and Ruby all followed the elder close behind while Gage cocked his shotgun and went along as well…. But he also unknowingly left Yang by herself.

He didn't do it on purpose. The blonde decided herself to stop and just watch him as a brief moment of clarity, as she had also just realized that their mission was almost over…. And the thought made her become even more pumped up.

"It's the final stretch Yang…. He can do it!"

...

The six of them made it past the debris of the wall, and finally got inside of the outpost without a hassle, since most of the wolves had already focused their attention on the earlier invading Collectors.

There was fire lit all across the snowy dirt with the occasional unconscious soldier lying on top of it as well, enemies and friendlies varying as Gage and RWBY moved past them on the floor.

There were major brawls of around fifty Collectors on the right, and another fifty on the left as they were walking through the main courtyard, and they were too hectic to really pay attention to.

Screams would be heard and quickly silenced due to a punch to the face, the sharp end of a bayonet, the blunt end of a weapon stock or handle, or the sound of a firearm being discharged.

Now matter what it was, it was just hell on either side, but Gage didn't want his friends and girlfriend to see the full extent of what was happening, so he immediately pointed towards the White Fang's main compound building as he saw a small squad of friendly agents stacking up on both side of it's main two doors,

"Hey! Head for those doors!" He yelled.

Jed had already ran into the fray to continue the fight along with his other brothers in arms, so RWBY went on without him towards the doors.

The snowfall was probably the only thing that kept the Team of first years from panicking, as it was was the only thing noticeable aside from the fighting, and luckily it helped them focus on what was really important. The files that were inside that building.

Yang ran to the squad and reached then first as Gage did the same, but she instinctively asked the four men for some insight on why they were there. "What's going on?!" She asked their leader.

The Collector put a finger against his lips as his dark blue hood covered his face and eyes, and his other squadmates didn't react at all… until they saw Gage approach.

"We've gotta get into this building sir- and ma'am. Care to lend a hand?"

The ghost managed to point at Yang quick enough for them to both be included, and he came from behind his lover as he rubbed his head sheepishly with a blush before he turned to her too,

"Uh… yeah. Sure. Just let us go in first."

She looked at Gage and nodded with a more serious, and eccentric smirk, "Heh, yeah… let me and him breach."

"Well then get a move on, we don't got all day!"

And with that, Gage and Yang both stacked up behind the two double doors, with him being on the left and she on the right, and the couple gripped the ends of their respective door handles before the ghost sighed, gripping his shotgun as his metal fingers were wrapped firmly around its handle and trigger,

"*sigh* ...Okay Yang. On three. One… two…. Three!-"

Blake, Ruby and Weiss took cover behind the men next to the door as soon as Gage and Yang made the doors swing open, and they both raised their weapons as they looked inside the room.

Yang was the first to take note of a lot of crates that were set up as cover…. So she raised her gauntlets…. And then nearly fifteen White Fang soldiers raised their heads up from behind the cover, and they all aimed laser rifles at the couple

"Hands up, ass….. holes."

Her voice trailed off once they were in full view. All fifteen of them, aiming their rifles right at her, since she was more further in than Gage, but he looked just as scared as she was.

His breaths became more clear to everyone else as well, but they got even louder as he used one hand to tap his lover's shoulder as his other one kept his shotgun aimed towards the enemy.

Everyone let out a silent gasp and just watched the ghost tap Yang's arm again…. But she didn't budge. She had that 'deer in the headlights' feeling going on, and it had just overtaken her.

So, since they had the upper hand, the numbers, and the focus, Gage looked at the blonde brawler, and forcefully inhaled as he turned towards the wolves, fired Mistletoe at the one that was the closest to them, and the shot managed to snap her out of it.

The buckshot was caught by the soldier's armor plate, but the impact of the round pushed him back, and he crashed into two other members of his pack violently.

However, the other men just snarled, and began to move their fingers towards their weapon's triggers…

That was enough for Gage, as he quickly turned to Yang and went to the grab her hand as she went for his, but she turned to run at the exact same time he did. So he followed close behind.

"N-NOPE!" He yelled.

They both ran through the entrance as the first shots of plasma were fired, and the Collector squad responded with a barrage of bullets from their own rifles as they went inside of the compound so the couple could have a better chance of not being hit.

Weiss and Blake went in with the squad while Gage just made sure that she made it out before him so he could be able to push her out onto the snow, and take aim with Mistletoe once he turned back around.

"OOF!" Yang huffed as she fell onto the ground.

The ghost cocked his shotgun again and only turned halfway towards the two double doors before he suddenly felt something splash and dig into his back and left shoulder blade. Not one, but two of whatever it was… and it stung like hell.

He didn't know that they were two plasma blasts that came from the weapons of the wolves, but the pain still enraged him.

And so, he shot at one of the other faunus inside and hit their shoulder armor… but then more shots from their laser rifles made their way towards him, while Yang watched her lover with a helpless stare.

She just watched as another shot went straight past her little sister and everyone else, and it struck Gage's left arm, his prosthetic that wasn't able to be protected from any electrical charges.

The first thing he did on contact was scrunch his shoulders and yelp as he lost all sense of movement and control in his prosthetic arm, and felt his body freeze from the shock.

Then, another shot came and hit him right where the bandage cover the stab wound to his abdomen was, making him cry out in pain as the impact made his feet give out, and he fell onto his knees

"AGH!"

"GAGE!"

They didn't burn or sear his flesh and clothes…. It just…. Stung a lot. So, he guessed that they had their weapons set to stun, but it still felt like the cross between a charlie-horse and a taser shock.

Yang looked utterly devastated, but her eyes soon changed to their blood red color again as she got up, ran to Gage, and grabbed his shoulder before she slammed him into the side of the outer door frame, out of sight from their assailants.

"Rrrrgh….. f-fuck!"

"Damn it Gage, Why did you have to shoot first?! Huh?! WHY?!"

He squinted at her as she shook him violently, and just placed his right hand against her cheek as he tried to speak, "*huff* ….Yang, it's not-"

But she just slapped his hand away and stood up as she stared down at him and threw Mistletoe onto the ground next to him, before she leaned forwards and screamed at her boyfriend at the top of her lungs,

"Rrrrgh! *huff*-I DON'T CARE!"

Her booming voice made him tense up again and scoot closer towards the wall behind him, and he looked at Yang as she moved towards the doorway, her eyes leaving a small trail of red light as she turned, and her hair had even gotten to the point that it looked like it had caught fire again.

"YOU SIT THERE AND THINK ABOUT THAT PAIN! I'M GOING TO FINISH THIS THING PERSONALLY, LIKE I SHOULD'VE DONE BEFORE!"

Everything was going fine until this last encounter, and this time it was _his_ fault for getting hurt. Not hers, not the enemy's accuracy, it was all Gage's fault in her eyes. Though, she didn't know that the shots had basically done nothing to him.

He could have grabbed her and used his semblance, or let her Team go in first with the other Collectors… but no, he made the call and she listened foolishly, and Yang didn't even think to get in front of him… so now she was also angry at herself.

She was mad, fuming with rage as she looked over to the men that hurt her precious Care-Bear, and her aura began to glow an even brighter shade of yellow, so bright that the soldiers noticed her, and moved their rifles back over her way.

Her eyelid twitched one time, and then… everyone watched as Yang lifted her gauntlets up… and clashed them against one another, giving her own semblance a spark that made the fire in her eyes and heart burn with it passion, and anger!

"Fire!" One of the wolves growled.

"HRAAAH!"

Yang let out one last battle cry, and charged into the compound with one fist raised as the other was at her side.

The remaining thirteen men that were still standing all stepped back behind their cover, and began to fire at her with their laser rifles.

And the shots peppered her body, from her legs all the way to her upper chest and arms, but… her rage and adrenaline built up an immunity to the pain, as she leaped forwards, grabbed onto one of the crates they were hiding behind, and threw it right into a group of three with only one hand

Those three wolves were launched and pinned to the wall that was behind them, and it became badly cracked, probably with a few of their bones as well… but that was the least of what could be said about the others.

Now they either dropped their weapons completely or used them as melee weapons as they swarmed the blonde… yet, she still remained vigilant against the pack of wolves.

One went to hit her with his rifle, but it just broke in half against her arm as she blocked it, and grabbed onto their face with a single hand and made a crater in the floor as she slammed his head into the ground.

After that, a second soldier attempted to jump on and tackle Yang, but he was promptly grabbed and thrown straight through the already cracked wall in the back of the room, and she watched as it began to crumble away,

"Rrrgh! Take her down!"

Another snarled that and leaped towards her as his sharp nails pierced through his gloves…. But still he was thwarted, as the enraged brawler twirled, clenched her fist, and sent a hard punch right into the man's jaw before she ducked, and let him fly over her and onto the ground in front of her team and the Collector squad, as they began to apprehend two of the white fang soldiers.

"Ohoho, i dare you to try me!" Yang taunted them.

Everyone on her side just watched in awe, as more came, and even more were crushed in their strive. They were thrown, knocked out, kicked, and shot at continuously.

The brawler's yells and war cries drowned out the faunus's groans and coughs as they were taken down one by one. "Holy hell, She's one of Qrow's nieces, isn't she?" The Collector squad leader asked his own teammates.

"Hehe, keep it up blondie! Make sure they don't get away1"

That was when the sound of Ember Celica's shotgun shells being fired could be heard, and Yang just calmly smashed her gauntlet into a rifle-wielding soldier's stomach, grabbed his face just like she did to one of the previous ones…. And unintentionally tossed him over towards the entrance she came through… and out onto the snow, right next to Gage.

As for Gage, he just sat there outside where Yang had left him, clutching the places where he was shot while his lover's fight went on… and that was when he saw the white fang member land in front of him… hard.

The enemy faunus landed face first onto the ground, and the impact to his head was luckily taken by the custom black combat helmet that he was wearing.

He panted, whimpered, and was so dazed that when he got up, he saw Gage…. Just jumped back in fear before he picked up the only automatic rifle his regiment was given, and he began to limp away quickly, past the destroyed outpost wall, and all the way back into the dead snowy forest.

The ghost didn't feel obligated to give chase… until he remembered that one of the Collector's just told Yang to not let anyone get away.

He also realized that the wolves were apparently the Fang's special forces…. And that they knew things the regular foot soldiers didn't. Like what the point of this place was, what could be found here… and where Adam or Roman Torchwick were at the moment.

"*huff* ...He can't get far or fight well with that bad leg…. so I should be fine…."

So, in a half-hearted/brained decision, Gage stood up weakly, and picked up Mistletoe as he began to run after the deserting wolf, leaving Yang and Team RWBY to fend for themselves…

"*sigh* ...She's gonna kill me for this…"

…

…

…

The man only went deeper into the forest once he picked up on Gage's scent, but he knew that he could be easily tracked due to the footsteps that were left in the snow, so… eventually he stopped, and hid behind a tree.

His ankle didn't feel right at all, and it hurt like hell. So, he just panted as he kept his breaths silent and clutched it with an overzealous amount of force.

"Agh… not good…."

His assault rifle was at his side, but after he stood there for a good five more minutes, it tilted and fell into the snow, and he only cursed something under his breath as a response.

Meanwhile, Gage managed to track his footsteps easily, and he found his way into a snow covered clearing… but he didn't think anyone else was nearby aside from the man he was looking for.

He had Mistletoe raised in a defensive position as he kept his head down low… and eventually noticed that the footsteps went off into the treeline, but didn't go any further than that,

"Bingo…"

So, he took in a deep breath,and hesitantly called out to the wolf faunus, "Hey, I-I know you're hiding behind there! Come out now, with your hands up!"

The man just continued to pant…. And slowly took off his helmet as he closed his eyes and exhaled loudly from the Ghost's voice.

The faunus had black scraggly hair, green eyes, and looked even younger than Gage. As he was somewhere in between the seventeen-eighteen range. Either way, he was probably born into the White Fang, like Blake…. Sort of.

"I know you can hear me. So come on, I'm just trying to make this easier for the both of us."

The faunus hesitated to raise the hand he was using to hold his helmet up as a sign, but it was too late to put it back down, as Gage saw it and gulped.

"Now just come on out…"

Then, with a little too much noise, the younger man came out with both of his hands lowered, and his finger was still lying on the trigger of the rifle that was in his hand… and it was also pointing right at Gage's stomach

"Drop it!"

The only response the ghost got was the sight of the teen dropping the helmet, and moving that hand over towards the under barrel of his firearm, so he could aim it at Gage even more accurately,

"Man, I'm giving you an out here! Take it and I won't hurt you. I promise."

They both stood there, frozen in a one on one standoff. Gage with Mistletoe aimed towards the faunus, and the teen pointing his AK-47 back towards the ghost with a mad scowl…. But he noticed that his human enemy didn't looked to be sharing the same emotion.

Gage was of course mad on the inside, as he just wanted him to comply, but he remained cool and collected…. Which made his opponent panic even more on the inside.

The ghost was confused though, as he saw the man stay in the same exact mindset and position as he spoke… and that was when he came to a sudden and awkward realization once he remembered how poorly the wolves he's seen in the last few days spoke English,

"Wait a second…. he can't even understand me, can he?"

The teen was visibly shaken and looked disheveled thanks to Yang's assault, and the ghost instantly assumed he would be jumpy or incredibly nervous with a gun being aimed at him, but Gage still was desperate to calm him down.

...So, he eased up with his stance a bit, and tried to communicate with the faunus in the only other language he knew well. Japanese of course!

"Um… K-Konnichiwa. Eigo… o hanasu?"

(Um... Hello. Speak... English?) He asked him.

And that made the teen blink, more out of confusion, as he actually understood his human enemy's words for once!

"...I-Ichibu."

(...S-Some.) He replied.

However, them breaking the language barrier a bit only made the boy glare at the ghost as he took a step closer, and then Gage began to speak louder while he pointed towards the ground,

"Okay. Put. It. Down. I. Won't. Shoot… Wakaru?" (Understand?).

The wolf exhaled and nodded with his eyes still traced on Mistletoe's barrel, but he still clenched his weapon even harder, and pressed its stock even further against his shoulder blade,

"Y-Yes. B-But i won't!"

"I don't have a reason to hurt you. I just need you to…"

That was when Gage now also realized that this whole thing was basically pointless if the person he was suppose to question couldn't even speak english, and he did not want to play the translator game.

"...Answer some questions for me- *sigh* ...God damn it!"

He growled at himself in a voice that became toxic and frustrated, so much so that the faunus grinded his teeth and yelled back at him, scared for his life. "D-Don't move!"

The boy also replied with a cock of his rifle as he began to pant like an animal and made the ghost take a step towards him, despite the anxiety he was feeling,

"Hey, chill! I'll make sure nothing happens to you, but i need your gun first. Please just… don't make this harder than it has to me."

Gage's heartbeat became more rapid at this point, and he began to sweat bullets that oddly helped him relax a bit, as the sweat was cold.

The snow was probably the only thing that kept them from having an all out brawl right when they laid eyes onto each other… though, the faunus became even more agitated once the wind picked up again,

"Come on man… just take the out I'm giving you." Gage whispered to himself.

The ghost grimaced at him with confidence in his words, no matter the translation, and just waited for the Fang member's gun to lower….

...But only the opposite happened after that last push to defuse the situation, as the faunus remembered who he was talking to.

A god damn dirty human. The ones that he was brainwashed to fear as a child, the ones that tortured his ancestors and maybe a few of his friends in the cult… and the ones that he was raised to fight against. With his pack members.

"...I made promise to my pack…."

He was told to defend this place and not let anyone who wanted to invade live, no matter the race or age. They had to die….

Now…. He knew that he had to kill Gage. For his family… and for the man his pack leaders were now allied to. The No-Voiced bull, Adam Taurus. Their… alpha .

"..Rrrrgh! NO! I will not break pack oath because of one human's lie!"

"Oh crap!-"

So once the boy let these thoughts run through his mind, he showed his fangs to intimate his enemy as Gage saw his rifle raise… and he pulled Mistletoe's trigger first. Again!

The round tore apart the barrel of the wolf's assault rifle, and blew off the tips of two of the fingers on the faunus's right hand. And now Gage noticed this only because the boy yelped before he let his rifle fall onto the ground, and charged the ghost as the nails on his remaining eight fingers extended.

"Rrrragh!"

He ran across the snow covered clearing and Gage nearly fell back on his ass by how fast he moved, but instead he grabbed the body of his shotgun and planted it right into the Fang member's chest when he got close enough.

The teen took the full blunt of the hit and promptly slashed at Mistletoe's stock, scratching through the wooded stock of the ghost's precious weapon before he grabbed onto it, tried to throw it down onto the ground, and stared right into Gage's eyes as he headbutted him right in the forehead,

"Graaah!"

"Rrrgh, -Fuck!"

Soon after, the teen managed to get a good grip on the weapon, and he punched his human opponent in the face right after he ripped Mistletoe from his grasp, and threw it onto the ground as he used his other hand to grasp Gage's throat and threw him onto his back afterwards.

He landed on the soft cold blanket of snow,and opened his eyes again as he gasped and watched the faunus as he jump onto him, and used the hand with the missing fingers to strangle the ghost slowly.

Gage's hands were at his side now, with his right being pinned down by the teen's left, and his prosthetic left hand trying to keep the wolf's right away from his face.

"You…. *huff* *huff* ….Motherfucker!"

All of the fingers on the younger teen's right hand had their nails out stretched, and they were continuously moving down towards the ghost's right eye socket with the intention to rip it out.

But then Gage remembered that his left arm had a lot more strength… and that it had a perfect hold on his enemy's right hand… So, the next thing he did was something that made his own body cringe in disgust,

"Hrrragh!"

"*CRUNCH!*

"Aaaaghaaah!"

He used his metal hand's strength and power to bend the boy's hand to the right, the _far_ right, to the point that it was bent out of place, and his wrist bone was utterly demolished, rendering the appendage to be useless.

The wolf cried out in pain and let go of the ghost's throat, and it allowed him to push the boy off of himself, and use his left foot to kick him away, and onto the ground only a few inches away,

Gage tried to sit up and soon felt his hand brush against Mistletoe again, and he wasn't hesitant to pick it up, stand up, and angry walk towards the enemy solider as he held the weapon by its barrel with both hands…. Like a baseball bat.

The teen had stumbled and fallen face first into the snow as he clutched his broken hand and panted in fear before he got up onto his knees, turned around…. And saw Gage standing right above him, with his weapon already raised.

"*huff* ...You think my kind is bad?! Look at yours you dumbass! THEY KILLED MY PARENTS! THEY DIDN'T DO SHIT TO YOUR KIND, AND WE'RE THE BAD ONES?!"

Then, Gage brought the blunt end of the stock down smack dab into the middle of the younger man's scalp, and the impact made his upper body scrunch like a goddamn collapsing lawn chair.

"No, we're not! *huff* ...IT'S JUST- BOTH OUR KIND'S- NATURE!"

He immediately slammed the shotguns body against the side of his jaw afterwards, and the blow nearly dislocated the wolf's jaw as he spun around, and put one hand onto the snowy ground so he wouldn't hit the dirt one more time.

The teen whimpered and hyperventilated as he soon felt blood trickle down his forehead and down the side of his lips while Gage just looked down at him, and was close to letting his knees give out from the sudden adrenaline rush… but…. He chose to walk away before anything else could happen.

"*pant* ….Now just sit there, think, and fucking bleed..."

After that, the ghost turned away and back towards the direction of the outpost in a surprisingly calm fashion as he wrapped the weapon sling on his shotgun around himself so Mistletoe could rest on his back.

He did this so passively because he knew that there was no way for the wolf to fight back now. His good hand was broken along with his rifle, and he was disoriented, so he was sure nothing would follow

But he was still wrong even there…

"*Click*"

He only got about two yards away from the teen until he suddenly heard the sound of a pistol's slide being pulled back, along with pants and small gasps…

"...*pant* ….*pant*..."

Gage looker back to see that the Fang member now was holding a handgun in his bad hand with the three fingers, and he had his middle finger on the trigger, as his index finger was gone.

"...Just stop…" Gage sighed.

"N… No."

He raised it more, and allowed the pistol holster on his left thigh to be seen as the boy squeezed the trigger with his shaking hand…. And he didn't even care to aim as fired it at Gage.

Gage's turquoise eyes reluctantly narrowed once he heard the shot ring out, and he instantly reached for Javix with his metal hand as the hand cannon rested in the revolver holster on right side of his belt…

The bullet collided with the metallic prosthetic as he moved it, and the bullet only barely dented the prosthetic a tiny bit, that it was barely noticeable.

But even then, he ghost didn't notice this as he took his revolver out, pulled the hammer back, raised it up, and fired right into the faunus's stomach before he could take aim himself, and it caused the wolf to cough up blood as he collapsed onto his side!

The echo of the bullet rang out until it grew quieter and quieter… as the howling wind do the same before Gage lowered Javix with a single exhale as he just realized what he has done.

"...Oh shit."

Dark blood flowed and spread into the icy dirt as the teen laid there in pain, staring at his handgun that was now resting in front of his left hand as it laid on top of the red snow… and he still tried to reach for it.

Gage had his right hand against his forehead and stared at him in utter shock at his own action, so much that he had just forgotten about the round that hit his metal arm completely.

"*pant* ...Fuck, fuck…. why did I do that? Why the fuck did I do that?!"

The wolf eventually crawled his way close enough to be able to pick up the loaded gun again…. And he gulped down some more rising blood from his lungs as he asked his human enemy,

"Egh…. Both… kind's... nature?"

The ghost could see that the gun was gone… and now he was on the verge of throwing up and having a nervous breakdown… but he couldn't let the man fulfill what he was wanting to do to him. He had to survive and get back to his friends, to Yang.

So… Gage slowly used his thumb to pull back Javix's hammer back again, before he raised his pistol back up…. With a clear shot that was aimed towards the soldier's head, while his hand began to shake a bit.

"...Please, don't." He begged him.

The young wolf only gave him a bloody smile as a defining answer… and he sealed his fate with that last act of valor, in his eyes at least.

He looked down at this firearm, giving one small chuckle before he looked up at Gage… 'the conquering hero', and let his smile fade as he raised the gun one last time, and screamed at him at the top of his lungs,

"...FOR MY FAUNUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS!-"

"-NO!"

"*BANG!*"

His courage and honor was both admirable and a burden on his part, but his speed and beliefs held him from achieving in his final moment, as Gage forced himself to pull the trigger first.

The final round resonated in the ghost's mind before he even fired, and the echo remained there for what seemed like hours after the deed was done.

It went right through the faunus's temple, leaving a hole in his forehead that let out a small stream of blood after the round exited through the back of his head, and just caused his body to flinch and stumble backwards onto the red snow that he was lying on top of before.

Gage watched as the man let out a small squeak, and blinked only once before he fell onto his back, and laid there in utter silence, Dead at his own hand.

Javix was lowered and hung at his side once the body remained unmoved for a good thirty seconds, and the ghost dubiously walked over to the now dead soldier before he looked down at him, and fell into his knees.

"*shaky exhale*..."

He let out a sigh that reflected his doubts that this just actually happened to him… that _he_ was the one who just blew this poor kid's brains outs.

Gage knew he had killed someone two men during his first encounter with Raven, possibly Adam after their fight three months ago, and a man that was about to execute his lover Yang that exact same night…. But _this,_ this was different.

Before he didn't have a choice to let the assailant live or die, because almost every time before, he was forced to kill them so either he or one of his friends could live.

But this time…. He could have just gone invisible and sneak away, or keep walking before the young wolf could take that pistol out…. Yet, he stayed. And let the one-sided fight go on longer than it should have.

Now he just fell back, and sat down next to the dead teen as his eyes were still open… and Gage still continued to stare at him… as he just tried to think about Yang to make the bad thoughts go away…

 _"i'll do what i have to Yang, to stay alive. For you."_

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage sat there for so long that he didn't even keep track of how long he was there. He just was frozen, lost in time as he watched the teen's blood dry and the snow fall upon his black and now slightly crimson red hair.

And… he was so… gone, that he didn't even flinch once some rusting came from the treeline behind him… and someone came out, staring over at his general direction.

"Gage?"

That was when he came back to reality… and slowly turned towards the apparent ally to see that it was thankfully not Yang or one of the members of Team RWBY… but his older Collector friend, Emile Ezust.

Em stood there with his glaive in hand, and he lowered the hood of his silver fur lined cloak, revealing his dark blue eyes, dark brown and greyish slicked back hair, scruffy beard, and brown bear ears.

The Slavic man just stood there and kept eye contact with Gage before he saw the blood in the snow, and just ran towards him in a panic, "Aw hell, What just happened?!"

Gage waited a few seconds to respond, as he tried not to let it sound as strained so he could actually sound coherent.

"I-I shot him…. he came at me, and tried to kill me over and over… and I shot him dead…."

"...Jesus Christ."

The ghost nodded, and soon stood up as he rubbed his eyes, and looked down at the dead body again with…. His now silver eyes, once again. "I know…"

Emile sighed, and looked down at the body as well, but with a less somber look than his younger friend as he scanned his body from head to toe,

"...You okay?" He asked him.

"Yeah… that's the problem…."

The strength from the older man's hand increase along with his grip, and his expression changed to one that looked as if he was both annoyed and relieved that Gage had said that.

So, he made Gage look at him, and the Collector just sneered at him as he spoke in more authoritative tone of voice for once….

"...Kid, Tell me. Do you see that?" He asked as he pointed at the corpse.

"...Yeah, no fucking shit-"

Bringing the body back into the conversation just made Gage shake his head and bear his teeth once Emile pointed at it. Because in his mind, this depressing experience of the ghost could… be teaching him something about all of this.

How serious this was and what the consequences could be if they didn't thwart the Syndicate and White Fang in time before whatever big scheme they had planned could be fulfilled… so, Emile went on.

"Well, that's good then. Because if you can see his blood and feel that adrenaline… then that means that you're alive."

Gage's eyes looked glossy as hell now, but he restrained himself from letting anything loose, as he first wanted to see what his older friend was going on about.

"He chose to fight you right? To kill. That was his choice. It was his choice to get enough confidence to pull that trigger and end you… but you didn't let him go through with it. You're alive, and ya showed that you'd do whatever it takes to survive…. Don't be ashamed of that."

"I know Em. I just wish it could've ended differently…. But that's just how war is. And this is basically war now, right?" Gage asked him with a depressing smile on his face.

"Yeah…" The Collector answered before he crouched down next to the dead boy's head. "This day is going to be the start of something else…. The world's first, 'Silent War'."

Gage saw it as a fitting title, so he turned back and looked over towards the smoke that was rising into the air from the aftermath of their attack, and he remembered that him and his friends were the fist that broke through those walls, which made him both happy…. And conflicted at the exact same time.

He knew that RWBY might see this as a great day because their capabilities and skills led to a victory… but, he didn't want them to be apart of a war… For Yang to be apart of a war….

If this was anything like the historical Great War long ago in the past, then he would want to be the one drafted to fight while she remained in a safe homestead… preferably in a little cabin in the woods… woods that looked similar to the forest that he was standing in at that exact moment…

"...You _DO NOT_ tell Yang that this happened. You hear me?" He asked Emile in a cold tone of voice.

"Heh, wasn't planning on tellin' her anytime soon kid."

Emile replied right as he looked down at the dead teenager, and used two of his fingers to close his eyes before he stood back up, and turned to Gage once again with a smirk,

"She managed to clear out that last building by herself by the way, so you should probably get back to her. Before she goes off looking for ya."

That lifted the ghost's spirit's a bit, since despite how pissed off his lover would be at him when he would return, all he wanted to do at the moment was just hug and hold her in his arms once again

"Hehe… Yeah… Let's just walk back. I need to think for a bit on the way there…"

"Not a problem."

Emile then turned towards the same direction as a Gage, and looked back at the young wolf one last time. "And uh… don't worry about. We'll bury him once the dust settles. Give 'em the proper burial." He said.

His words made Gage sigh with even more relief, and he just thanked his friend for not being as harsh on him… like some others could be if they were with him in the same situation.

"*sigh* ...Thank you. Now come on old man, let's go."

And so, the two began to walk back towards the White Fang outpost in silence, with only the wind and snow as the only thing they had to worry about.

Gage knew that their battle today was finally over, and that he could go home and sleep… with or without Yang… but… as they went on back to the facility… he couldn't help but let one last new and curious little question he'd never thought he'd ask himself circle through his thoughts for the very first time...

"It can't be that easy to kill someone…. Can it?'


	21. It Followed Him Home: Part Three

**Author's Note:** Holy shit we passed chapter 20 guys! And it was my largest one, even tho i was able to make it within my deadline, that's just awesome! And… if y'all remember the chapter count from Part One, it went up to 60 so…. I guess you can say we're already ⅓ through Desertion: Part Two!

Also yeah, now my record for the biggest chapter is 15k words! Haha, and luckily for you guys, this one will hopefully be a long one too!

 **Song:** Nothing Else Matters by Lissie.

…

Gage and Emile were walking back to the now taken White Fang compound, in utter silence as they made their way out of the forest.

Gage was still trying to process what just happened twenty minutes ago, what happened between him and that young teenage White Fang member…. And how he put an end to him.

He was walking through the snowy and war torn forest until they made their way back to the outpost, and reached the remnant of the wall that Yang and Weiss had demolished only an hour ago.

The ghost's eyes were dead and kept staring ahead, and Emile noticed it, since it wasn't that hard to see that…. Gage was somewhere else in his mind right now…. But he needed to come back to face the reality of what he did.

"Kid… you sure you're okay?" Emile asked him.

All it took for him to come back was the blink of an eye, and he didn't hesitate to speak the truth…. The _real_ truth. "No, I'm not. But I haven't been ever since I went into that hospital… so it doesn't really matter." Gage answered him.

Emile just looked down at his metal arm as it hung there with it's fist clenched, and he just stayed quiet as Gage tried to reassure him to not worry about him.

"...I'll survive. It's what I always do."

After that, the two finally made their way back into the outpost, and weree heading towards the main compound building where Gage had left his lover and her Team, since they seemed to have had it handled.

And thankfully, the battle was over. Medical ships had arrived to treat casualties on both sides, and a small band of about six medical tents had been set up on the right side of the base…. As the Collectors gathered all the prisoners they could find on the left side of the base.

They were to be rightfully questioned, if they could be understood, and sent off to any other agents that were within the infrastructure of the VCPD, The Atlesian Army, or the Vacuo-Vale Border Patrol. Either way, those faunus were going somewhere with bars for them to stay behind.

Gage wasn't looking for any information from them anymore, since they were in Collector hands. And if they were to tell him something, he wouldn't be the only one to in know. So… he just went on to where RWBY was last, in search for Yang.

They were approaching the place he was last before he ran off to catch the now dead faunus, and he couldn't see it at first due to the snowfall…. But… the entrance to the compound building was where the blonde brawler lied.

She was laying against the door frame of the building as she clutched her side and shoulder in pain, and small desperate gasps and breaths escaped from her mouth while her Team were crowded around her, trying to aid her as she apparently lied there in pain!

Gage saw this only after the snow cleared from his vision, and he stopped dead in his tracks as his grip on Mistletoe loosened, and his mouth opened a bit in utter shock.

"...Oh shit!" Emile cursed.

Then, he felt his eyes become moist immediately as he assumed the worst, and let out a silent gasp before he dropped Mistletoe onto the snowy ground, and sprinted towards his injured girlfriend.

As he got closer and the mist finally stopped obscuring his vision, he could see that Weiss, Blake, and Ruby were all speaking softly to her, and that he could also hear Yang sniffle and groan, which caused Gage to fall, but he slid on his knees and got right behind Ruby,

"YANG!"

He then grabbed Ruby's shoulder and pulled her away from her older sister, making her cry out as she tumbled back into a pile of snow, "H-Hey! -Ooof!"

Gage was already hyperventilating a bit… since he knew he left as she was beginning her fight with the White Fang soldiers, and if he stayed he could have prevented this, "No-No-N-No-No." He silently pleaded with himself.

"*sniffle* ...Gage!"

He crouched down in front of her, prepared himself for whatever bloody mess she was in… and he finally laid his eyes upon her to see…. That there was no blood. Or scratches, or anything really aside from a few bruises on her face and… small red marks that were scattered across any skin below her neck that was showing.

The ghost just saw her smile painfully at him as she put a hand against his chest, and signaled for him to stop… and he just gasped with relief as he wiped his eyes and cupped both of her cheeks with his hands in respite,

"W-Wait-Y-Y...You're okay?"

"*shaky exhale* ...Mmhm, so don't you start crying... heh…"

She was feeling good enough to tease her boyfriend like she always would, and it just made him chuckle shakily as Yang put her other hand around his metal wrist, and made him lower his hand from her face.

That was when he failed to contain himself from tearing up, since this added even more shock to the amount he still had inside of him from when he was forced to kill the wolf faunus from earlier, so he didn't hold himself back as he grasped his girlfriend's shoulders, and pressed her against the wall she was laying against, closed his eyes, and suddenly kissed Yang on the lips passionately!

She gasped quietly as he did it, and she just put her hand against the side of Gage's face as she kissed him back and felt all the stinging pain from the White Fang's plasma rifles slowly fade away for only a few seconds thanks to the feeling of her boyfriend's cold, but sweet lips.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake just watched tham and sighed, but all gave the couple a cute smile in the end, and soon their moment ended as Gage broke the kiss, sniffled, and hugged Yang tightly, using his left hand to put her head against the side of his neck.

But after their embrace ended and he only had one arm around her, Gage turned to Ruby and glared at her as he panted, scooped some snow up from the ground with his right hand, made a tiny snow ball with it, and threw it at her.

"That's for scaring me!" The ghost yelled at her.

She yelped as she felt the snowball hit the left side of her face, and it just made her angry because of how sudden and cold it was, "Gageee! Why are you throwing it at me?!"

"Because Yang's hurt and you look funny when you're mad!"

"Hehe, he's not wrong Ruby." Weiss giggled.

Blake just smiled and watched as her Team leader grumbled and also made a snowball before she threw it at Gage, and it hit the back of his shoulder. He didn't react to it though, so the feline faunus and Yang giggled too as he smiled with relief and turned to Weiss,

"*sigh* ...What happened to her?" He asked the icy haired heiress.

"Yang got pelted with those stun rounds, and her adrenaline gave out after her fight, so then all the pain came to her at the same time… right Yang?"

The ghost looked back at his lover, and the blonde exhaled with a smile as she looked up at him, and gently ran her hand up Gage's left arm to soothe him, despite the prosthetic being cold as fuck.

"Yeah… They were putting snow on the places i got shot when you got here…"

He replied with a chuckle, and scooped up some more snow before he rolled the right sleeve of her hunter outfit's cream jacket up, and gently pressed it against a red mark that went from her bicep to her forearm,

"And you get mad at me for getting hit only a couple times…"

"Yeah… sorry… i didn't know that they weren't lethal…"

"It's okay Yang…"

She closed one eye as she said that, because of the pain that the ice touching her stinging skin made… but once Gage saw that, he sighed again and just kissed her arm gently… since he knew that would make her blush.

He was still shaking a bit from the sight of her lying there… because in those few seconds it took for him to run to her, he thought about how what he would done… and how much he would have panicked if she did actually get hurt, as he was basically the only reason that she was here.

So… he turned to her again, and just began to repeatedly kiss her neck as he spoke to her softly, in an attempt to cheer her up, "Mmm… you're not moving a muscle when you wake up tomorrow morning… you're getting breakfast in bed from me again…" He said, a little bit too loudly.

"Awww…" Ruby cooed.

The realization that Yang's whole team was still watching them both, probably with smiles and googly eyes, soon rained over them, and now the couple both blushed… but then Yang remembered that Gage had ran off without her while she was fighting, and his disappearance worried her.

"O-Oh-uh… that reminds me… where did you go anyway Gage? I… I got scared when i saw that you were gone…"

The ghost's expression then changed from ruffled, to a more somber one as he looked back at Emile, who was smiling at them both up until that point….and Gage just watched as he turned away from him… since he knew that he had to handle this part for himself.

So, Gage moved back to look Yang in the eyes, and he…. Lied with his answer. Since he knew that she would be angered if he was to tell her the truth, and that was the last thing he ever wanted reveal.

"I uh… saw one of the guys you knocked out of there try to escape, so i went after him…. And….. he got away. I lost him in the forest, and Em found me out there."

She let out a tiny sigh as she looked glanced over at Emile with a gaze that expressed her thankfulness for getting her boyfriend back safe, and he just gave her a small nod in return, making her smile as she turned back to her lover,

"*sigh* ...I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah… same goes for you too-"

Then all of a sudden, Gage felt someone on the inside of the compound building entrance kick the side of his left foot hard, and he instantly looked up and to his left to see that… the person who hit him was Grisha.

His first initial reaction was to scowl at the older man and sigh heavily… but he decided not to once he saw the Collector's face. He didn't look like his usual pissed off and hardass self, instead he… looked like he just saw an actual ghost.

And…. he looked at the couple with a serious and flustered stare as he spoke to Gage in an almost robotic tone of voice ever. "Come with me. We found 'eir file storage and…. You really need to see this."

The ghost nodded, and was about to stand up until Yang stopped him, and pointed back at Grisha..…as she did not expect for him to turn towards her, and also say something to her...

"...Both of you."

...

Gage, with Yang leaning against his body as a way to keep her balance, and the rest of the group, including Emile and Grisha, made their way into the cellar that was underground, which was where the White Fang kept that facility's nerve center.

They walked down an old staircase as Grisha whispered their findings to Emile, and eventually found their way into the huge room.

There was a large computer system with multiple monitors surrounding one huge once as it was placed on the surface of the back wall, and there was a large desk under it, where three other allies were standing, and watching the screen.

Those three were Jed, Prinella, and… Jackson Wesson, who had his hood up as he was on his scroll, rather than actually looking at their findings. "Found 'em!" Grisha shouted.

The three other agents turned and saw RWBY and Gage, and they all smiled… though, Jackson's was more of a smirk that was aimed towards the ghost as he approached him. "Oh look, you actually showed up on time for once!" He joked.

Gage was having none of it although, as he felt Yang press her head against his body in a tired manner. So, he stopped, and stared daggers at the hunter before he growled his reply,

"Jackson, i just had a scare, and i am _NOT_ wanting to hear your shit right now… so just shut your mouth, and find a goddamn chair to sit in…" He hissed.

Jackson was taken aback by his reply, and just held his hands up as he gave Gage a nervous smile, "Whoa, okay Gage. Jeez... I don't remember pissing in your cereal this morning…"

The ghost ignored that one, and kept walking to where Emile and the rest of RWBY were standing in front of the screen.

Grisha was behind him, and quickly felt Jackson tap his shoulder as the couple slowly made their way to the front of the room "...Aren't you going to say something to him?" He asked the man in black.

"No? I only fuck with people when they're in a good mood. It's only fair."

Prinella then popped up from behind the two… and gave Grisha a quick peck on the cheek as he crossed his arms in annoyance, "Hehe, you can thank me for making him say yes to that bedside agreement…~"

"Hmph… you're just lucky that i have a heart Prin..."

Now, Gage and Yang stood in front of the screen next to the rest of the blonde brawlers' team, and…. They just saw three still imaged across the big screen.

It was a screenshot from a security camera that was set up in the far right corner of the room, and it was looking down at two different people.

And one of those people, were of course Adam Taurus, but…. He was looking down at someone who was shirtless, wearing dark brown pants with the bottom of the legs being torn to shreds, and he had scars all over his chest and back along with a mask made from medical tape that covered every inch of his face… except for his slightly misty left eye, and afew strands of his long, brown, and greasy hair that were poking through his bandage-mask.

The apparent prisoner, was chained to the wall with one hand while the other one, his right one, was missing two of his finger tips, probably the aftereffects of even more torture…

...But the weird thing was, that when Gage looked at the picture… at the mystery man in chains… he felt… familiar to him. To the point that he was drawn to him rather than the fact that he knew his mortal enemy was still alive.

Blake on the other hand, became unsettled at the sight of her old friend, especially because of the respirator that he was forced to wear, thanks to Gage… but when she looked at the prisoner… she became confused.

However, before she could ask her question, Grisha walked up to the rest of them and stood next to Gage as he put his hands in his pockets… looking like he was... sorry for him.

"Bad news is… we got nothing on your dad, and it turns out the Taurus kid is still alive too… but, that doesn't mean we didn't find something for you."

Yang watched as her lover's shoulders lowered, from his excitement turning into depression, and he just looked back up at the picture of the prisoner and asked.

"*sigh* ….Who's that guy then?"

The brit shrugged, and rubbed the back of his head once he and Jackson both looked at each other, since they looked through all the photos together, and including the dates they were taken.

"We dunno, but there's other pictures of him that date back more than a year ago strangely…"

And that was when Blake stepped forward,and looked at everyone else with as she looked at Adam in the photo, and her cat ears perked up… since he wasn't known to keep humans alive.

"Wait a second…" She started with a large amount of confusion. "The Fang aren't known for keeping prisoners alive that long… humans at least.'

Jed narrowed his eyes towards the screen, and just turned to everyone as he rested his rifle on his shoulder once again. "Welp… maybe he's an important one?" He suggested with an extended arm and a smile. "If so… then we'll find 'em right? Maybe he'll know things about _them_. Hehe."

Both Jackson and Emile smiled at the senior's enthusiasm, but Grisha still waved him off, as this wasn't what he wanted to show Gage and Yang.

"That's a fight for another day. And besides, it's not what I wanted to show the kid and his girl…"

The couple both looked at him with open and curious eyes, and Yang's sparkled with far more curiosity than her boyfriend's… as she didn't understand why the Collector would acknowledge her in such a serious way, since he never did before.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"...Something that'll get your uncle as stirred as much as you are…"

Then, he pulled a tiny remote out of his pocket, and pressed it's main button so the screen would slide to another image… that did not focus on the White Fang's mystery captive… and it made Yang cover her mouth in awe.

The screen now showed another screenshot from a security camera , but… this one appeared to be from the city. And the kicker? It looked to be from Hei Xiong's nightclub, aka Junior's, but… it wasn't for sure.

In the still image…. It showed a woman that everyone in that room never thought they would see, talking to a man at the main counter of her bar… and it was too blurry for the bartender to be identified as Junior, but it was most of the Collector's first guesses.

The mysterious woman wore a shallow cut black dress, with five necklaces with an assortment of beads around her neck, and a pair of matching red studded body armor and gauntlets. She also had black, thigh-length boots with a red splatter pattern.

But her most distinctive feature was a fearsome, full-face mask that resembled the face of a Creature of Grimm. Which had four eye slits, as well.

However, This woman, was in fact a Collector herself. Her name, was Raven Branwen. She was the sister to Qrow Branwen… and the paternal mother to Yang Xiao Long.

Gage and Yang both gasped, and the blonde was nearly in tears again, since it had been so long since she had a lead on her mother… and in a way, she had something new now because of her lover, and it filled her with joy that she actually went along with him for this.

"Holy shit…" Gage muttered under his breath. "...Is that?"

Grisha cut him off before he could finish his question, and just gave him a straight answer with a smirk to go along with it, though, Jackson and Emile were both smiling at the time too.

"Yup, it's Raven. After six months we finally have something on her. Well… you found something on her rather." He said, as he gave a small bow towards Yang.

She became flustered with so many emotions, and she soon felt Gage hug her tighter, along with… Blake, who came from behind.

Ruby and Weiss both smiled, and the blonde tried not to let her voice break as she took a step forward towards Prinella, who was now sitting near the computer's main console.

"...I...I need a copy of that!"

"Of course dear."

Yang limped towards her, and held her scroll out so she could take it and upload the picture file to her phone, but while she did that… Jackson and Emile both moved over to Gage, and Em just placed his hand on the ghost's shoulder.

"Sorry about your dad's stuff kid, but we still have The Archive to go after."

Gage gave him a little smile, and just watched as his girlfriend looked up at the screen like she was staring up at a starry night sky… and he imagined it too as he replied. "Yeah… still though, this was a good day for me too."

Jackson snickered, and just watched Yang as well… but with the same smile as Gage…. Because they were both happy for her. "Probably because she'll be all over you after this, since you probably dragged her along." He chuckled.

"I doubt it. I still have to have this talk with her afterwards that'll change her attitude… but, this means that if she can find something about her mother… then there's still a chance I can find out what happened to my dad… and who was the other culprit…"

Blake's ears picked up on his words… and her smile faded even more as she stood behind the three Collectors… since she was thinking the exact same thing as her partner's boyfriend.

That didn't change her overall attitude to the blonde's small victory though, and she continued to smile at Yang while Emile crossed his arms… and made an interesting suggestion.

"You know… she took that entire room of troopers out in a flash…. Maybe she should think about becoming an agent like us…"

Gage rubbed the back of his head, and looked over his girlfriend curiously. "...And i'm not ashamed to say that she can bench press a lot more weight than i can…" He said, with a tiny blush.

Jackson was the second to respond, as he knew she was well skilled when it came to close quarters combat, but he couldn't see her as becoming a Collector… not right now at least.

"Hold up Em, are you sure about this? She looks to be a spontaneous gal. With that kind of temper, she could be a handful."

Gage just gave the hunter a glance that said, 'really dude', and he just sighed as Em tried to interrupt before another fight would break out.

"We can see it can't we Jay? And unlike this one-" He then grinned and pointed at Gage's sage prosthetic arm with his thumb casually, "-She doesn't get as hurt as much. Surprisingly."

"...You've got me there."

Then like a flipped suddenly switched, Yang turned back and glared at Emile and Jackson before she walked over to Gage, and hugged him tightly as her scroll was in her hand.

"H-Hey! He's just doing his duty as my Care-Bear! ...Right Gage?"

"-H-Hugh! ...Y...Yes... Yang…" Gage groaned as she hugged him, and pressed his face against her chest.

She giggled, and just looked down at her boyfriend one last time before she let go of him… and stared down at her scroll happily. Both her hands were holding it, and soon Gage put his single flesh hand on top of hers as he smiled back at her… and she sniffled a bit.

"*sniffle* ...Hehe…"

And now that Gage could see her become filled with that one joyful emotion… he brought her close, and hugged her tightly again as she hid her head from everyone by burying it against Gage's neck, and she just sighed one last time with a more shaky voice.

The ghost looked around the room as he held his beloved in his arms while she tried to stay quiet, and it allowed for him to see that everyone was smiling or giving a small grin to the couple. And yes, everyone was doing it, Even Grisha.

He just looked back at Ruby, Weiss, and Blake before he turned back to Yang, and the feeling of her clutching his body so hard made him yearnful to cuddle with her, as nightfall was fastly approaching… but, he still had to tell her about his deceitful act…

..So, he gently brushed the back of the blonde's head, and whispered into her ear softly as she sniffled once again, "Hey Yang…. Do you wanna go home now?"

"...Yeah. *sniffle* ...Let's go home Gagey…"

…

 **Three Hours Later…**

…

It was now the dead of night, nine o'clock at night to be exact. Gage and Team RWBY had returned to Beacon Academy about two hours ago, and almost immediately, Gage and Yang went back to his dorm room to take their long shower together, relax and tend to each other's wounds gently.

Now, they were both sitting on the ghost's bed, and Yang sat ontop of it with her legs criss-crossed as she was wearing her yellow tank top and short shorts as Gage sat behind her, shirtless.

He used his prosthetic arm to lower the right strap of his girlfriend's tank top, and he had a rag that was dampened with cold ice water in his other one.

He placed it ontop of her right shoulder blade, and rubbed it gently against one of the red spots that were left by one of the plasma shots that came from a White Fang soldier,

"*pant* *pant* ….Ohhhh… mmm… right there…"

"Just stay still Yang… i got you…~"

She heard his tongue roll with his response, and she then sighed as she felt his lips press against the side of her neck, where there was also another red mark… or maybe it was an old hickey. Who knows.

Either way, she bit her lip and glanced back at him as she felt his bare chest being pressed against her back, and it was something she thoroughly enjoyed. "Heh… i think you're enjoying this too much." He teased her.

"Shush… it's just been a while since you've… kissed me there."

The blonde turned, and faced her lover as he put her tank top strap back up, and gently put his hand against her cheek with a grin. "I can continue… if you want."

She thought it was a gateway to get right into some more nightly lewd actions, and though she thought it would help her body relax… she couldn't help but feel a bit too tired from their little mission. So, she kissed Gage's lips once quickly, and stared into his eyes,

"*smooch* ...I'll think about it...~"

Yang smiled, and soon just turned her body and fell back onto the bed with her head resting upon her pillow as Gage did the same, but laid besides her with his eyes closed as he exhaled deeply, and she took out her scroll so she could look up at it.

They were both now lying on the bed, him on the left side and she on the right, and the couple both also let their feet hang off the edge while they started to ease up, with a relaxing sigh escaping from both of their lips...

Yang held her scroll out in front of her face so they could both look up at it, and the blonde touched the case of the device with only one of her fingers as she giggled again,

"Hehe, i guess that really was all worth it."

Gage looked at it too, and gave off a blank smile while he moved his right hand towards one of hers as she laid it down on the bed, and he made their fingers intertwine. "Yeah…. Hopefully it was…"

His voice sounded tired… and depressed from Yang's ears, and it caused her to put her hands down, and look to the left ,into his bloodshot eyes as he squeezed her hand.

She knew that he was still happy for her, and he truly was, but… she also knew her Care-Bear well enough to tell when he was upset… so, Yang did the only thing she could think of.

The blonde turned her body towards him, cuddled up next to him, and ran her right hand up his bare chest as she leaned closer, and kissed his cheek before she whispered a something into his eardrum, in an attempt to console her lover...

"Hey… Everything will be alright. Sooner or later, it will be…"

"*exhale* ...I know it will Yang. Don't worry about telling me that." He whispered back as he put his metal arm around her, and brought her closer.

She just casually ran her hand through his hair, and blinked with a smile as he felt the cold metal brush against her back before she continued to feel up Gage's upper chest, which had a heat pack pressed against his abdomen.

"So now what? Sleep…. Or maybe have a… private late night celebration?~"

Her lewd suggestion made him blush, and instantly sit back up as he looked to his left and hesitantly grabbed his black shirt. "U-Um, A-As much as I… would _really_ like that right now…. I have something that I need to tell you, something… that you're not going to like..." He said ominously as he put his shirt back on.

"Oh…"

"Y-Yeah…"

"...Wait… did something happen when you chased after that soldier in the forest? Is that it?"

She sat up too once his blush didn't last as long, and she sat on her knees behind him as he scooted over to the foot of the bed, and sat there. Looking away from her… as he knew that this was a good a time as any to tell her the truth about his and Ruby's mission from last night…

However, the way she started off made him freeze and tense up… and he looked back at her with wide eyes as he broke out into a cold sweat, but thankfully Yang couldn't see anything different,

"N-No- nothing about that! It's… *sigh* ...it's about last night. "

She began to squint at him now, and scooted closer so she could sit next to him, and she let her gaze up when she saw how… guilty he looked. But for what was the question.

"...Me and Ruby didn't actually go into the city for weapon supplies… instead, w...we… we went on a…. Recon mission together…."

Yang's eyes fluttered, and she leaned close towards Gage while her eyebrows raised, and she frowned too . "Y...You what?"

"...I got this message from Qrow about a mission, and Ruby saw it… and she… blackmailed me into taking her with so then she wouldn't tell you about the text..."

The blonde looked absolutely lost and dumbfounded by her lover's reveal, but soon her eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to growl at him, since she wanted to hear what else he had to say… even though it would only do more harm now.

And he knew this, how pathetic it was going to sound for an apology… but Gage had to tell her. Because he was in the wrong, and if they had been together for as long as they were… then they had to trust each other. It was only right.

"And after that night when i came back… and our little date from earlier today… i couldn't do it. You have the right to know about it more than anyone else so… i'm sorry Yang..."

She had her hands on her knees at the moment since she was sitting crissed-crossed still, and the grip on her own calves tightened as she decided not to hold back anymore, and looked over at Gage as her eyes turned red from the build up,

"R...Rrrgh, damn it Gage! Y...You-"

"I know-"

"NO!"

He flinched as she raised her voice, and Gage turned back to look at his girlfriend like she was about to leave a fiery red handprint across his cheek.

Yang's eyes narrowed with an unbelievable amount of frustration, and remembered that night he came back…. And how happy she was.

Seeing him there all wet, cold, and exhausted while there was a bouquet of roses and a card lying in his desk in wait for her. Was that why he got the roses? To ease her nerves so he could tell her today?

These questions kept on being asked over and over again in her head… and it made her feel devastated. For her Gage, her Care-Bear, to manipulate her like that. It was not like him… but she didn't know that it wasn't what he was trying to do before… so it made her only angrier,

"How could you? ...The card… and the roses… was that why you got them for me Gage?"

He saw her red eyes become sadden, and he immediately jumped to deny it, as it wasn't the truth, and he put one hand on her leg as he moved closer and shook his head, "What?-No!"

"I got you them because I felt bad for leaving you in a dorm by yourself when I could've been there with you! Especially after that guy broke in here…."

She just scooted back to her side of the bed, the right side, and sat behind Gage with her hands on her knees, and with her body leaning towards her lover, which made the ghost feel like a child that was being scolded by an adult.

"Then why didn't you stay, or take me with you?!"

"Because Qrow gave me a lead and he said I owed him one! And i really wanted to tell you but… you were already so scared and stressed in my eyes that i didn't want to make it worse for you…"

Yang huffed, and crossed her arms while she looked at Gage as he hung his head low, in defeat… as he realized that he _**was**_ acting like a child.

"Yeah well… you did a real good job of that…" Yang hissed.

In his mind, he could see a child version of himself… and a child version of Yang behind himself as he held a cardboard cut out of Javix, trying to defend his woman from the wrongs, the thrills, and the fights that she loved ever so dearly.

He knew that she was the last person on Team RWBY that needed a knight in shining armor… and he had both lines of defense when he should be the one holding the shield, and she the blade.

They needed to defend each other. Not one protecting the other, that was what lead to this conflict of theirs, their overconfidence in their abilities. It was the star couple's one flaw… and it convinced Gage that he deserved to be ridiculed by the one person he loved the most in this world..

"I know what I did Yang… I shouldn't have done it, but I still came out alive! Sure i… may have been pushed into the ocean, b-but it was right off a pier and the water was shallow, and I survived! That's gotta count for something…"

He went off into his defensive rant once he stood up, and just stood in front of his lover as she sat on the bed, and made her back up a bit onto their pillows as he looked back at her.

She still had her red eyes giving him a menacing yet graceful glare… but she didn't look as serious as her words were sounding, as the blonde was more mad that she had to say such things and act like this to get her point across.

"*sigh* ...Gage, you don't get it!" She sighed as she looked down, and hugged her own knees. "...During that picnic earlier, you said that you'd never go on a mission without me. You _made_ that promise to me, and it was already broken! So how am i going to take everything you say seriously?"

"Yang, i would _NEVER_ say something bold to you if it wasn't serious. I only lied to keep your dreams and sleep schedule from getting any worse… " Gage replied, almost growling his answer at the top of his lungs as was making stern hand gestures to match his attitude. "And now my question to you… is do you think those things would have changed if you did know?"

Yang made sure to not look up at Gage…. Because she didn't know how to answer that question without telling him that she probably would have become a bit more paranoid of her surroundings than she already was.

So, all she did after that was grab Gage's blanket, and lift it up so she could gently slide under it before turning, and laying on her side, looking away from him.

She knew she could just storm out of the room in her tank top and short shorts and head up to her Team's dorm… but she didn't want to. Not because she was sorry, but because she thought she could make her lover feel even worse… sort of.

The blonde thought that if she stayed and just gave him the silent treatment… then he wouldn't be able to rehearse and plan out an apology to himself with her in the room, and he'd have to wait the entire time until tomorrow to even speak with her.

"...Yang…." Gage sighed with desperation.

"...Just leave me alone!" She replied with a shaky whisper. "Stop… please… I just... need to think without you trying to pull me back into your arms.. _."_

Gage felt like she just gave his heart a sucker punch, and it was hard enough to silence his slight anger, and fill him with sorrow as he sat down next to her legs… and put a hand on her hip weakly. "...Taiyo-chan…"

But Yang didn't even give him that, as she reached back with her left arm, gabbed his wrist, and raised his appendage off of the side of her body as she gave his heart another imaginary blow, before she forced herself to close her eyes.

"...Goodnight, _Gaigus_ …"

She let go of his hand, and Gage kept his mouth closed while he clenched his teeth, and pulled his hand away and felt his body sink into the mattress, with the feeling of his heart now stinging with more pain than the injuries he was given that day.

The ghost stared at his lover, and soon stood up again. He knew that she was already unbelievably stressed, and now it was made almost ten times worse because of his reckless actions… so he mentally called himself an idiot for doing this, and he began to walk around to his side of the bed, feeling defeated and miserable.

He was hoping she'd feel better about it in the morning… but he knew deep down she'd be a ticking time bomb either way, and he just wanted to forget about today… so, he turned towards the light switch, and waved his metal fingers towards it and turned it off.

Then, Gage felt his scroll vibrate and it made him sigh as he wiped his eyes, and took out a pair of earbuds as he climbed into his bed and raised the covers a bit, making sure that there was a gap between his and his lover's body.

He stared down at his scroll, plugged in his earbuds, and selected a playlist by one of his more favorite bands named _Imagine Dragons_ , and it began with their song, _Release._

The ghost put the left earbud in, and looked at his notifications to see that he had also received a message from Ruby, which asked, "Did u talk 2 Yang about the thing? What happened?!"

Gage grinned a bit once she saw it, and he was quick to reply as he finally laid his head down onto his pillow, and pulled the blanket up to his chest. "Well, she got loud, scolded me, and now she's lying next 2 me in bed and is giving me the silent treatment. So… idk."

"Awe. You oki?"

He rubbed his eyes, and turned towards his lover as he closed his eyes, and let his eyes adjust to the artificial light of his scroll. "I'm fine… i just need 2 start fixing myself. I gotta see that i don't have 2 b responsible for her 24/7…"

He was quickly sent a picture from his lover's little sister, and it was a selfie of herself making a weird face, as she was squinting at the camera just as another text was attached to it.

"Okay, but just for the record…. I think ur doin fine Gage. Yang's just afraid of losing anyone else… especially u. She'll see… so, just don't get hurt, and get her trust back!"

She sent another picture of her sticking her tongue out and giving a thumbs up, and he tried not to laugh… but he was still happy that she was willing to give him some advice on what to do… and he thought he had enough insight to be ready for tomorrow… as he was feeling tired.

"I'll try my best Rubles. Now, my body's killing me, so i think ima sleep now. Hopefully things will be better in the morning."

"Hehe, okay. Good luck Gage! And i hope u both feel better! Gnight 3."

He smiled at her heart emoji, and for some reason waved at his scroll's camera before he said goodnight, and put his other earbud in. "Night Ruby."

Then, he turned off his scroll, turned the volume of his song down, and turned to Yang for a few seconds with eyes filled with regret as he sighed, leaned closer to the back of her head, and kissed the back of her neck gently before he scooted back over to his side of the bed,

"*smooch* ...You know i'll always love you. Even through things worse than this… i promise that my heart will always belong to you. That's the one promise i know will last…but, anyway... Goodnight Yang…. I hope you sleep well."

After that, Gage turned away from his lover… and finally closed his eyes. But… Yang's opened once she heard his voice… and the only thing she chose to do, was to hug the blanket that was wrapped around her body… and sniffle as she closed her eyes again, and began to drift off without him into the night…

…

…

…

After about a good two hours into his slumber, Gage awoke from his sleeping feeling… like he was out of it. Mostly because it was around midnight at the moment, but he still felt… weird

He felt if it was almost like he was both lying in water… and if all his nerves just shut off or something, and he fidgeted a bit before he stood up, and cursed to himself.

"W...What the hell…"

Gage grumbled that, and stretched his legs a bit before he looked over at where Yang was… and she wasn't lying next to him.

The sight made him sigh again, and he just assumed that she went up to her dorm after he fell asleep.

He looked to the left, over to his bathroom, and saw that the light was off in there too.. so he got up from his bed, since he was feeling weird, and he thought that washing his face would help his body settle.

His body felt contorted and in pain after he got up, so he just groaned and sighed a bit as he entered the bathroom, and turned the lights on.

The first thing he did when he entered was turn on the sink, and put his metal hand against the counter to keep his balance as he looked down at the water, and ran his palms under it so he could bring them back, splash the hot water against his face, and look back up at his reflection in the mirror.

Gage looked at himself, and saw that the bruises on his face were starting to fade, the one from Roman's fight at least, and the dark ring around one of his eyes that he received from Neptune remained. But it still made him shake his head in pity… for himself…

"*sigh* ...Look at you… you're losing it. And now… i think you're starting to lose her… and yourself..."

He glanced down at his hand as he said this, and was surprised to find a little dried blood and dirt on, which made him try and not think about the fight he had with that faunus teen… but… then, something else made him forget about it completely,

"...Oh… are we now?~"

The ghost was not expecting to hear a voice, especially one of a familiar woman, that was not Yang's at all, and the voice made him jump as he looked up into the mirror… and nearly screamed in horror.

In the mirror, was the infamous ghost he has been seeing throughout the last two months…. And it was of course Ruby and Yang's dead mother/stepmother, Summer Rose.

She was standing… exactly where he was, but his body didn't show up in the mirror, it was as if her own figure was his real reflection, and the weird thing about it was that she was smiling too.

The first thing Gage did was take a step back and nearly fall back into his tub as he stepped onto the floor mat that was behind him as he began to mumble to himself.

"N-No. No, no, no… you're not real."

"Well that's a harsh thing to say, especially after what I did for you the last time we spoke."

He just remained there speechless, and took a quick glance around the room, questioning if this was reality, or another one of his morbid dreams.

The ghost was simply expecting for her face to contort into some of nightmares, and for her to crawl through the mirror so she could pounce on him with some bloody claws that would form from her hands, but luckily it didn't happen… yet at least.

Summer stood there, with the hood of her white cloak blocking out her reddish black hair and… red eyes, as she tilted her head to the side, and smiled innocently as she let out a tiny laugh,

"Hehe… well, you've seen me around a lot recently Gage, so you should have seen this coming."

"I… I thought i was just going crazy… PTSD…. or something else in my head…"

That response made her laugh even more… but a bit more louder, as the room began to even become darker to Gage's fearful, turquoise eyes.

Her laugh eventually became a little hysterical, even for her, and it just made him begin to pant a bit in fear of what she would do to him…

"Hahaha! That may be there, but i'm not apart of it. I'm… just apart of _you_ now."

Gage's hand began to shake once she said that…. And once she did, her body and figure suddenly shape shifted with a quick white flash, and she… turned into a mirrored version of himself.

His mirrored image resembled himself exactly as he was… and the image spoke with Summer's voice instead of his… thankfully. "You cheated death because of me, and you were scathed with just my mark… but now, there will have to be a new… _you_."

The ghost, and… the phantom looked at each other through the mirror, and her fake persona followed Gage's every movement, mimic him as he put his hand up, and waved it up at the mirror as it shook violently.

"Our meeting that night was meant for something else…. And you said it yourself, you want to change the world… _for them_. You can't do that by yourself… and that'll be where i come in.… so after what you did in that forest today…. You'll be yourself…. And so will i."

His doppelganger's words angered him, and it made him strike his palm against the glass of the mirror, making his evil reflection crack as he yelled back at the thing, "What the hell is that suppose to mean?!"

"You'll be the two of us together, we'll share one mind not because i want to… but because soon, _you will need to._ If you want the world you seek to become whole at least, and it'll be ours."

"Don't be vague!" He growled, angry from how Summer decided to act now out of all the days she could have. "Answer me!"

"I can't Gage, i've already wasted too much energy trying to get here…. But i know you'll need my help soon… very soon or… maybe even after you wake up… hehe."

She gave another giggle, which sounded weird coming from his own reflection, but soon the reflection just winked at the real Gage… and he became enraged.

He clenched his teeth, made his prosthetic hand turn into a fist, let his own red eyes show as he let a tear fall in fear from what she meant, and he shouted as he raised his prosthetic, and caused the glass to break and shatter as he smashed his metal fist against it.

But… something happened that he didn't expect. The glass did shatter, with the image of Summer's replication of him still on the broken glass… but it didn't matter, as there was yet another Gage on the other side of the mirror, behind the glass, and he was staring black at the real Gage with the same bloody red eyes.

He looked… different though. This Gage was wearing the same exact thing he was at the time, a black shirt and his light brown jeans, but… his shirt was ripped and the ends were tattered and stain with blood.

His metallic arm had some of the sage paint scratched off of it, while his other arm had a massive gash or… bite mark that had blood gushing out of it… but that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part of the ghost's doppleganger, was it's face. It's facial hair was scruffy and almost had a beard at this point that wasn't kept at all… and he had a blood trail going down from his lip… and there were two more coming from both of his eye sockets.

The evil Gage looked back at the real one, and just smirked with a small chuckle as he smiled, turned, and began to walk back into the dark mist that was surrounding him, and all the real Gage could do was stick his hand through the broken glass, and reach out to him as he screamed,

"No, no! ...Don't go! Don't you fucking go!"

Then, finally, as he snarled and spat at his war-torn and bloody self, the darkness and mist began to surround the real Gage, and it just consumed and blocked out his vision until all the ghost could see was the color red again…

"...GET BACK HERE!"

…

…

…

 _~Remember all the sadness and frustration… and let it go… let. It. Go.~_

Gage woke up from his nightmare in a cold sweat, and with a wet metallic taste in his mouth as he quickly raised his head up from his pillow while his eyes were widened, and gasped loudly.

"*gasp!*"

He leaned up from his bed while his earbuds were still in, and soon ripped them out as he began to pant silently, and scanned his dark room out of fear of seeing Summer again…

...But there was nothing. The only other person in there was Yang, who was now laying next to him on the bed, still facing away from him. All she did was grumble in her sleep, and she continued to face away from her lover.

Gage on the other hand felt his own heart as it was pounding on the inside, and tried to calm himself down as he felt… his nose begin to bleed.

He tasted it already, and just wiped some from his nostril as he laid back, let out a deep breath,and mumbled nasally to himself as he began to sniffle, "Egh…. Damn it…" He said.

The ghost gulped down some of the blood, and leaned his head back onto his pillow, since he didn't care and honestly thought it was a better way to deal with it.

"...Why today…"

He blinked once with another breath,and glanced at Yang as she fidgeted in her sleep again and let out a silent, and tired moan as she unknowingly scooted closer to him. "Mmm…"

Gage just watched her, and felt his chest rise and fall until he felt the coldness of the room… and closed his eyes as he rubbed his temple with the palm of his metal hand, and sighed yet again.

"*sigh*"

He went on to keep his eyes closed for a few minutes so he could try and forget as he felt the warmth of his girlfriend's body again…. until he felt his eyes… begin to itch, and he just rubbed them, but then they started to burn.

Gage growled at himself, sniffled and turned onto his side again… but it only got worse. "Rrrgh… come on!" He silently yelled at himself.

However… as he went to sit up again…. He felt a liquid…. Begin to slowly seep out of his eye socket as he opened his eyes again, and he thought it was a tear a first from the shock… but then he noticed that the substance didn't flow as quick… and it was a way too sticky and thick to be water.

Then as he noticed this, he instantly woke up, wiped his eye socket…. And held his hand out while the other eye began to leak the same thing.

"W...W-W….What the fuck?!"

The ghost stared down at his normal hand…. And could clearly see a streak of… blood smeared against his fingers, and he stood up with a loud inhale before he looked over to the his bathroom, and ran to it, not caring about his noise level.

But as he ran to the bathroom, he felt the liquids from both his eyes and nostrils began to lightly stream down his face, so bad that the bottom of his eye became stained with blood, and he could see it there, and it blocked out his vision a bit!

He kept mumbling the word, 'No!' to himself as he threw the bathroom door open and turned on the lights, hyperventilating as he tried to wipe his face and saw that the only thing left on the hand he used before was a giant red blood stain!

This all happened as Yang leaned up from her side of the bed and sent a glare towards her lover as he made all that noise, not knowing what was going on, and she just rubbed her own eye as she lowered the blanket from her upper chest.

Gage finally got inside of the bathroom, and was scared to look at his reflection again, but he soon forced himself to look into the mirror again… and the sight he saw was absolutely terrifying.

There was indeed blood pouring down from his eyes, and his nose, and it was smeared as it was now going down through his stubble/scruff and to his chin.

He instantly pinched himself with his metal arm to see if it was a dream… and nothing happened, so he collectively slapped himself, and even used his prosthetic to punch the wound on his abs, but even that didn't do anything, as he only felt more pain.

"Aaaagh! Fuck!"

It wasn't a dream… and that realization made him whimper as he reached for a roll of toilet paper that was sitting on top of the toilet that was next to the sink, and covered his right eye and tried to dry it as he did the only other thing he could…

"*huff* *huff* ...Yang!" He shouted.

The blonde groaned, and just leaned up from her bed, looking annoyed as she looked over into the bathroom tiredly, and sighed, "*sigh*… what?"

"GET IN HERE NOW!"

His booming voice frightened her… because she thought that maybe he was just drunk or something… but then she looked over to his side of bed to see if he had a bottle over there… but the only thing she could see was fresh blood that had just been spilt onto his pillow!

So, she instantly threw the blanket away, and ran over to the bathroom as he kept panting and gripped the bathroom counter heavily with his metal arm.

Soon Yang rushed into the bathroom and looked at Gage, and looked down at the floor to see even more blood spots there too. "G… G-Gage?!"

He clenched his hand and cracked the marble counter, lowered his bloody wad of toilet paper from his eye… and slowly turned to his lover with his bloody face… and bright red eyes, leaving yet another permanent scar in her mind for her to try and forget.

"W… What's happening to me?!" He whimpered.

Her mouth opened wide before she took a step back, and covered her mouth as she let out a blood curdling scream that could have broken glass!

"O-OH MY GOD!"

Her eyes began to produce tears from the shock and awe, and after pausing for a few seconds, the blonde ran, gabbed for the toilet paper roll that was behind him on the toilet, and pulled a crap ton of it off of the roll so she could begin to furiously wipe the blood off of his face.

Now they were both hyperventilating, with Yang's being a lot more frantic, as she could see his red eyes this time! They weren't the color of blue she loved dearly, and she knew it wasn't because of her grogginess. They were red, LIKE HERS COULD BE, and she knew it!

She wiped his eyes and Gage growled in pain as he covered his nose, and that was when she noticed that his skin was looking a lot more pale and was even colder, and that was enough for her to see this as an emergency.

So, Yang wrapped a double layered line of toilet paper around his eyes, and tied it to him before she grabbed onto his arm, and tried to pull him out into the room with her, "*gasp* I...I'm getting you to the nurse, right now!" She sniffled.

"B-But i can't see!"

Gage took a few steps with her, and he tried to put his metal arm around her neck so he could follow her better, and she was making sure that he could walk straight as she now tried to drag him over to the front door.

"*gasp*...I...I'll carry you across campus if i have to! *gasp* ...Just don't worry, i'm going to make sure you're okay!"

The automated security A.I. for their dorm, which Gage named Virgil, heard their mentioning of the nurse, and he turned on and blared out in his robotic voice, " _Nurse requested! Now notifying Nurse Shayna!"_

Then, the door to their dorm opened automatically, and Gage was now hugging Yang as they both stumbled out of the door, and Yang began to gasp even more as she smiled, and nodded at the camera that was attached to the outside of their dorm.

"*gasp* ...Gage… *gasp* ...What did you just do?!"

"*sniffle* ….I don't know!"

…

After stumbling around the school for a good twenty minutes, the couple made their way to the infirmary, and got the Nurse to look at the ghost just as the bleeding from his eyes stopped, and he was on the verge of passing out.

They were sitting inside the Nurse's office with him on a infirmary bed, and with Shayna hovering over him with a small flashlight being shined into his red eyes while Yang sat next to him in a chair, using a tissue to dry her tears.

Gage grunted and winced every minute as his eyes were still itching, and more blood occasionally seeped out of his eyelid and down his cheek, but thankfully Yang had already clogged his nostrils with two tissues, so that wasn't a problem anymore, but this whole experience was so bad that she was starting to shake once they got him into the hospital bed.

She knew it was there, but there was a small patch of dried blood on her shoulder that she chose to ignore solely so she could try and think about her lover's condition at the moment, and how this could have happened,

"Yup, I've never ever seen anything like this before." The nurse stated.

She wiped Gage's eye again with a wet rag, and just watched as his pupils returned to its turquoise color, and his gasps became even more quieter, though it could be from the blood loss.

"*G-G…. *sniffle* ...Gagey, stay awake for me okay?" Yang asked as she scooted closer to him, and ran her hand through his hair again.

"I...I am…"

Then the nurse finally turned off the light, and took an eyedropper out before she quickly dabbed two drops onto each of the ghost's eyes, and sighed as she moved away from him.

Gage flinched from the sudden coldness, and he wiped his eyes again, as his eyelids remained bloodstained and eventually started to get tears out of them instead of the vital red substance.

"*huff* *huff* ...What the fuck…."

Shayna just rubbed his arm, and smiled as she watched Yang take her place in hovering over him with her tissue still in hand, "*gasp* ...Is it over?" She asked both him and the nurse.

"I hope…." Gage answered as he put his hand on her hip blindly. "*huff* ...Heh… I was expecting more out of that…" He said, trying to ease her with his sense of humor.

His lover just glared at him for trying to make the situation less serious than it was, but the nurse was the one to laugh instead of her this time, "Haha, well, you're lucky I started taking night shifts, since I seem to be the only nurse here that's delt with you before Mr. Sim." She chuckled as she patted his shoulder.

"*sniffle* ...And why's that?"

Gage asked this as he rubbed the bottom of his eye, and leaned up from the bed, but Yang kind of jumped back, and put a hand on his chest to signal for him to slow down his movements. "Don't rush it Gage!"

"Sorry-"

"Because, I think I may have an easy answer for why this happened." Shayna finished, as she looked towards the couple, sat down in a chair, and took out a file from when Gage was in the infirmary last time back in late august.

Yang let out a shaky sigh and just went on to clean her lover's eyes a face with a rag a little harshly, and she allowed for him to ask the obvious question, "What the hell could cause _**that**_ _?_ "

The young nurse brushed some of her blackish purple long hair out of her face, and took off the bloody gloves she was wearing before she disposed of them, and moved over to the right side of his bed, as she placed a hand on his forehead.

"Well, it could have been because of your semblance defect after you phase through an object, or let something phase through you… but you don't seem as nauseous as last time..."

"*sniffle* ...So?" Yang asked her impatiently.

Shayna rolled her eyes at the blonde, and turned Gage's face to look at hers, and she finally asked him one last important question… to her at least. "Mr. Sim, did your birthday recently pass?"

"...Uh… about two months ago… Why?"

"Hmm… then this could be a sign of your semblance being able to evolve along with your body, and your defect would normally cause your body to bleed… but this time it was when you had no other open wounds… so then maybe it had to find somewhere else to let the blood flow."

The couple both stared at the doctor with a poker face, and Gage squinted at her, since that didn't even make sense physiologically, or anatomically… at least he didn't think it did.

Then, the nurse looked down at his prosthetic, and tapped his metal wrist lightly, just as Yang moved her right hand down and grasped his metal fingers in anticipation,

"Or, maybe your semblance is trying to adapt to this thing… since it's trying to make your nerves recognize it as an actual limb." She added with a tiny smile.

Gage's prosthetic hand wrapped around Yang's hand as he let out a tiny sigh of relief along with her, and smiled back at the doctor as it seemed the rest of the color return to his face, and his girlfriend finally calmed herself too.

"So… that's it? I just have some more growing to do?"

"It's just a theory, and it makes some sense to me… but it can't explain that lucid dream you told me about."

Gage had tried to tell her and his lover what he was experiencing beforehand when they were plugging his nose, and he luckily managed to explain the whole thing without mentioning Summer… only the Evil reflection, and the darkness…

Yang still had her own questions about the red eyes but…if it was true that her boyfriend's semblance was evolving, then maybe that was the reason why…. Though, she still had her doubts.

"...Do you think this could happen again Nurse?" She asked her.

"Maybe. Though, I'd rather it not happen again. I hate having to see you two here…"

Shayna said this in a voice that depicted both sorrow, and a nurturing feeling towards the couple, since the last time they were here, Yang basically forced him into a make out session after she saw him wake up after he crash landed back at Beacon when he was returning from his mission.

That day was special to her, since it was the first time she's seen any sort of special bond between two students in her early career, so she saw it as a memory to keep.

"Well… *exhale* ...Thanks for being concerned Ma'am." Gage thanked her with a small wave before he lowered it, and looked at Yang. "So… now what. I don't know if i should sleep… or not…"

"I'm staying here for the next six hours, so i'd try to get some shut eye, and if something happens, i'll be right here."

Yang sniffled again, and blushed as she held onto Gage's arm and began to pull him off of the infirmary bed, rather… desperately.

He was thinking she was beginning to lose control of her built up emotions, and he was obligated to move with her so she wouldn't explode in tears in front of someone else, or…. The opposite.

"W...We'll just go back to the dorm. *shaky gasp* ...Gotta go clean up remember?"

"...Oh… yeah, forgot about that."

He stepped off of the bed, and made sure his arm was wrapped around his lover both for his own balance, and to try and comfort the brawler so her eyes could become dry once again. "Yang i can stay here if you want me to…"

"N-No! ...It's fine, i… i can handle it again if i need to. *sniffle* ...Let's just go to bed Gage, okay?"

"Okay… whatever you say Taiyo-Chan."

Gage followed her over to the door, and stood next to her with his right arm still wrapped around the back of her neck as she blushed and gave her boyfriend a nimble peck on the cheek, a part of it that wasn't blood stained, before she opened the door to the hallway, and waved goodbye to Nurse Shayna,

"Bye, and thanks for… you know. Helping him..."

"Not a problem hon'. O-Oh, and make sure that the next time we meet, it'll be about something less violent! Maybe you could ask me for another pregnancy test?~"

Her 'goodbye' made Gage's eye grow as big as they could, and Yang just growled in embarrassment as she helped him out into the hall, and shut the infirmary door with a loud bang, and a bright blush upon her now red cheeks…

And he tried to see what that was all about… but she just huffed, and it caused him to shut his mouth and follow her as her bare feet began to quietly step back towards the dorm building...

"G-Grrr….."

…

 **Later…**

…

" _Access Granted!"_

Virgil chirped as the couple entered their room again, and the lights automatically turned on, revealing small spots of blood that went from the bed, to the bathroom, and to the door… and there probably was a few splotches across campus too.

Yang chose to ignore it, and immediately sat back down on the bed silently, and since Gage didn't to trigger another panic attack, he just kissed her forehead and began to get to work on cleaning the dorm again.

He cleaned with a frown and a blank stare as he heard his girlfriend try to keep herself from letting it all out, and he didn't even speak to her for a good twenty minutes until he was sure the bathroom was clean, his mouth and throat wasn't dry, and his arm was looking clean too.

Then, once he covered the blood stains near the bed and decided how he'd get the stains out via google in the morning, he flipped his pillow over to the clean side, cleared his throat, nostrils, and tear ducts from any blood, and finally got on his knees in front of Yang.

He had a baby wipe in his metal hand, and looked up at her. She was taking in heavy breaths, her eyes were watering, and she looked… scared.

"Hey." Gage whispered.

Yang looked down into his normal turquoise eyes… and let a tear fall as she saw them, glad that they were back to normal again. "M….*gasp* ...Mmhm?"

He then gave her a tiny smile, and used the baby wipe in his hand to wipe off the stained blood on her shoulder before he rubbed her skin there, and gave her a kiss on the cheek in return for the one she gave him not that long ago.

"*smooch* ...It's okay Yang. It's over now."

His blonde lover gave him a small nod, so he just stood up, sat down next to her, and pulled Yang into a tight hug, which she gladly accepted as she hugged him back with a massive amount of strength, and buried her head against the side of his neck.

She silently cried as she saw the faded blood on his chin and neck, and soon her tears began to fall and travel down his neckline as she began to sob… for him.

"Damn it… *gasp* ...W...Why do the bad things… *gasp* ...only happen to you?!"

Gage sighed, and just made sure that Yang's legs were situated in a way so she was sitting bridal style in his lap again, like she always wanted to be held if she was scared by something, and he brushed the back of her head gently...

"So then they _won't_ happen to you." He answered her.

The blonde brawler felt her body become soothed by his actions, and she felt her ears ring a bit as she focused all of her strength on hugging her boyfriend as he held her… as she honestly felt that he was… fine after a day like this.

"But… *gasp* ...all that in one day?! You getting shot with plasma, getting torn apart by my bitchy attitude and mean words, being let down by your contacts, and now this?! *gasp*...HOW DO YOU DO IT?!"

The ghost could understand her curiosity, as he was beginning to question it himself as he was cleaning, and he continued to hold his lover so it felt like he'd never want to let go…

"...I don't know." He whispered with total composure and calmness. "So much has happened to me that I'm just… attached to you so dearly. I mean... don't you get it Yang..."

"... **I care more about** _ **You**_ **than I care about** _ **Myself**_ **."**

He stated this with the utmost amount of courage that he could find, and he just hugged her tighter as she raised her head back up and stared at him like he had just proposed… _again._

"You're all I've got in this world, so I have to make sure nothing happens to you until the day I die…"

However, the mention kg death made her jump out of his grasp, and she squeezed his shoulders tightly as she continued to gasp and sniffle .

"B...But that's, *gasp* ...What I'm afraid of! You getting yourself killed because of some stupid mistake again… but it'll be because of me this time!"

Yang couldn't even imagine what she'd do to herself if she was the reason for her lover's demise. It'd be the death of him…. And herself too… all because of her own two hands.

She didn't want it to happen though, and the thought of such serious things made her stomach feel like a knot was tied inside of it and that nothing could make it better… and Gage saw it so… he just tried to do what he could to help her think about the light instead of the dark again,

"It won't Yang. I'm not going to die again, because you're still here with me. And if I'm to leave or be taken from you… then I know that you'll find me in the end, and I'll do the same for you. We'll find each other through space… and time… no matter what, because I know you'll find me again like that day you find me out in the forest… it was fate. Our fate, to find each other there and fall in love… so even if something happens to us… then our history is destined to repeat itself."

Her body became tense, and she closed her eyes, stunned at his word choice, and how crazy it sounded. But, Gage looked down as he held her, and soon scooched back a bit so he could lay her down on the left side of their bed, and so her head would lie on top of her pillow gently.

"But I still need to hear you say that… so I know that you'll believe it too…"

Yang opened her eyes as she felt his hands move away from her calves and lower back, and she tried to smile at him while she was trying to figure out what those words are that he was talking about… so, she just made a wild guess though her now quiet gasps and sniffles…

"*sniffle* ...I'll find you?"

He chuckled at her attempt, and layed down next to her so he could stare into her huge beautiful and watery lilac eyes once again, "Yeah… but with a little more… enthusiasm!" He replied jokingly.

"Hehe… *sniffle* ...Okay… Gage. I'll Find You. No matter what, or where, or how… or when. I'll do it as you do the same. I'll be wherever you are in spirit… for the rest of my life. I-I… I promise."

Her vow brought a smile to his face that was kept short, as Gage scooted closer to her… leaned in… and kissed her on the lips once without her approval… yet, she still welcomed his act with open arms.

Yang's arms coiled around Gage's neck, and she only tightened their embrace further by pulling him in closer, and moaned a bit before she broke the kiss, and gently pressed her head against his chest for some more comfort.

"...It's like our song Yang, remember? Because as long as I'm with you… then Everything Will Be Alright?"

"Yeah… *sniffle*…I remember Gage..."

Now they were one again. Back in each other's loving arms as she was depending on him to fix the broken feeling in her heart, and for her to warm his so it could continue to beat ever so passionately

And despite the hardships and bumps in the road they went over today… deep down they both knew that even that wasn't enough to pry them apart. Nothing would be...

" Yang, I'm sorry about… _everything_ I've done that's made you distressed… i… I just-"

Gage tried to apologize for his deceitfulness actions as he tried not to look at his lover, but Yang… put a hand on his cheek, and made him look back into her eyes as she smiled,

"No. Gage…. I understand why you did it, I just let my over protectiveness and stress get the better of me… so… you're forgiven."

"...Really?" He asked her, looking a bit shocked.

"J...Just don't do it again, or I'll have to actually leave the dorm. Hehe…"

They both chuckled, and he continued to brush her hair with metal hand until felt her airs begin to shine and warm him again, which radiated even more as he grabbed onto their blanket, pulled it over them both, and she made sure to make him move over so he could rest his head onto his pillow again.

"Now… let's get some shut eye Care-Bear… and you're going to need it, since you're suppose to be giving me breakfast in bed again tomorrow morning.~"

Gage chuckled, and laid his head and body back onto his side of the bed, but Yang just continued to lay her head on top of his chest again. "Oh yeah, Hehe... I'll be right on that Taiyo-Chan…"

"Good… now close your eyes. I'll just keep watching you until I can't anymore…"

He knew she was just making sure the bleeding wouldn't start up again, so he gave her a quick nod before he closed his eyes, put his metal arm around her one more time, and started to drift off again.

"Okay… Goodnight Yang… I love you…"

"Goodnight Gage… i love you too… a-and… thank you.. *sniffle* ...For all the pain you've had to go through for me…"

…

 **Back at Bolin Peak…**

…

The winter night was dark and violent, as the winds and snow flowed through the night sky relentlessly as the Collectors were trying to maintain and… repurpose the outpost they took earlier that day.

Most of the forces went home or took the White Fang soldiers they captured to be questioned, and dropped off to the Vale police force back within the walls of the city, but a fifth wave was sent to secure the area and…. Tidy up a bit.

Two men were personally sent by Emile out into the forest behind the outpost… to retrieve the body of the white fang soldier that Gage had killed back during their assault, and now… they were loading his frosted body onto a stretcher, while an oil lamp laid near them on the snowy ground, and was set right next to the frozen blood that stained the snow below their feet…

"Poor kid…"

"It's not his fault George, he didn't know any better… damn Taurus kid is just making this worse…"

"Well, i hope we get him soon…"

"Yeah, me too."

The two medics conversed with each they put the body on the stretcher, and began to carry the dead soldier back towards their staging area inside of the destroyed outpost… and thankfully, the left right before someone else had to make themselves known…

However, they left the soldier's black helmet to freeze out there, as they didn't think it held anything important… and luckily, someone else managed to find it.

Then, a hand with a black glove that was attached to a red studded gauntlet grabbed onto the side of the helmet, and picked it up off of the floor, as a woman's sigh could be heard as the two medics started off back into the forest.

She raised it up so she could inspect it with her own eyes... But the custom grimm mask she wore made it hard for her during that night, so… she used her other hand to take hers off, and revealed her face to the world.

The woman had black long hair, red eyes, and a very similar face and physique to Yang Xiao Long…. Her daughter. This woman, was in fact Qrow's sister, Raven Branwen.

"*sigh* ...Finally, something i can analyze…"

Raven attached her grimm mask to her belt, and tapped the side of the helm so it's external port could be opened, and she pulled a small S.D. card from it with a huge smile.

She knew with her past experiences with the wolves that they had to have a map internally inserted into the H.U.D. of their helmet, since they were of course the White Fang's special forces.

So… this small card in her hand could possibly contain every single location they had under their control, and it pleased her… because she's been looking for someone as well.

Raven laughed a bit as she stared at the card for a few seconds, took out her own black scroll, and… opened it's lock screen so she could stare at the exact same image of the prisoner that both Gage and Yang saw earlier that day, and she internally rejoiced.

"...You poor thing." She whispered.

She had been assigned to find this man by her brother a long time ago, despite other important things, but this prisoner was a vital asset to their cause, so much so that they believed that he, and maybe some _other_ new additions, could possibly end this Silent War before it could become known to the world.

The older woman looked at the picture… and was happy to see the coordinates of the next location she was to investigate show up on the bottom of the photo.

"*sigh* ...No matter. Today was a good day… for me, for Gage… and my daughter. But, i'm just glad he's here... Because with both him, and… _you_ , then we'll finally be able to get a foothold in this Silent War…"

Her mission now was to find this man on the other side of the border, near the Forever Fall forest… and she _knew_ that the prisoner would be there, considering that the White Fang were trying their absolute best to keep him away from the City of Vale.

And now… her search was about to begin.

Raven continued to stand there in the snow as the two medics walked out of her sight, and she knew that she had to move now to her next location, so the Fang wouldn't become paranoid as before she could make a move.

So as she looked down at the black helmet, she used her other hand to take ahold of her own mask again, pulled it off of her belt, covered her face with it again as she smiled.

And finally, while she felt her mask cover her facial features and let her red glowing eyes become the only thing visible to the dark world, she looked up towards the shattered moon one last time… and narrowed her eyebrows as she grasped the hilt of her sheathed sword… and spoke to the night… as if it was the friend she was suppose to bring back home.

"And now… thanks to our little ghost… I now know where i must go to find you… my old friend..."

…

 **Author's Note #2:** Hey guys, i just wanted to let you all know that the fifth re-edited chapter of RWBY: Desertion has been uploaded, or will be… soon, annnd i also wanted to tell you guys that THE DESERTION TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY IS A WEEK FROM TODAY! ON NOV. 16th! Two years! Two goddamn years i've been doing this for you guys! I'm so happy right now… so… expect something special next chapter… that doesn't involve fluff or any lewd things at all… e-ehehe. (Sorry if it's not your thing btw.) BUT ANYWAY, i'll of course see you guys… in the next chapter!


	22. Yang's Lewd Game Night!

**Author's Note:** And thus concludes another one of my more favorite story arcs, but don't worry! There'll be another coming very soon. A big one. A REALLY Big one! I promise! But for now, back to what I promised for Desertion's two year anniversary! It won't seem like much, but that's only because I put the same amount of effort into each update for you guys, and I'll make sure to deliver more feels, epicness, fluff, and so much more! Starting with lewdness this chapter, Huehuehue! But still i will try to improve this series even more because you deserve it, especially after two years of reading my stuff! So… scroll down, and hopefully you'll enjoy the new chapter!

And again, thank you everyone who's been here for the last two years. I kinda hate myself for not having this much experience back when I made Part One… but it doesn't matter anymore. We're here now, me and you, and it feels awesome. And hopefully this little series we have going here can grow even bigger by the time Part Two is over, and hopefully it'll grow bigger because of you! I really. Really hope it can. And yeah… if it does… thank you.

 **Edit:** Oh and Happy Thanksgiving for those who live in America!

 **Song:** Closer by Nine Inch Nails

(If you know that song, then you'll know how this chapter is going to go...)

…

 **One Week Later…**

…

It's been one week since the mission at Bolin Peak. Gage and Yang tried their best to forget about the events that followed afterwards, and they've seemed to have calmed down and gotten their relationship back to the usual. Thankfully.

Now, it was the beginning of February… and their hearts grew anxious as the month of love began for them both, not because of Valentine's Day initially… but _another_ celebration.

Now, Gage and Yang were entering the mess hall of Beacon, dressed in their school uniforms and were hand in hand as they made their way to their friend's usual table as Yang held their food tray, and they both soon sat down in front of all their friends.

The rest of RWBY, and JNPR were sitting there, and they all instantly took in the happy and warm aura that their smiles were giving off, and Ruby of course was the first to greet them.

"Hey Gage, Hey Yang! Hehe, you both excited for tomorrow?" She asked the couple.

Gage smiled back at her, and put his right arm around Yang as she nodded, since his left sleeve was tied up because of his prosthetic's absence, "Hell yeah, I've been prepping for this for a month now!"

Yang giggled, and leaned her head so she could rest against his shoulder as she looked at her little sister with a blush that made Nora and Pyrrha coo,

"Yeah, Hehe…. I can't wait!"

However, Weiss didn't know what the big fuss was all about, so she looked at the couple with a confused stare and leaned towards them both. "Wait… what's tomorrow?" She asked.

Gage looked at Yang, and was quick to answer, "Well, tomorrow is actually Yang's birthda-" But the blonde jumped out of her seat, and slammed her hands on the table before he could finish,

"It's my birthday!"

Ren looked at the couple and laughed a bit, and Jaune's eyebrows lowered as he smiled as well. "Ohhhh…. Is that why you two have been making googly eyes at each other all week?" He asked then with a smirk.

He earned a swift nudge to the abs by Nora, and she gave him an overzealous glare as she stood up too, "Hey! Don't you make fun of my O.T.P!" She yelled, enough for the whole room to hear.

"Nora!" Pyrrha gasped.

Gage groaned at the sound of her, and slammed did head down onto the table as Yang blushed, and brushed the back of his head with a nervous smile.

"Ughhhhuhuhughhh…"

"H-Hehe…. Thanks for the support Nora… I guess..." Yang replied.

"You're welcome!"

Pyrrha smiled at the couple, and cupped her own cheeks as she glanced at Jaune, with a smirk, and turned back to them again, "...So, how are you planning to treat her on her special day Gage?" She asked him.

"Hehe, i want to hear this…." Ren chuckled casually, "Are you going to take her out for dinner, or do you have something else planned?"

Gage raised his head back up from the table, and gestured towards Yang with his only hand while both Nora and Pyrrha leaned closer towards them both. "...Why don't you tell them, birthday girl?"

"Oh, well… basically, me and Gage are gonna spend the day together today, and we'll save the birthday dinner for tomorrow… since…"

She then turned to her boyfriend, and gave him a small wink before she leaned in closer to his ear, and finished her sentence in a hushed tone of voice….

"...I want to play a private game of truth or dare with you…~"

The ghost blushed and looked at the other s as they did too, except for Nora, and he rubbed the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly, and Yang just put her hands on his shoulders.

Ruby of course was the first to make fake gagging noises that were chosen to be ignored by the couple, and it made all of JNPR begin to laugh loud as Nora grinned and giggled with glee.

But, Weiss didn't do anything else but take a very long sip of her coffee, and rolled her eyes at her blonde teammate while everyone laughed, and… Blake did the same as her, as she basically had her face pressed into a notebook that she appeared to be writing in.

"Well if your hands go 'south of the border', then just make sure to close the windows… our dorm is _literally_ right above yours remember? And me and Blake wouldn't want to be disturbed during the late hours of the night… right Blake?"

The feline faunus flinched, and hesitated as she lowered her journal or sketchbook, and looked at Icy haired girl with her hazel, and bloodshot eyes. "H-Hmm? ...Oh! Uh… Right…"

"Yeah…. It looks like you could definitely use some sleep…."

"*sigh* ...Okay Weiss we get it…." Yang sighed as she put her elbow on the table and leaned her hand under her chin so she could keep her head up, "Anyway…. How about we get going Care-Bear? Because you're going to have to prepare the room too.~"

Gage's body rightfully tensed up, and started to think that she… seemed a little too mischievous, and when that was apparent, he knew he was going to be in for an… _intense_ show of her affection sooner or later...

"Um… o-okay, but how about you tell me on the way there?"

"Sure thing…"

She smirked, stood up from the lunch table, and took Gage's hand before she tugged on it, and made him stand up from the table too with a blush… and a little bit of a yearnful feeling deep down inside his stomach.

"W-Well-" Jaune stuttered as they began to walk away, "-Hope you two have a good time… a-and happy early birthday Yang!"

"Thanks Jaune! And see you guys later!"

Gage gave them all a small wave as he continued to smile at everyone, and both Nora and Ruby collectively gave him a little wink that made his red cheeks darken even more… but… they soon went back to normal as… he saw that Blake still had her face in that notebook of hers.

"Hmmm…"

…

The couple made their way back to the dorm building, and were walking through the halls hand in hand as Yang was smiling… and Gage was trying to figure out what she had in mind by, 'preparing the room'...

He was so nervous not to screw this day up for her that he kind of started to squeeze her hand… and attempted to clench his left hand, but of course… nothing was there but his stump, with the sleeve of his school jacket being tied up.

She noticed his grip on her hand increase, so Yang stopped walking, and looked up at her boyfriend cautiously. "Hey, you okay? You're feeling kind of tense…"

Gage saw his dorm, so once they both made it to his door, he let go of Yang's hand, and put his back against the wall next to it with a nervous smile,

"Y-Yeah, i just wanted to know what you had in mind for…. You know, the room…"

The blonde could clearly see that he was having lewd thoughts crossing his mind…. And she began to stare at him with loving eyes as she giggled seductively, and pressed her hands against his chest, and leaned in close so she could whisper to him,

"...What were you thinking of?~"

"R-Rose petals all over the place… wine since you're turning eighteen… and maybe a basket full of... " He then moved closer to his lover, and also gave her a quiet reply that made her blush, "...Condoms, and _other_ things…."

"*gasp* …Oh, Gage…"

She kept one of her hands on his chest, and used the other one to cover her mouth as he wrapped his one arm around her waist, and began to pull her towards himself… until he heard something else come from her mouth…

...A snicker.

"Pff...fttt…."

Yang was actually thinking the exact opposite, and she would have kept up her flattered act if the combination of his blush, the confident voice he almost never had when talking about their sexual relationship, and the fact that it was the exact opposite of what she was thinking was too much, as she started to laugh.

"...Hahahaha!"

Gage's expression turned into a glare faster than he could have imagined, and he pressed the back of his head against the wall as he grumbled, since he would be lying if he said he didn't see that coming.

She laughed until she saw his face, and tried to silence her giggles as she just hugged her boyfriend and looked up into his eyes again while her laughter finally turned into a tiny chuckle, as to not embarrass him even further.

"*exhale* ...Hehe, no silly! I don't want you pulling anything like that on me until Valentine's Day! Then you can talk all coquettish to me again.~"

"H-Hmph…" Gage pouted with his red cheeks. "Alright then… what did you actually have in mind for the room Yang?" He asked her nervously.

Yang then giggled again, pressed Gage further against the wall, and moved her hands up his chest until she could wrap her arms around his neck, and she began to whisper again... but so only _you_ couldn't hear her.

The only thing she managed to slip out for _you_ to get a hint were four different words that included, "Cook… Milkshake… Candies… and Music." Before she moved away from Gage, and he looked like he was visibly thinking.

"...All that huh?" He asked her.

The blonde blushed, and just looked into his turquoise eyes with an innocent smile as she nodded, and gave him another peck on the cheek. "*smooch*...Pretty Please?" She teased him.

"W...W-Well, it isn't impossible for me to do. Just… give me like two hours, okay Taiyo-Chan?"

He smiled as he said this, and Yang immediately took a step back so he could move closer to his dorm's door as she smirked too,

"Two hours. Got it. I'll just… do some class work, take a shower and... freshen up a bit for you…"

Her seductive tone only made him sweat a little, as she was also move her hands down from his shoulders while it seemed like she was staring at him with bedroom eyes, but he tried to brush it off so he could focus on the task at hand, which started with him having to head down to a grocery store in Vale….

So, he gave her a small kiss on the side of her neck, and smiled again as he reached for his door handle, and she took a few more steps back into the hallway,

"Hehe… well, then you better not keep me waiting." He chuckled as he turned the handle.

"I won't, if anything i'll be early… I mean...you know how i get when i have to wait for you Gage…~"

Yang then gave him another one of her fiery winks, and a wave to go with it as she grinned, and turned back towards end of the hall so she could go up to her own dorm, "Anyway, text me when you're done, and i'll be right down!"

Gage opened his door, and gave her one last wave as she started to walk away. "I will! See you until then!"

And after she gave him a returning wave, he closed the door, and turned to face his dorm… with a scowl while he shrugged his shoulders and internally screamed as he looked at his room.

Let's see. First off, his desk was messy with books, papers, and microwaveable soup bowls that belonged to both himself and Yang, there was stuff poking out from under his bed, the trash bin next to his desk was full, the little bonsai tree on his nightstand was dying, and the roses that he bought for Yang, which was in a vase on his desk.

His new favorite black suede jacket was dangling from his desk chair, the blankets on the bunk above his bed was dusty, along with both the top and bottom bunks of the bunk bed that was to the left of their bed. That bed that he and Yang both shared wasn't kept or made that morning either, and to top that off, there was even… one of Yang's bras hanging from the side of the bed too

But the one thing he now noticed after seven months… was that they didn't have a table they could sit or eat at… and he knew it was uncommon for those to be in a dorm room, but still it would be nice to have one.

Gage took all that in just as Noodle scurried from one bed and under the other like a tumbleweed during and awkward scene in a movie, and he let out another sigh that sounded like he was already exhausted before he even touched the mess that was their dorm…

"Two hours? …*sigh*... Shit…"

…

 **Two Hours Later…**

…

"Hmm-hmm-hmm…."

Yang was walking back down the dorm building's halls, still in her school uniform as she was looking down, and was staring at the pendant of the necklace that Gage had given to her for Christmas.

She smiled as she had it in her palm and rubbed her thumb against her lover's symbol, and soon brought it closer to her chest, and pressed it against her heart with both of her hands,

"First Christmas, and now my birthday huh. Hehe, Gage is really willing to just bend over backwards to make everything special for me… isn't he?"

Her smile widened, and another warm blush crept onto her face again once she realized that… throughout all the other guys she's met at this Academy, it never seemed like any one of them would ever willingly go through everything that her boyfriend has, or do the things he's done to keep her safe and happy… and that realization made her heart soar.

"Yeah… yeah, he is. So... i guess that makes me the most luckiest girl in the world..."

The blonde brawler eventually made her way to his dorm, and rolled her eyes with her smile as she raised her hand up, and knocked on the door. "Gage, it's Yang!" But weirdly, as she knocked… she thought she could smell some lavender scented candles. "...Is that-"

The front door then opened, and Gage popped out from behind it. He was wearing his usual black shirt and his brown jeans with his prosthetic as well… but, he also was wearing a white apron that looked to be stained with marinara sauce and… it had some burn marks too.

"U-Uh, hey Yang! I'm almost done, so come on in!"

He opened the floor fully, and that was when Yang finally managed to get a full on look of what Gage did to their room while she was gone.

Now, almost every bit of the floor was spotless and shining, all four of the beds were neat and tidy, including the bed they shared, their plants were watered and were now resting next to each other on Gage's desk, which was also clean and had a few scented candles on it, Noodle was sleeping nicely in a dog bed that was placed under the bottom of the second bunk bed, and all of their clothes had been washed and put away into their closet.

However, her focus turned on something else that was set up in the middle of the room. What it was, was a table. A table that had a plaid table mat covering it with two plates, one plate on each of the two sides, silverware, another scented candle placed between the plates with a… big milkshake that was in a tall glass with two straws placed in it, a steaming pot that was set to the side, and lastly, two wooden chairs that were placed on both sides of the table.

"Crap, one seconddd…."

Gage let out a breath, and nearly tore off his apron as he just threw it under his bed, and seemed to have traded it for a… wine bottle, which he took out from under it, with two wine glasses to match!

If Yang was holding a bag or glass at this moment, then she would have already dropped it due to the feeling of her heart feeling like it was about to burst due to how fast it was beating as she watched her boyfriend place the bottle of wine next to the scented candle on their table, and put a wine glass next to both of their plates,

"...There we go!"

"...W...W-Wow Gage…."

He was close to being short of breath as he set those things down, turned to face Yang, and extended his arms out like he was presenting her to throne,

"*exhale* ...Hayai tanjōbiomedetō Yang!"

("*exhale* ...Happy early birthday Yang!")

His blonde lover walked in as she covered her mouth, and she did a three-sixty turn so she could fully relish in the smell and sight of their now beautiful room. She laughed, and faced Gage before she threw herself at him, and hugged him as she nearly made him bump into the table, and knock it over.

"Gage, it's beautiful!" She cried.

Gage sighed with relief, and placed his hands behind his back as he blushed, and shyly looked away from her. "H-Hehe… well since i was preparing the room already, i thought i might as well just clean it all together for you…"

"..Did you buy and build the table?"

"Yeah, b-but don't worry about it!" He then jumped, and walked over to the chair to the right so he could pull it out for his girlfriend, and the act made her blush as well. "Just take your seat, and we can get your night started.~"

Yang looked at him, and kind of stumbled as she walked over to him, sat down in the chair, and giggled and blushed even brighter as Gage pushed her in, and he moved over to his seat.

The ghost didn't sit down initially, because the first thing he did was open take the top off of the cooking pot, set it down, and used the wooden spoon he had in it to scoop up a bunch of spaghetti that he had made, and he set a bunch of it down onto Yang's plate.

Then, he put some onto his own plate, and began to open the bottle of red wine, Montoya Cabernet, before he finally got the top off, and both he and Yang began to smirk.

"How'd you know I wanted wine Gage?~"

"You kidding me? We had alcohol the first day we met, and on our first date! Plus… red wine is known as a drink of love..."

She laughed again, and watched as he poured some of the Cabernet into her glass until it was about one quarter away from being full before he filled his completely, and set the bottle onto the table top.

"And i mean… sure the legal drinking age in Vale is eighteen, but we can just say your b-day is today right? And besides... i think we'd both like some delicious wine after a week like this…"

After he said that , Yang cupped both of her cheeks with her two hands, and began to stare dreamily at Gage. "Hmm… look at you acting like a bad boy for once…" She purred.

"H-Hehe…"

He chuckled, and sat down in the other chair as Yang grabbed her fork, planted it into the spaghetti, began to churn it as Gage sighed, and chose to take a sip of his wine first instead of starting with their giant milkshake with the two straws.

"*sigh* ...And last but not least…" And finally, he reached under his chair, and grabbed onto a small bowl so he could bring it back up and leave it on Yang's side of the table.

The bowl was filled with special strawberry candies, which were also wrapped up to look like it was an actual strawberry because of the wrapper decal, and Yang immediately reached for one as she put her fork in her mouth.

"Mmm!" She exclaimed with her mouthful of spaghetti. "I remember these old grandma candies! I love them!"

She took a handful of them, and swallowed her food quickly so she could unwrap one and toss it into her mouth… but, when she turned to look at Gage, it looked like he was… glaring at the bowl.

"Hmm? Something wrong Care-Bear?"

All Gage could think about when looking at the candy was his Collector… 'friend', Jackson Wesson, who he found a long time ago out has actually had some… run-ins with Team RWBY as well.

But uh, back to the candy thing! *clears throat*... Almost every time Gage met with Jackson during the past, he's offered him those candies or just rub them in his face. Not recently of course, but he's done it before.

"Nothing. Just that the Jackson guy we ran into last week always seems to have those things on him…"

"Oh yeah that's right... you two have 'beef' or whatever."

He nodded, and began to eat his food as well with his fork as Yang did the same, but pointed her eating utensil at her boyfriend as he put his food in his mouth, "Maybe you should…. Fix that. Because at this point, you two are bound to work together again." She mumbled, as she still had the candy in her mouth.

"Yeah… I guess so…. But the fucker's still got some explaining to d-"

"*sigh* …Gage, let's just not worry about him right now. Okay?" She then tapped one of the straws that were in their milkshake, and gave him another cheerful grin. "Now drink this with me!"

"Alright, alright…"

They both soon placed their lips upon their respective straws, and began to drink their vanilla milkshake with a loud slurp… and they both smiled as they did it.

He was staring into Yang's Lilac eyes, and he blushed as he heard her giggle at him. However, it was both because he prepared this for the two of them… and because she remembered something Gage said to her a long time ago

"*slurppp* ...Cliche couple stuff! Right?" She said as she flicked one of the two straws.

"Mmhm! Hehe, cliche couple stuff. Thought you'd like it, same with the whole spaghetti thing…"

"What do you mean?"

Gage snickered, and just tapped both of their plates as he found two untouched noodles, and put them next to each other so it looked like they were connected, "The spaghetti kiss? From Lady and The Tramp where they suck on the same noodle and kiss?" He said, trying to get the fluffy side of her brain to notice the connection.

"I thought you'd dare me to do that, and we'd have to search for a long noodle!"

She blinked, and once it clicked in her mind, she just waved her boyfriend off as she rolled her eyes at the thought. "Ohhh. Pfft, i'm not _that_ cliche when it comes to romance. But… now that you mention it…"

Yang then smirked, cupped one of her cheeks as that hand's elbow was resting on their table, and let her eyes droop as she continued to stare at Gage again. "...I'd like to start that game of truth or dare now.~" She purred as she reached for her own wine glass, and drank from it.

Gage responded to this by gulping as he began to blush again, and he also took another long sip from his glass of wine. "O… Okay, but you go first." He stuttered.

"Alright Gage. Truth or Dare?"

"...Truth."

The blonde could see that coming from a mile away, so she laughed, and looked over to his desk to see that his scroll was plugged into a speaker system, and that it wasn't playing music… like she asked him to do earlier.

"...What happened to the music i asked you to play?"

The ghost lowered his glass, and flinched once he realized his mistake. "Oh, crap I forgot about it!" So, he raised his prosthetic hand up, waved it over at his scroll with his fingers, and spoke as it beeped loudly.

"*beep*"

"S.U.A.R.I.S., Play My Love Track!"

A deep male robotic voice with a gruff New Zealandish accent spoke afterwards with another robotic chirp. "Yes sir, playing _Not Fall In Love With You_." And then… the song began to play,

 _Not Fall In Love With You_ by _Jeff Williams_

~You are my star, you are the the one, you make me smile when the world's come undone, you are the one that sweeps me off my feet… yeah-ah!~

Gage then chuckled to himself, and extended his arms out as he leaned back in his chair with his glass in his other hand, which he soon took another drink from as he looked back at her, "There we go! And by the way, i was actually thinking of you when i made that track…~"

Yang blushed, and kept her lovely smile and stare aimed at him and… she hummed with passion in her voice once she heard him say that, and the lyrics of the song that she's actually listened to before.

~You totally rock. You're crazy and cool! Everything's all that i love about you! Girl of my dreams, you would make my life complete! -Oh, But you're a distant dream to me,-oh and I know and I know that you're- You're out of my league! -How could it ever be?!~

"...Hehe… your turn.~" Yang whispered provocatively

"Yang…" Gage hummed, and looked over at the speaker again as he began to listen to the song even more, to perhaps think of something. "...Truth or Dare."

And of course, Yang went with the option that he thought she would chose right off the bat. "...Dare."

So, he smiled, and set his wineglass on the table as he stood up, stared happily at his lover, and gestured over towards his scroll that was plugged in.

"...Let's dance."

Yang's expression changed to one of shock, as she watched her boyfriend casually walk over to his desk, push his chair into the corner, and turned to face her with his hand held out, which made her face to glow bright red again.

However, her response made Gage become nervous. Probably because the first thing she did was rip her school tie off of her blouse, and slowly removed her black school jacket after that.

Then before she could take anything else off, she stood up, kicked her shoes off, and strutted over to Gage, wearing only her blouse, mini skirt, and black thigh high socks.

~What am I supposed to do- Just sit here and Not Fall In Love With You?! Can I do anything to conceal it?! Can I lock up my heart and not feel it?! Try to hide from the fact, That there's no turning back! I'm in love!~

She soon stood in front of him, and looked up into his turquoise eyes as she slowly slid her hands up his chest, wrapped them around his neck, and felt his two hands as they wrapped themselves around her lower back…

...They now stared into each other's eyes like they were speaking to each other through them, and they began to dance and pivot slowly in rhythm with the song that Gage had chosen while Yang just began to press herself against his chest, and smiled.

"...Truth or Dare…" Yang asked him.

"...Dare."

"...Sing along with it. For me."

The ghost looked at his girlfriend, leaned in closer, and chuckled as she made it so he could whisper into her ear, and both try and catch the tune of the song… and thankfully, he prepared himself for this, by rehearsing the song over and over again while he was cleaning earlier!

"...Gladly. Ahem… ~You leave me weak.  
You make me strong. All that I need is to know I'm not wrong. If, love is blind how do I make you see... me?! You're my PYT! My cherie amour! One look at you and my heart starts to soar! No other girl could compete with your esprit!~"

"~Oh and if your heart would just agree!  
Oh, then I know and I know that I could be-  
Oh I could believe, you're all that I ever need!~"

Yang now brought her head close enough, and just buried it into the side of his neck, and playfully bit onto the side of it to contain her inner teen from doing anything else rash, and she continued to dance with him slowly while he went on just for her…

"...~What am I supposed to do- Just sit here and Not Fall In Love With You?! Can I do anything to conceal it?! Can I lock up my heart and not feel it?! Try to hide from the fact, That there's no turning back! ...I'm in love!~"

They danced in motion and pivoted, from one side to the other, and back and forth until he snickered again, and moved his hands down even lower down her body, and caused her to look up at him as she lowered her arms too, and grasped his shoulders as she laughed happily.

Gage went to whisper the silent and more emotional and part of the tune,, and she giggled at his advance… because now she was starting to feel a _second_ emotion aside from love…. And it was lust…

"~And like the autumn leaves, I just can't help myself… I'm falling there's no doubt… It's you and no one else… Is there any chance, For this dream romance?  
...Should I just give up, what's a fool to do?  
Could you fall for me… Like I fell for you?~"

"Gage… you're-"

"Nope!" He interrupted her with yet another grin, as it was his turn once again. "Truth or Dare." He asked her.

Wait, wait…*sigh* ...Jesus, this is just going to be the entire chapter isn't it? Well, i guess it's what I get for having a massive fluff fetish… and I guess these two need it after all they've been through this month.

Anyway, Yang thought about her answer for not even one second, and was rather quick to respond, but only to make her lover have a taste of his own medicine. "...Truth." She answered.

"...The way your eyes are looking at me… it's almost like they're trying to tell me something. So… what is it Yang?"

The blonde let out a tiny pant, and clenched her toes as she continued to look at her lover, and she went in to kiss his neck again, "...They're trying not to make me mentally undress you…" The blonde whispered.

Gage's entire fearless demeanor changed instantly as she said that, and of course he went back to his old usual self as he felt his girlfriend's hands move down to his chest, and to his abs… while her blush didn't seem to go away at all.

"U-Uh…. You're not a lightweight by any chance are you? H-Hehe…'

His lover's arms then lowered completely, and she didn't answer his question, took a step away from him while he stood there, and just watched as she giggled, and grabbed her wine glass again.

"...Truth or dare?"

"Dare-I-I mean truth!-Erm…. shit."

She asked this, and proceeded to drink from her wine glass until it was ALL gone, in one swig, and she chose just to take the whole bottle instead just pouring more into her glass like Gage wanted. "Mmm, Dare it is..."

Yang then looked at her own chair, and smirked as she got an idea. She grabbed onto it, dragged it over to Gage, and patted the backrest with another chuckle.

"Now, You're going to sit here and let me do whatever i want to you for the next… forty-five minutes."

He reluctantly took a step towards the chair… and sat down in it as he looked down at the ground, and put his hands on his knees "...W...What did you have in mind?" Gage asked her.

Yang didn't answer him again, and instead chose to walk over to him, and stand in front of her boyfriend as she grabbed onto his hands, made sure she was as close to him as he could, and placed his hands onto her hips before she grabbed the rim of her mini skirt… and let it slide down her legs and hit the floor silently.

"That's for me to know…"

His mouth opened a bit after he looked down at her lower body…and could clearly see her black laced panties, pale thighs, and black high socks.

Yang on the other hand, just smiled, and sat down on top of him as she looked down at her blouse and… unbuttoned it so that her cleavage and black laced bra could become the center of his attention…

"...And for you to find out."

To her, Gage's eyes looked up into her own, and they looked so innocent… which almost made her mouth begin to water as she pressed herself against his chest, and brought her head close enough to his so she could whisper to him… and nibble on his ear,

"You know… even through those beautiful innocent eyes of yours… i can tell that you're going to like this Gage…"

The ghost gulped and kind of shuddered as she heard her voice… and exhaled as he finally gave in to her temptation, and moved his hands down her legs, and pulled his lover close enough so he could blush, and press his forehead against hers.

He remained quiet, and clutched her pale thighs as she soon moved her head back, and pulled him into slow and steamy kiss as he gasped, and she giggled.

"Mmmph…"

Gage stared into Yang's lilac eyes, and closed his own as he felt his member twitch, and she began to slowly swish her tongue around in his mouth, and he soon began to do the same.

So, their eyes both eventually shut, and their tongues started to conflict with each other on who was the dominant one, Yang's being forceful, and fast while Gage's was passionate, and nimble as the blonde moaned, and wrapped her legs around his body, and the chair as a whole.

"Mmm…"

She began to feel Gage's erection poke her bottom, and she responded by breaking the kiss so suddenly that he began to pant once they separated, and a trail of spit formed in between their lips, and connected them to each other.

"*pant* *pant* ...Hard just from that kiss? You're going to have hard time with this then Care-Bear…~" Yang teased him.

"*pant* …You're straddling me with your legs Yang… *pant* ...and you know how much i like it when you wear stockings…"

The blonde brawler put her arms around his neck once again, and just began to use her legs to squeeze his body even harder, as she now watched his hands rub and caress her legs like they were something he was craving...

"Oh yeah your fetish…" Yang whispered with another smirk while she watched his hands do their thing. "Hmm... maybe i'll have you lick them again like you did last time…"

Gage was beyond going back now, and he wasn't afraid to admit that he was aroused and ready for what she had in store… so… he became a bit anxious and impatient now that his lover mentioned… one of his more _favorite_ parts of her physique. "Clock's ticking Yang…" He mumbled through his restless breaths….

"Well then… Let's get to it Gage. Hehe...~"

…

 **Later...**

...

After around forty minutes, their room fell silent due to the lack of music, and the one thing that would be making noise was the couple, as they were now currently in the same position…. Except now Yang had lifted Gage's shirt up, and she was of course biting his chest.

They spent the majority of her dare just making out, drinking, and basically testing out his self control, as Yang was now only wearing her black underwear, and her usual yellow tank top. And she was a lot less sober than she was before… that's for sure.

Now, she was sitting in his lap bridal style with her hands holding up his shirt, and she had her teeth sunk into Gage's bare upper chest and made him wince as she released his skin from her teeth, and just gave it a little lick afterwards.

"Lah…"

"Mmm…"

He was panting with one eye closed, and he just smiled at her... probably because she kinda forced him to drink half of their wine bottle with her, but… he wasn't anywhere near blackout territory. Yet…

Eventually after licking the red marks and hickeys that were now scattered across his upper chest and neck, Yang's scroll's alarm began to ring, and she pulled away from him and frowned almost immediately.

"Oh no… *hiccup* ...My time's up... "

Gage laughed, and with the influence of the alcohol, he kept one eye a little bit more closed than the other as he grabbed onto her calves, and made her turn so her feet could touch the ground again.

She still had a blank face, and sighed depressingly as her drunken blush flared brightly and she let out a cute little fake cry as she stood up, and let her boyfriend stand up from his chair as well.

"Hehe, Relax Yang… I'll say dare again soon… maybe.~"

Now she looked at him with sad eyes, and whined again as he began to walk over to his chair, and sat down in it. So, she dragged hers back, put it in place, and just decided to take another sip from their almost empty wine bottle.

"Y… You're mean Gage…. You don't want to have fun with me on my birthday…." She pouted as she sat down in her chair again.

"But Yang, *hiccup* ...it's my turnnn…."

"Fine…." She then crossed her arms with her eyes also being half closed, and she hiccuped again as Gage kerbed over the table, and smirked at her. "Truth… or dare Yang?" He asked her.

"Truth…"

"Why do you like to bite my chest?"

The blonde's attitude changed back to her normal seductive drunk self, and she giggled as she pointed at him. "I Dunno… it's just hard and feels… chewy. " She answered him. "I guess I just wanted to mark what belongs to me…"

And after that, she ran two other fingers against her upper chest, and down towards her cleavage in an attempt to get him to see the other hickies that she forced him to give her during their little dare.

However… that caused the drunk Yang to start to reminisce about what they did… and what sober Yang _really_ wanted to do before she was taken over, and… the lewd ideas caused drunk Yang's breaths to become silent pants as her nether region began to feel all warm…

"I...I wanted to do so much more.. " She thought, and felt her hand begin to trace down from her chest… and down towards her waistline.

She was thinking of getting him on his knees, and make him worship her body with his tongue like he did back at the Hilltop Resort months ago while she sat in the chair.

There was that, tying him to the chair with a pair of handcuffs she had somewhere hidden under the bed, giving him a lap dance, taking off her clothes while he just sat there and watched her play with herself… or to just sit on his lap and have him finger her until she came, and he couldn't do anything else but kiss her neck and body...

"M...Mmm…"

She then moaned…. And slid her own hand down her panties as she leaned up in her seat so Gage couldn't see what she was doing even though deep down inside, she wanted him to.

"N-No… I… I _WANT_ to do more…"

So… as she began slowly rub her own clit, Yang decided to challenge herself. To see how long she could last until he either figured out what she was doing, or until she couldn't take being quiet. Or you know… until she came.

Now, she sat there, and tried to give her buzzed boyfriend a casual smile as she gasped and bit her lip, and began to rub herself even faster,

"...Your turn now... Taiyo-Chan?" Gage said, as he noticed her small pants and how she was trying not to squirm in her seat.

"*gasp* ...T...Truth or dare..."

"Um… Truth."

His answer made her internally groan both in pleasure and frustration that enabled her to actually think about her question… so, her poor drunken conscience could only stay focused on the subject she was thinking of the most right now…. Sex.

"Mmm…. W...When was the last time you masterbated?"

Gage's eyebrows raised in… amusement, as he chuckled, and looked back at Yang with an enticing smirk that expressed how much he's been waiting to answer these questions he knew she would ask.

Although… it made Yang's self control become crippled thanks to the thought of him doing that, and the mix of the way he was staring at her…. Almost like he was visually seconds away from flipping their table over, whisking Yang off her feet, and carrying her over to the bed so they could make sweet hot love.

"Back when I still had two arms." He answered, just trying to make a joke to break Yang away from her still-lewd mindset. "I remember because it was the day we, *hiccup* ...fucked in your dorm while your Team were all sleeping in there."

"Ohhh…~" Yang just made things worse for herself however, as she began to think about that day and what…. What _he_ did to her that night way back when.

And now…. She couldn't help herself to forget, and the blonde moved her hand down even further… so she could slide hand down to the lips of her pussy… and eventually begin to finger herself with passion as Gage was still smiling.

"C...Crap… I need another dare, now!" She thought as she tried to keep herself from salivating.

The ghost could her some sort of… liquid dripping after a while, but he just thought it was the bathroom sink, so he shrugged it off, and was about to ask her his question… until he looked at her one more time.

His girlfriend could barely keep her eyes open now, and looked like she… had to go to the bathroom, or something. Like she was strained but, he could hear her panting too, and it alarmed him. "Hey, Yang you alright?"

"Y….*gasp* ...Yes!"

He squinted at her, and watched her closely as she her breaths became louder while she continued to silently moan… but thankfully, he couldn't see how fast her hand was moving down there, so he just chalked it up to drunk Yang and left it at that.

"O-kay…. Truth or dare-"

"...T-Truth!" She almost screamed.

"...When was the last time _you_ did it?"

This was her chance. Her chance to pull him into the temptation of sex and have her way with him again like she wanted to, and it made Yang giggled tiredly as she stopped biting her lip.

Her opening was already leaking a large amount of her juices, so much that it flowed and began to drip off the side of the chair she was sitting in, causing that dripping sound that Gage was hearing.

And so… since she already felt her build up of emotions take over her body and send an electrical shock throughout her entire body, Yang panted, and raised her hand so Gage could see it…

"I'm… *pant* ….doing it right now actually… Heh…"

Her palm was covered in her own liquid, and the sight made Gage's smirk fade as he just stared, and quickly looked under the table to see… that her black panties were barely covering her pussy, and it was drenched in a liquid that was dripping down onto the floor.

He then looked up at her…. And realized that NOW it was her turn, and… that he was getting aroused by her little secret, which caused him to mentally scold himself for being such a horny drunk.

"T...Truth or dare Gage."

...Even though he did state it himself to her a long time ago… ahem, " _That's my secret Yang… I'm always horny!"_ So, he slouched in his chair, and let his mouth hang open in utter shock. "Wh… Whuh.. uh…"

Yang just scowled and blushed at him as she slammed her other hand down on the table, and moved her other back down to her private place, "J… *hiccup* ...Just shut up and say dare!" She yelled.

He remained idle, and began to blush as he scooted closer to the table, and… could feel her now red eyes traced on his body… and how much she _wanted_ to pounce onto him. But was it her… or just drunk Yang?

"W...What does sober Yang want?" He asked, trying to confuse her.

"She wants to dominate you… *hiccup* ...so much. So please just let me…."

She slurred this…. As she moved her foot up, and placed it ontop of Gage's crotch,where she was able to feel his erection even further… and it made her smile widen even more as she continued to finger herself. "...Just say dare… please. For me?"

Now he felt like he was being pushed up against a brick wall… and he enjoyed it on the inside. But he was still unsure on the outside, as he didn't want to take advantage of her with the remaining amount of control he had over himself.

But… she's the one that wants to fool around, same when she was just buzzed not that long ago. She still made him sit down in that hair, and he wasn't afraid to admit he liked it when she was authoritative like that.

However… he realized that this was what she wanted, what they both kind of wanted after a few minutes of this sexual standoff, and it was going to be her birthday, drunk Yang or not… so.. he sighed, and finally gave in to her temptation… b-but only to get it out of her system before tomorrow!

"F...Fuck… *sigh* ...F-Fine. ..D...Dare!"

He then shivered as he felt Yang's toes press and rub against his crotch…. And he loved it. Of course because of his kink, and she moaned as she knew just how to get him going…

"...Take that cock of yours out now and… Let me play with it for a bit…"

Gage just inhaled as he felt her foot brush and rub against his erection, so he exhaled, and moved his hands down to the fly on his pants.

He unzipped them, with his blushing increasing in how much it was glowing, lowered his boxers a bit… and eventually whipped out his cock, allowing it to be seen as it was pointing straight up into the air.

"There it is…~" Yang giggled.

She then moved her foot closer to it, and gently brushed the bottom of her foot up and down the side as she got her other foot over to him, and let it rest on his thigh as he began to pant and stared at his exposed privates.

Gage squirmed in his seat and sighed as he leaned back in his chair, which made Yang giggle again as she rubbed her toes against the head of his penis, and used her other foot to brush against his shaft gently.

She bit her lip, and was also still fingering herself, but it wasn't her main focus as of now. Now, it was to pleasure her man without making him cum just yet.

The blonde curved both of her feet, and pressed them against both sides of Gage's cock before she began to stroke him with her feet, and he gasped loudly as he felt his member grow larger… and larger…

"Hehe… do you like that? ...The feeling of my feet just going up and down your thick cock…. It feels good to have your kinky wish come true… doesn't it?"

"*pant* ….M-Mmhm… *gasp* ...Fuck…"

Yang's two big toes moved up a bit on his shaft and began to rub the head of his penis as he said that, and the others just stayed in motion as she continued her footjob…

But, she wanted him to become strained, near his breaking point so then his cum could build up, and his climax could be huge and so he'd be left almost unconscious when he was finished… but this wasn't how she wanted him to cum.

No. She was intent on teasing and punishing him by giving him bluebells, so… she reached for her own tank top… and pulled it down a bit so one of her breasts could be flashed at him.

"*hiccup* ...Mmm… Do you know how long I've been wanting to do this to you? It was so bad I had to finger myself… that's not nice of you Gagey…"

Yang began to stroke him with her feet even harder, and she increased the amount of force she was using to squeeze his cock…. And it made him open his mouth as he felt like he was on cloud nine. "W...What did I do? ...A-And why couldn't you do this to me earlier?!"

She started to milk her own expose tit, and now they both were panting as the blonde went on to smile, and moan more as she felt his precum began to come into contact with her toes…

"You… said truth too much… *hiccup* ...and now I'm drunk when I wanted to watch you squirm when I wasn't…"

Her toes just continued to fondle with his cock as the precum flowed and drenched the bottom of both of her feet in it, and now Gage was close to just drooling from the feeling of pure ecstasy.

"But look at you now." Yang growled, as she began to jerk and squeeze his cock even harder with her feet. "You're moaning, and you covered my toes in your little ooze like the horny nerd that you are…"

She said this with an innocent looking glare and blush, and it made Gage give her a stare in return that gave off a sense of utter bliss and difficulty with keeping his seed from getting splattered all over her feet.

It felt like it was already building up from her footjob, and her words, which were both patronizing and sexy at the same time… so, he loved every second of it, and soon his member begin to twitch, and nearly cover his meat in his precum.

"Rrrgh… oh my god… fuck!" He yelled loudly, and he began to glare back at his lover as she stopped, and just went back to slowly smothering, rubbing, and caressing the head of his cock with her toes again.

"Yang.. i'm-I'm-I'm… I-I can't… MMPH-"

Then, the couple both suddenly gasped, as Yang felt a small stream of Gage's cum spray out out of his cock, and land on the side of her right foot, which made her yell at him,

"*gasp* ...G-GAGE!"

He bit down on his own wrist, and luckily managed to keep himself from letting any more out, as there was still a tiny bit more leaking out onto his lover's feet, but she growled, and pulled them away from him.

"We're only getting started, *hiccup* ...And you already came? *hiccup* ...Bad Care-Bear..."

"I'm… I'm sorry…. Don't… don't be mad…"

Yang scoffed, and just brought the foot he came on back so she could see how much he left… and she grinned a bit once she saw the white gooey residue.

Gage's begging, panting, and flustered face helped Yang calm down and set aside what just happened… since she knew there was a lot more to come out of him.

So, she just looked down at her foot, swooped the cum off with her finger, and looked her boyfriend straight in the eyes as she licked it off her finger as provocatively as she could.

"Mmm… *dreamy sigh* ...Alright. But you didn't warn me… *hiccup* ...and for that, you've got to pay."

The ghost didn't even have enough breath in him to ask what she had in mind, and he just nodded in response before he watched Yang swallow his small cum stream, and lift her tank top back up to cover her breasts… as she put her hands on top of the table, and smirked at Gage once again…

"Hey… when was the last time I sucked you off anyway?" She asked him.

"A… A while ago…."

"...How about we change that?~"

The blonde asked this, and immediately made Gage scoot back in his chair as she climbed onto the table, crawled towards him, and leaned close enough to him so that she could kiss his nose, "*smooch* ...Hehe…"

He just sat there with a smile on his face while his legs were still spread apart, his penis was rock hard, and he tried to catch his breath… and then… he huffed again as she pounced on him, and caused the chair he was sitting in to fall back with them both.

Yang managed to slam her lips into Gage's as they fell backwards, and after they fell onto the floor with a loud thud coming from the chair, she grasped his shoulders with one hand, and reached down onto his cock with the other so she could stroke him as she began to tongue his throat again.

He moaned loudly, and let his eyes droop as he moved his hands down her sides… and eventually reached her lower back, where he immediately grabbed her ass, and clenched both cheeks with an amount of force that left a red mark on her pale skin.

"Mmm! -*smooch*...don't get frisky just yet!"

She then pushed the chair out from under him with one of her legs… scooched back all the way so she was hovering over his crotch… and she finally looked down at his cock, grasped it, and ran her hand up and down his shaft lightly, trying not to smear his remaining cum against her hands as she giggled again,

"It's still my turn… *hiccup* ...and i want your cum in my mouth…"

The blonde leaned down closer to his dick, smirked as she stuck out her tongue, gently licked the small leak of jizz off, and smirked as she swallowed it, and kissed the head soon after.

However, he was afraid because he was still barely holding it all back, and since he didn't want her to get mad at him again… Gage put his hand up, and desperately tried to get her to stop, "W-Wait!" He shouted.

"Mmm... what is it?" She asked as she stopped licking him.

"...T...Truth or dare?"

"Hmm…" She hummed as she squinted her eyes at him… and became suspicious. Was he going to tell her to stop if she was to say dare… or would he ask her to go back to how she was pleasuring before?

She hoped for the latter and was sure he would choose that, so she began to stroke him again, and just pressed his dick against her cheek as she answered and gave it another little lick.

"...Dare."

She did this to try and remind him of the feeling of how she deepthroated him all that time ago… how much they both enjoyed it… and how much she wanted to do it again.

And thankfully, it worked. Even though he already was wanting her to suck his cock again. "...L...Let's end the game, and move onto the bed… and uh.. *pant* ...give me a minute to calm down…" He told her.

Yang laughed, and sighed as she wiped her lips clean, and lowered her hands from his shaft, and just nodded in agreement, as she didn't want him to pass out.

"Alright… good. Then I won't have to start out delicately… unless you'd still want me to."

He gave her a small nod, and began to chuckle to himself as he laid back onto the floor and laughed tiredly while she just watched… planning the rest of their sexual adventure that would ensue _after_ his climax….

"Hehe… now get on the bed Gage.. and _maybe_ I'll let you have some more fun afterwards…~"

…

After Gage caught his breath and felt his climax drift a little farther away, he and Yang both made their way over to the bed, and she eased him into becoming relaxed yet again.

Now, Gage was lying on the bed with his head on his pillow, his hands to his sides, and his cock out and sticking straight up into the air while Yang had both her hands around it, and was slowly jerking him off as he was resting his forearm on his forehead, and had his eyes closed in utter bliss.

Yang was still clothed, wearing her black underwear and yellow tank top, and laid on her stomach as she moved her hands up and down his cock… and looked up at him while he sighed and moaned. "So… shall we get started?" She asked him seductively.

"Please…"

"Hehe… okay Care-Bear, I'll handle _this_ … so you just relax… keep your hands to yourself… and enjoy the show…~"

She then laughed, and squeezed his shaft as she stuck out her tongue, and licked up it all the way until she reached the head, where she promptly kissed the tip sloppily.

Gage moaned, and watched her as she spat on his member, and began to stroke it afterwards to make it become slicker, and she continued to stroke him harder and faster.

She used her tongue to lick her lover's cock like it was a popsicle… and she was even tempted to nibble on it a bit, but she chose to instead turn it, and suck on the side of it as she squeezed his balls and stared at him intently.

"Mmm…"

Gage's forearm remained on his forehead, and he was using his metal hand to grasp the pillow he was resting on hard as he moaned and watched her work his shaft with passion in her lilac eyes… until he chuckled, and realized he still needed more time to regain control of himself...

"*pant* ...Fuck, Hehe… *pant ..I'm still not ready for this…"

Yang traced her lips back up to the head of his penis, and gave off one last smile before she opened her mouth, moved her lips towards the head, and swallowed it with another tiny laugh before she moaned, and purposely salivated all over it!

"...J… Christ Yang…" Gage moaned as he looked down at her, and placed his metal hand on the back of her head.

He said this because now…. He could feel multiple trails of saliva slide down his shaft, and down onto his lap as Yang began to bob her head up and down gently with her eyes closed.

She gave tiny little gags every time she moved her head down, and her lover's moans and the taste of his cum in her mouth from earlier was all that she needed to force herself to push herself even further down his cock.

He was beginning to push her head down a little bit too, which made her produce even more saliva and gag louder as she sucked him off, and now… she took her hands off of him so then the only thing he'd be feeling was the sensation of her precious oral caverns..

"Mmm… Mmm!"

The more he watched her struggle to swallow only half of his cock, the more he wanted to see her struggle be expressed through her beautiful lilac eyes…

"Yang… *hiccup* ...Let me see those sexy eyes of yours…"

Her cheeks puffed a tiny bit, and she opened her eyes with difficulty as she looked up into Gage's eyes with tears forming, as he laughed in between his breaths and pushed her head down even further, making her come even closer to his base…

"Hehe… there they are…"

He then heard her gag a little loudly as she closed one of her eyes, and blushed… and it made Gage completely relish in the moment. She looked so innocent now instead of how authoritative she was earlier… and it was just the look he wanted to see on her face as she continued with his deepthroating session.

"G...G… Fff..."

She could feel his attitude change from being submissive, and she gagged even harder while her spit began to leak out of her mouth and run down his cock in big globs of saliva… and that was when she whined, and pushed her lips all the way down until they were pressed against the skin of his pelvis as she closed her eyes and moaned for him.

Her lover's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he groaned as she stayed there for almost a minute without making any noise, and came back up before she gasped, and released his cock from her mouth,

"Mmmm! -Aah! *pant * pant*…"

Yang began to pant a bit, and she looked down at his gooey cock while multiple long and thick trails of spit went from her lips, and to his shaft as she inhaled, and couldn't keep her mouth closed.

Her chin was drenched in her saliva, and now there was even some dripping down onto her upper chest and her large breasts while her eyes were still watering as she smiled, and reached for his member again.

"*pant* *pant* ...Jeez… t...that made me wet…*pant* …" She mumbled as Gage looked down at her own crotch, and saw that the space under her was completely dampened with her juices.

He placed a hand on her cheek, and brushed one of her bangs away from her face before he watched her wipe her spit off of her lips, and began to stroke and smear her remaining saliva against his penis as she began to stroke it up and down vigorously,

"Y...Yeah-Mmm… *pant* ... i'm still close to cumming…" Gage admitted with a blush.

His dick began to make small squelching sounds as she used both of her hands, and just went to town on his cock, rubbing her palms up to the head and down all the way to his balls as fast as she could,

"...Well, then you better be ready for more after you're done… *hiccup* ...because i'm starting to feel like i just want to be fucked in my tight… little… pussy right about now…"

The ghost felt like just letting himself go, and to cum on her hands as she handled him expertly… but as she squeezed and pulled up and down on his saliva covered cock… he wanted to feel her tongue and spongy throat instead…

"Okay… i'm… i'm there Yang, j… just… just finish me off like how you promised me!"

Yang nodded, and got on her belly again one last time… so she could hover over his member again as she moved her hands all the way back down to his base, "Hehe… just make sure you don't let go of my hair until it's _ALL_ out…" She replied.

Then, after all the suspense was gone… Yang opened her mouth, moved her head down, and placed Gage's cock in her mouth again so she could wrap her lips around it one last time.

She did this with a moan, and immediately began to bob her head up and down as fast as she possibly could, and she began to jerk him off at the same time.

So… now the sound of her gags, and the squelching of his slimy dick filled his eardrums, and made Gage look down at his girlfriend with his blissful, and barely opened eyes. "...Fuck!" He shouted.

He felt her tongue, lips, and succulent spongy oral caverns swallow his meat whole while his entire pelvis began to feel like it was just being drenched in her drool and slobber, along with her hands as they stroked him.

Yang gagged and moved her lips up and down his cock, to the tip and to his balls over and over and over... and over again as she gagged louder and louder as she looked Gage right into his eyes like he wanted her to as she spread his legs even further, and let out another deluge of her spit to flow and lube up his dick….

"Oh. Fuck, Yang I'm gonna cum!"

The blonde was still halfway down on one of her head bobs, and he saw her smile as she moved her hands to the bottom of his shaft, closed her eyes, and narrowed her eyebrows as she felt both of his hands grip the back of her head again...

Gage clenched his toes, closed his eyes, and gasped as he felt Yang's throat close-in on his member, it's head being smothered and rubbed beyond his breaking point as she sucked, gagged, spat, and drooled onto him until he finally gave out, and groaned loudly in utter pleasure.

She soon tasted his glorious cum spray out into her mouth, and it went right down her throat…. However, more began to come out. A LOT MORE THAN SHE EXPECTED. So much, that it flowed, and eventually felt like it was filling her mouth to the point where she had to breath through her nose.

This all happened as she felt her lover's hand force her lips all the way down to his base, and she moaned loudly as she stopped herself… and tried to open her mouth again… but this resulted in a flood of Gage's cum to pour out of her mouth, and travel slowly down onto his lap before she inhaled, closed her mouth again… and looked up at the ghost again with her teary lilac eyes.

She swallowed the remnant of his climax, and watched as the rest laid there on his pelvis, and she gave him a little smile, with more of the white substance trailing down from her lips.

"Oh… *hiccup* ...Crap, I guess I'll have to clean that up now too, don't I?~".

Gage was fading in and out of consciousness, but he was still able to just stare at Yang as she sat there on her knees, and began to casually lick the rest of his jizz off of him like it was a game.

"Aaaah…. Y...You might want to do that quick if you still want me to keep going Yang…"

"...Wow. You're sweating bullets and you still want to?" Yang asked him with a smirk. "Hehe, You really do love me..."

He gave a weak, "Mmhm…" And he almost drifted off as she went to clean his crotch from his own seed, and he waited until she cleaned herself a bit too, and until she let out another relaxing sigh… and began to crawl towards him again.

She was drawn to him, and his still hard appendage as she reached down, and slowly pulled her panties down before she kicked them off of her feet, and sat on top of his thighs.

Yang smiled, placed her hands behind her, in between Gage's ankles as she scooted towards him, and allowed him to grab onto her ankles as she bent her legs, let her two feet lay next to each of his hands, and let his cock rub against the lips of her pussy.

The blonde let out a tiny gasp, and felt her sweet moist lips press against his privates, and he did the same, but with closed eyes and with the small amount of strength he had left in him.

He was so surprised that his erection was still stiff and hard, but… he has always had a more than average amount of stamina, so… he thanked himself profusely, and ran his hands up his lover's ankles as she moved closer…. And grabbed onto his dick again.

"...Hehe, you sure you won't pass out?" She asked him, with both concern and amusement.

"Hah… I… I just need some… _other_ motivation to keep my eyes open…" Gage replied, as he moved his metal left hand up her leg and placed it on her thigh. "And you're amazing at that so… I'll be fine…"

Gage said this as he raised his head off of his pillow, and watched as she rubbed their love-making parts together… and it made his heart beat with impatience as she was just playing with him. "A-And… d-don't tease me… because I know you just want me to get inside you right now too…"

"Hmph, fine… Hehe…."

He then tried to pull her ontop of him, and she just responded by laughing, and letting him cock slowly inside of her wet walls, that were still damp from her little figuring session from earlier. "Aah…. Y-Yes!" She moaned.

The blonde leaned her head back along with her body, and used the hands she had behind herself to prop her body up as she lowered herself, and let the rest of his cock enter her.

"Ohhh….."

All Gage did in this moment was put his hand behind his own head, and grab onto some of his own hair as he smiled, closed his eyes, and pulled Yang even closer while he sighed happily.

The blonde then began to move her body up and down, and she clenched her toes as she did so, along with her legs as they bent even more, and she continued to laugh tiredly and blush. She's been wanting this for hours, and now was finally her time… her moment to be serviced and royally fucked while she was on top, and he was on the bottom, happy to pleasure her…

She remained in her scissoring position with him, and just bit her lip as she closed one of her eyes again and she let her body grind against his, and until she was sure that he was balls deep inside of her. Then, she began to move her body up and down his cock with grace as her juices began to flow again…

"Hah, Hah…. Hehe… It feels good doesn't it Gage? *pant* ...Your reward after I get what I want…"

Yang began to pant and huff as she felt her pussy convulse, vibrate with pleasure, and become warmer and warmer as she heard the small sounds of liquid and their bodies squishing together slowly… and that was when her aura began to flare.

Her hair glowed vibrantly, and she gasped as she clenched onto the mattress as her and Gage stared Into each other's eyes while they continued to make love.

The colors Turquoise and Lilac stayed in line with one another for what felt like minutes, and they remained in each other's gaze as the ghost's member twitched and began to grow larger, as it stretched and was buried inside of her tight walls.

"I... I can't move…." Gage panted, and gasped as he moved his hands onto her knees, and caressed her calves. "It's so good…. *hiccup* ...B...But I want you closer Yang…"

His lover's eyes opened wide, and she nearly screamed as she felt Gage grab onto both of her thighs again, pushed her all the way down, and made her stay like that as her pussy's liquid poured all over his pelvis…

...So… she blinked, gritted her teeth, and panted with her boyfriend as she moved towards him with his cock still inside of her, and straddled him. "There Care-Bear…"

Yang now straddled him while her hands were both resting on his stomach, and she sat with her knees bent as Gage smiled, and moved his hands up her hips and gasped her sides. He then panted, wrapped his arms around her lower back, and looked up at her with a gaping mouth, and a quickly beating heart.

"*pant* *pant* ...I'm gonna be a mess after this…*hiccup* ...hehe…"

The blonde suddenly felt her body and waist be pulled towards him with his metal hand, and felt the other grab onto her left ass cheek as she blushed, and slammed her fist down onto his chest in protest,

"H-Hey! I… I-I'm suppose to be in control-M-Mmmph!"

And as she tried to begin to argue, Gage just pulled her forwards, and thrusted his pelvis upwards as he brought Yang into another deep, and passionate kiss as sge grasped both of his shoulders as hard as she could.

The moment their lips touched, the couple both closed their eyes, and moaned softly as the ghost squeezed his lover's body, and swabbed his tongue against hers in a show of his affection. And, she blushed as he felt both of his hands push her down further onto his cock.

Now… since she was just drawn to the feeling of him being inside of her, Yang gagged as Gage's tongue was still in her mouth and began to stroke her hips back and forth while her body just grinded and rubbed against his own while he chuckled, broke the kiss, and laid his head back down.

He dug his fingers into the skin of her ripe and now partially red ass… and it made her open her eyes in shock before she glared at Gage and whined as he started to thrust harder and harder… into her.

Yang continued to moan and immediately buried her head into the side of her lover's neck whilst he fucked her, and she now began to bounce up and down as she was on top of him, and his dick filled her wet walls completely as it was now starting to make her feel like her juices were blocked by his member… and that it was beginning to build up deep inside of her..

"O-O-O-h-h-h-h! ….Mmmm…."

Her body clapped against his louder and louder, and the feeling of her cum starting to leak out of her made the blonde bite down on the side of her boyfriend's neck as she continued to ride him with a force that made her lover's lower half become numb with the feeling of pleasure.

At this point, Yang's pussy was leaking and dripping all over her boyfriend's long and hard shaft… and he soon felt her snatch convulse, and began to feel like it was closing in on him… so he knew she was close.

It vibrated, and contracted with more of her substance as the rest of her vaginal muscles clenched around his cock… and she screamed as she felt his erection began to stretch her walls… and made her orgasm consume and overflow her body in what felt like an overzealous electrical current!

"Aaaah! Fuck, Gage I'm gonna cum!"

She screamed, and bounced up and down him uncontrollably as he gained control of her movements…. But then she pressed herself all the way down, and stared at him while she moved her hands up to his neck, and whimpered as she began to raise herself off of him…

"*pant* ...W...W-What?" Gage asked her tiredly, but with a bit more concern for what she was going to do. "I… I-Is there something wrong?"

Yang panted, rubbed her clit, and looked down at her lover as her pussy dripped frantically, and she scooched… over towards where his head was laying. "I… I want to feel your tongue… n-now!"

He placed his hands down on the mattress, and tried to back away as he stuttered and tried to get something out, but it was too late for him to do anything, as Yang just sat down on top of him, and made sure that his head was in between her legs

Gage felt all of her weight press down on him, and her thighs just squished and squeezed his head while he blushed uncontrollably, put his hands around her thighs, and tried his best to look up at her… but then he felt her opening brush against his lips.

"Y-Yen way nuuh!"

("Y-Yang wait no!")

But once he felt her juices seep into his mouth… and the warmth of her luscious thighs caressing his head, Gage cracked, and gave in to her demand as she looked down at him, crossed her arms behind her own head, and gasped as she felt his tongue extend and make it's way inside of her crevice.

"Aaah! J-Just a little bit more!"

The blonde put one of her hands on the back of his head and pulled him upwards again as she began to take long, and exasperated breaths while Gage just started to lick, lap, and kiss her pussy as delicately as he could as he tasted her juices as they dripped, and flowed onto his lips.

"Mmm!" He was struggling to breathe through his mouth at this point, and her juices now just continued to flow down his tongue while he… moaned in pleasure, and tried to suck down every last drop.

The substance was nearly intoxicating to him. And… it was coming out because of him. He was the reason her climax was about to hit, the reason why she was begging him to do such an act for her, and the reason she was moaning. This… was all because of him, so Gage took pride in tasting and swallowing her juices.

"Mmmaah! *pant ***** *pant ...I-I can't hold it any longer! ….*GASP!*"

The ghost closed his eyes again as she said that, and pulled down on Yang's thighs, causing his tongue to go as deep as it could inside of her…. And that was the final straw for the blonde.

Her pussy squelched with the few licks that came after that, and then Yang grasped Gage's head hard, opened her mouth, and screamed as loud as she could as she gave out, and came right as her lover's tongue was inside of her.

"...Aaaaah!"

Her cum sprayed and squirted all over him, and into his mouth as they moaned in unison, and Yang leaned her head back in pleasure, and covered her mouth with one hand as she drooled, and felt her body become drained of any strength, and it was refilled with ecstasy and bliss instead.

Gage closed his eyes and just took in the entirety of the taste and situation of her climax, and he finally pulled away from her with a smile on his face as he looked up at his beloved, and wiped off the deluge of her cum that stained his lips and chin…

"Hehe… _there's_ my warning…" He chuckled

Yang released him from the grasp her thighs had on his head, and she panted heavily while her pussy dripped even more of her liquid down onto the her boyfriend's chest. "*pant* ...Shut… *pant* ...up…"

She tried to lift her body again… but, her legs began to shake madly, so she could only scooch her body to the right, and lay down next to Gage on her belly while her head laid on the pillow next to him.

He finally let out a loud inhale and exhale as he too panted and gasped exhaustively, but with a grin and smirk on his face… that lasted only until he looked down at himself and saw that his penis was still fully erect from earlier. "...*pant* …*pant*...Aw shit…"

His lover moved her leg away from his side… and accidently brushed against it, and she let out a tired sigh, and a giggle as she turned her head, and looked at him as she let out another shaky breath,

"*exhale* ...You're hard again… aren't you?"

"*pant* ...I could just go in the bathroom, and… you know-"

"No!" Yang gasped as she put a hand on his chest, and purposely moved it back down to his waistline. "*pant* ...I've… I've still got some energy left in me… for you." She said, in between breaths.

Gage turned his head to look at Yang, and just gave her a stare that basically asked her, 'are you sure?' but, she reassured him, by brushing her hand down his waist, and to the base of his shaft,

"Heh…. *pant* ...You've been good to me tonight… so… I'll let you finish again how you want to…~"

He smiled, and continued to stare at her with tired eyes for only a few more seconds before he chuckled. "Heh… is this _my_ birthday or yours?" And panted as he leaned up off of the bed, and turned so he was hovering over her.

But the blonde was still on her belly…. And it gave him a wondrous opportunity, as he looked down at his lover… and ran his hand down her back.

Yang had her head on her pillow, laying her head on it's side so she could still look at Gage with one of her eyes with her hands on the rim of her pillow, and she shuddered as she felt Gage's metal hand brush… and caress her left ass cheek.

"O..Oh… y… you want to…"

Her stuttering caused Gage to just smile… lean his head down, and carefully bite down on that cheek, and it made Yang yelp while he moaned.

Then, he licked it, and grasped it before he exhaled, felt his member stretch, and become hard as she heard his breathing become even louder… and afterwards, he pressed his cock against her rear, and it made her moan under her breath.

"...*pant*...I'll be gentle." Gage said as he moved his hands up her body and delicately grasped her sides with another small pant.

Yang knew what it would feel like and how close he was to cumming again… so, she arched her back, clenched her pillow as hard as she could, and closed her eyes with one last blush while she still had a sense of clarity.

And when she was ready for her man to enter her, the blonde nodded, shut her eyes even more, and whined as she felt Gage's cock penetrate, and slowly be thrusted into her ass with a small gasp coming from the ghost,

"M-Mmm….mm… A...Aaaaah!"

Due to Gage's now drunkish control of himself, he did go in slowly… but put _ALL_ of himself into her on the first go, and it made her squirm, scream, and struggle to keep her back arched for him, since it had been so long since they've done anal.

He groaned in pleasure, and gave her another quick thrust, which caused her to moan and bite down onto the surface of her pillow, the feeling of his hard cock deep inside of her being both agonizing and incredible at the same time.

It filled her, and it kept pumping in and out. The ghost just stared down at her ass as he pounded slowly against it one last time before he began to speed up his thrusts, and he moved his hand up her back so he could move it down her side.. Grab the end of her tank top, and lifted it upwards, exposing her large breasts before she cried out, and pressed her body down against their mattress.

"*gasp!* *gasp!* *gasp!* *gasp!*'

Gage watched her rear bounce and jiggle in rhythm with the movement of his own body, and the knowledge that her ripe ass could take and sheath his cock entirely only made him open his mouth and growl as he push more and more inside his lover, testing the limits of her body.

"Oh... my… FUCK!" he shouted loudly.

They remained in the doggystyle position, and Yang eventually clenched her toes and felt her eyes begin to water while she screamed, gasped, and dug her nails into her now war torn pillow… all while Gage continued to hammer his cock into her ass over and over again, with her nipples and breasts now brushing continuously against the bed.

"*pant* ...Gage-It's-So-Much!"

The lovely sounds of Yang's ass slapping furiously against Gage's pelvis grew only ear-piercing after that, and she began to drool onto her pillow as she felt his metal hand grab, and squeeze her left breast hard, and then, he used his other to grab onto the back of her blonde hair, and he pulled it back as he growled, and pushed _EVERYTHING_ he had into her.

"Aaaaaah! -Mmmph!"

But as he retracted his cock, and slammed it back inside her, he pushed her head back down onto her pillow, and she nearly left claw marks into her pillow as she felt his precum flow through her anal cavity, and he used a lot more force on everything he was doing to her!

His cock moved faster, harder, and deeper, his pelvis cracked against her ass cheeks like a whip, and the grip on her tit increased ten fold as Yang began to moan loudly… but… her voice cracked, became shaky, and her eyes began to water as he just… overpowered her, and worked her body to it's breaking point.

Her moans became so muffled and uncontrollable… that it almost sounded like she was crying since her head was pressed down against her pillow, but she still blushed, and kept her one visible eye trained on her drunk boyfriend,

"Mmmph! *gasp!* ...Mmmph! *gasp!* ...Mmmph! *gasp!* ...Mmmph! *gasp!* ...Mmmmph!"

Gage began to slow down once he noticed her tone and how frantic it sounded… but before he could pull out and flip her around, his lover managed to push her head up, and yell at him through a shaky voice,

"*shaky gasp* ...Don't stop! Y...You're gonna finish on or in m-me!"

His face and moans said it all to her, how strained and sweaty his hands felt… he was holding it inside… so she wanted him to explode all over her now while she was still conscious,

"...N-NOW!"

Gage panicked because of her current state, and pulled both of his hands away so he could grip both of her ass cheeks as hard as he could, and forcefully pull her back and forth along his cock, as his climax was so intense now that his shirt was drenched in his sweat. "I-I'm there! J...J...Just a little bit more! -Aah!"

He felt himself give way then, as Yang pushed her body back, and his cock became entirely sheathed inside of her. Balls. Deep. Inside of her ass, and the feeling of his cock rubbing up all the way and the base filling her hole… caused the grip he had on his cum break, and he gave up on restraining his seed from becoming free.

Yang's pussy squirted her juices onto the mattress one last time as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, she stuck her tongue out, and she moaned loudly as she put her head down, and watched as she felt Gage's member twitch inside of her.

"SHIT, here it comes!"

He got one last hard thrust in as a last lick, and that was when he felt some begin to leak out, and into her cavern by accident, so he groaned, and finally pulled out of his lover's rear.

Then, Gage pulled out, let his cock hover right off her rear, and he began to stroke himself furiously as some of his seed began to drip out of him and onto her ass cheeks… and then the rest suddenly hit him, and he gasped loudly.

"*pant* *pant* ….F….F….FUCK!"

And Yang's patience was finally rewarded, as Gage stopped his stroking, and moaned loudly as one big rope of his jizz shot out of him, and landed on her lower back. But even more came after that.

A second and third rope sprayed onto her ass, and covered it in his white substance as she giggled and panted tiredly with a bright smile and blush on her face as she felt her boyfriend unload all over her back and rear.

A fourth rope then shot put, and went across her exterior and separated, with some of it even getting into the blonde's beautiful golden hair, and it made Gage laugh too as he just smiled.

The rest finally oozed out of him, and the remaining globs of that just fell and smeared all over Yang's rip e ass cheeks, and some it it even began to run down into her anal cavity.

"Hah… Hah… Hah… oh… oh my god… that was… *pant* ...amazing…"

Now he just stared down at his aftermath like it was a work of art. With his lover's body and rear being the canvas… and his cum being the paint. She was… just covered in it. And he was proud of it. So… as a last fitting gesture… he took his metal hand, and spanked the only side of her ass that wasn't totally covered in cum as hard as he could.

"*GASP* ….Aaah!" Yang yelped.

After that, Gage just took off his shirt, wiped all of his semen off of her with it, and threw it onto the floor as she finally gasped, and collapsed into a sweaty mess next to her, back into the same spot as before.

And now, their noise level began to fall along with their climax, and their sense of control over their drunken minds, despite them being that way almost entirely throughout their love making session.

The couple were now just laughing, panting and smiling at each other through watery red eyes, and Yang finally straightened her back out so it wasn't arched anymore, and she just laid on her side so she could face him.

She looked straight at him, placed her hand across his chest before moving it over to his heart, and smiling as it felt like it was about to explode, but Gage still made sure to keep himself awake for her. "*pant* ...Man… Heh, I could use another drink right about now…" He chuckled.

The blonde giggled with him, and also decided to pull off her now sweaty tank top, exposing her large breasts, and now the couple were both bare naked. "*pant* ...Well… *pant* ...the night's still young Care-Bear..." Yang replied, with another suggestive grin.

"Hehe… in that case..."

Gage then reached across to his nightstand, where their almost empty wine bottle was, and he grabbed it as he used his other hand to lightly push Yang so she was on her back. Next, the ghost chuckled, and looked down at her belly as he moved the wine bottle over to it, and tipped it as if to pour some onto her.

"W…*pant* ...W… What are you doing?" Yang asked him curiously.

He didn't reply, and proceeded to pour the remainder of the wine onto her belly before he licked his lips, leaned down, and licked the wine off of her…. And tried to lap the rest off and slurp it down, which made Yang giggle, as it felt ticklish!

"Hehehe! Hey, how come you get to eat off my body?~"

"Well… i've still got some whipped cream from that milkshake Yang… and i'm sure you know just where to lick that off of…"

She blushed, and hummed with delight as he hovered over her, and the blonde laid her head back onto her pillow as she closed her eyes, and bit her lip again.

"Awe ...You actually thought of me… you really are a sweetheart… Mmm..."

"...You know me Yang. Now… how about we finish off this night… like there's no tomorrow?~"

Yang laughed again, and just placed a hand on his shoulder as he moved his head back down, and licked her wine stained stomach once again, and now… they both just prepared themselves for the rest of their night of drunken love…

…

 **Later that Morning…**

…

The next morning, Gage's eyes opened feeling tired, and dry. He had a very noticeable headache, and his mouth was dry, but his body felt relaxed… despite being kind of sweaty. He was on his back, and could feel Yang's head on his chest, and her arms around his neck.

Their bed was messy and the blankets and pillows were strewn about, but they were still resting peacefully, and Gage just let out a relaxing sigh… but was wondering how he had his boxers on again, as Yang was still fully nude.

"*sigh* ...Well… that was a thing…" He said aloud to himself.

Yang's eyes then opened as she hummed, and she looked up at her lover, but squinted at him since she could feel her head pounding. "...Morning Slave…" She greeted him.

"Morning Master…" Gage replied with a smile.

She smiled back, and hugged him harder as she groaned, and closed her eyes. Her head pressing even more against his bare chest. "Mmm… that was fun… but my head's killing me…." She whined.

"Hehe, yeah i expected that. Just don't get that drunk during a romantic dinner again… okay?"

"...Okay… i won't." She mumbled.

He felt her warmth, and let out another relaxing sigh as wrapped his metal hand around her lower back, and pulled their blanket up to cover them both as he leaned forward, and kissed the top of Yang's head before laying back down onto his pillow again. "...Thanks."

The blonde nodded, and he just responded by brushing some of her hair back behind her ear, and just smiled at the feeling of her head being cradled into the side of his neck again. "So… want me to call Ruby and ask her to push your little party back a few hours?" He asked her.

"...Yes please… i can't feel the lower half of my body… So, i just want to sleep more with you..."

Her voice was cute, tired, and innocent all in one cute tiny little tone, and it made Gage become pleased that she was actually back to being her old lazy self during the morning, so he finally laid his head back down onto his pillow, and just stared up at the bunk that was above them both,

"…Whatever you want Taiyo-Chan…"

She didn't gasp, breath, sigh, or giggle. All she did after he said that, was give his neck a tiny little kiss as she smiled, and said those three little words to him. "...I love you…"

"...I love you too…"

Yang just followed up as she gave him a tiny half giggle, and still kept her tired arms around his neck snugly as he held her close, and he didn't try to keep her awake. Because with him, if sleep was what she wanted, then it was sleep she would receive. Today was her actual birthday after all... Hey…. wait a second,

"Oh wait, i almost forgot…"

The couple's eyes both opened once the ghost spoke again, and Yang looked up at him once more with a peaceful exhale escaping from her lips. "Whu-Mmmph!"

But as soon as she opened her mouth, Gage pulled her closer,and captured her lips in a quick and gentle little kiss that made his girlfriend gasp.

Once she processed the feeling of his lips pressing against her own and his arms holding and hugging her body, she laughed quietly, and kissed him back with a tiny moan before he pulled away, stared into her eyes…. And said another set of three special words to his one and only love…

"...Happy Birthday Yang!"


	23. The Birthday Bar Fight: Prelude

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Back here again with another new chapter, and it's officially Yang's birthday! What will Gage have in store for her? Another romantic night on the town, or just a bunch of tiny gifts that will express his love for her… or something else? Who knows! All I can tell you is that… it ain't what you're expecting. Hehe.

Oh, and DESERTION: PART TWO JUST HIT 20,000 VIEWS! Thank you guys so much!

 **Author's Fun Fact #3:** So funny enough, when I started this chapter about Yang's birthday, my own Birthday passed. Nov. 26th to be exact. And if you look back at Chapter 2 of this, I had Yang reveal that Gage's birthday was also November 26th back when he was in the hospital, which is the same day as mine!

 **Song:** Young & Beautiful by L.D.R.

(Also sorry if I decide to make this a small chapter. Been playing a lot of Titanfall 2 and got a lot of other stuff going on at the moment, and I might just have a total fluff overload with this! Enjoy!)

…

"~Happy Birthday dear Yang... Happy Birthday to you!~"

Singing, clapping, and laughing could be heard inside of Team RWBY's dorm at this one moment, as Gage, Yang, and the rest of their friends fit themselves into the tiny dorm, and sat around the bunk that Blake and the blonde brawler shared.

Yang was sitting on Blake's bed as the table that she and Gage were using the day before was in front of her, and had a giant vanilla and cheesecake flavored birthday cake with eighteen candles in it on top of the plate!

Her boyfriend was sat next to her,and Ruby was on the other side as JNPR, again since SSSN were currently on a small inner-city mission, was sat on Weiss's bed facing her, all smiling at the now eighteen year old Yang.

Gage had his speaker playing in the background… and it was currently playing one of his more favorite songs. _Fall For you_ by _Secondhand Serenade._

~The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting... It couldn't be that we have been this way before…. I know you don't think that I am trying… I know you're wearing thin down to the core…~

~But hold your breath… Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you… Over again… Don't make me change my mind… Or I won't live to see another day,  
I swear it's true… Because a girl like you is impossible to find… You're impossible to find….~

She smiled happily as Gage had his one arm around her, as he wasn't wearing his prosthetic, and he just gave her a kiss on the cheek as she leaned down towards her cake, and blew out all the candles with a blush. "Happy Birthday!" He whispered.

Nora of course took a picture with her scroll, and Weiss and Blake couldn't help but crack a smile as they were standing next to the bed Gage, Yang, and Ruby were sat on, looking over at the couple with caring eyes.

Yang was holding an icepack against her forehead, and continued to smile despite her small hangover still kicking as she looked at everyone in the room, and laughed with them,

"Thanks everyone! I'm glad you're all happy that i'm the second oldest out of all of you now! Hehe!"

"And i'm still the youngest!" Ruby joked along with her.

They continued to laugh for a little while, while Nora was still taking pictures of the couple, and soon they all began to dig into her birthday cake as they tried to make use of the small dorm room.

They let Ren have the first piece obviously because of the last time he was around a cake, at Gage's party, and everyone else made use of it. Even Pyrrha started to basically spoon feed it to Jaune, and Gage did the same to Yang, despite his one arm.

Weiss was hesitant to try it because she had some candle wax in her frosting, and Blake just set her cake down as she sat in her desk chair again to face the couple… but still with that suspicious notebook of hers, occasionally looking up from behind it as she tried to write or draw in it inconspicuously...

Everyone else ate cake and looked over at all the yellow streamers and banner they put around the room for Yang, until Nora looked over to the wrapped presents that were behind the couple and Ruby… and they made her look at Gage and shout,

"Hey, since we already sang the song, how about we let Yang open her presents? AND WATCH YOU OPEN GAGE'S FIRST?!"

Her voice boomed and echoed over everyone else's, and the couple both blushed as Gage smiled nervously, and let Yang hold her plate and fork. "H-Hehe… Okay Nora. If that's what Yang wants…" He half stuttered, even though he was prepared.

Yang turned to her lover, and stared at him with loving eyes as she answered, "Yes, please Gage?!" So… he proceeded to get up, sigh, lean down, and kiss the top of her head as she laughed, and he looked over at her present pile.

"*sigh* ...Okay Yang… but give me a hand, you know, since i'm missing one at the moment!"

She rolled her eyes at his crude little joke, and turned around so she could look back at all three of the presents, which had a sticker on it that simply said, _From Gage_.

Two of them were shaped weirdly and felt… squishy, while the last one was small, thin, and square shaped, but was still wrapped in white and yellow wrapping paper, with a black ribbon or bow to top it off!

"Aww, they look so cute!" Ruby cooed.

Pyrrha sat down and began to watch Yang, and Jaune and Ren both stood there and glanced a bit until they noticed Nora's glare aimed towards them both.

Then, as they both let out a nervous chuckle, Gage looked at the presents, and took the square shaped one away with a smile,

"Here. Start with those two, I know you'll love them!"

"They're squishy… it's not like… lingerie, is it Gagey?~"

"P-Pfft, what?!" He exclaimed, with a blush as everyone did the same, but with tiny smiles that were accompanied with a few chuckles throughout the room. "N-No! I swear, it's something sweet! Something… with a name that may seem familiar?"

"Hmm… a name…"

Ruby of course had some insight on what Gage had gotten her due to him being a bit giddy before the party, so she covered her mouth, and whined. "Ohhh, just open it Yang!"

"Okay, Okay little sis…"

She gave Gage another quick glance, and she grinned as she reached down towards one of the presents, and tore the wrapping paper off of it. The paper didn't rip away easily though, so she just struggled to tear it open, but when she did…. She gave Gage a weird look. At first.

When the paper let loose and was finally removed… she looked down at her gift, and saw that it was… a stuffed bear with brown fur, and it had a… red heart on its belly… that said _Gage_ in the middle of it.

"...You got me a stuffed bear?"

"NO! It's a _Care-Bear!_ " Gage replied, trying to make it seem like it was the biggest pun of his life that he's been sitting on forever.

The whole room went into an awkward silence for a few brief moments… but… ironically, Weiss was the first to snicker, and that created a domino effect that caused everyone else to laugh at the ghost, but Yang, who just looked awestruck by his words.

All she did, was take the stuffed Tenderheart bear out of its paper, and raise it above her head before she gave it a great big ole hug while Gage blushed madly, but still smiled,

"Yeah! Hehe…. Cuz nothing beats seeing an armless nineteen year old guy, without any kids, walk into a Build-A-Bear alone for his girlfriend…"

"Gage! That's so smart of you!" Pyrrha cooed, in her own weird way, as she looked over at him, and Yang just laughed at her response. "Hehe… yeah it is!" The blonde giggled with a blush.

Nora squealed along with Ruby,and just started to take pictures with her scroll like she was a professional photographer, and luckily she didn't have the flash on.

The ghost rolled his eyes, and cheekily blushed as used his one hand to scratch the back of his head, and hesoon nodded towards the second bigger present that was on Yang's lap. "You've still got another to open…"

"You got me two? Heh, is this one me?"

"...Maybe…." He replied.

The blonde just shook her head with another smirk, and unwrapped the second gift as fast as she could, and of course, it was another Care Bear!

The only difference, was that this was a yellow one. A sunshine bear to be exact, that was bright yellow, and it had a small sun on its belly, which had the name _Yang_ in center of it, in bright white letters!

Yang gasped and laughed as she had both of the bears in her hands, and became embarrassed that she was freaking out like this over stuff animals like she would when she was a child, but this meant more to her than that. Because… it was _them_. In her mind.

Deep down she never thought Gage really enjoyed her nicknames as much as she did, and the little running gag they had about this whole bear thing, but those bears reassured her that he loved it, and now she had something to hold onto when he wasn't around!

"Heh….. I love you Gagey." She stated, in slow voice as she turned towards him, and set the two bears next to her on the bed.

"Ah Ah Ah!" He exclaimed in a teasing manner with a smile and an outstretched finger. "You've still got two more to go… well, three. Sorta."

"Oh? What's next then?"

"Got you a little something I wanted to show you yesterday when we were dancing… but I thought it'd be better like this."

Gage said that, and handed her the small thin square shaped gift with yet another smile as he tapped on it, and she took it from him with a smile already, since she was already guessing that it had to do with music.

She held the gift, and pulled back the wrapping paper…. But while she did that, Gage looked over her, and at Ruby as he started to point frantically under the bed she was sitting on.

Ruby jumped at first, and soon reached under her bed to pull out… Ember Celia's right gauntlet, and… what looked to be the skeleton of an arm bracer, that just had two clip-on bands, and three blades attached to it. One on the bottom, and two on the top of the front clip-on band's right and left corners.

Yang was still distracted by the gift her lover handed her although, and she tore off the paper to reveal that it was indeed a music album, but it was Bruno Mar's most recent one! So she rightfully internally screamed like a girl, and kicked her feet outwards a bit,

"Oooh, Bruno's new album! Thank youuu, I've been wanting to listen to this!"

She peeled off the plastic covering, and just opened up the case so she could see the disc, and she closed it soon after as Gage grinned at her, and placed his one hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we can try to dance to _Treasure_ later. Hehe." He chuckled.

"...Really?"

"Yeah! I mean… it is what you are...~"

Pyrrha, Nora, and Ruby all collectively cooed, even though the small team leader was trying to hide the things in her hand from her older sister, and they all watched as Yang closed the CD case, and put it next to her two bears.

"You really do know me well…"

He was feeling unbelievably cheeky at the moment, since he's never really been the center of attention with his group of friends alone, because usually the focus was him and Yang… but not this time, and it made him begin to sweat a little bit, "H-Hehe…"

She just giggled at his red face, and ran her hand up his only arm gently as she let her eyes droop, and her lilac orbs looked up into his turquoise eyes, "So… is that all Care-Bear?~"

"N-No… actually. " He started, as Ruby waved from behind Yang, and Weiss tried not to snicker at her blonde teammate's cluelessness, "Ruby, if you would…"

That made his girlfriend turn to face her younger sister, and Ruby let out a tiny laugh as she held out Ember Celica's right gauntlet to it's rightful owner, and Yang squinted her eyes at what was in her other hand.

Ruby just let Yang take the gauntlet, and the small girl held out the tiny blade attachment in her own hands as the blonde stared at it. "Ember Celica? ...And… what's that thing?" She asked her sister.

"It's a present from me and Gage…. He came up with the idea, and i just helped him make it! So… here Yang!"

The blonde brawler glanced back at her boyfriend, and he just brushed past her so he could take the attachment out of the small rose's hands, and held it up so she could get a more clear view of it. "It's… an attachment i thought up of. For if you run out of ammo, or want to be discreet." He told her.

"...For my gauntlet? ...That's… really smart. But, how does it work?" She asked him.

"Well… put the thing on first, and _then_ put on Ember Celica… here, let me help you."

Gage took the small bracer skeleton, and placed it under Yang's right wrist so the front clip on brace went around her wrist, and the second one went around the center of her forearm. Next she clipped the bracers so it would stay in place, and then, they placed Ember Celica over it, as it was in it's small bracer/bracelet form.

"Like this?" Yang asked him, trying to keep her fingers straight in case the blades suddenly extended, and Gage gave her a small nod as a response. "Yup, now...turn Ember Celica into its combat form."

"Okay…"

She balled her fist, and soon the gauntlet started to form, with the bracelet growing and stretching all the way down to her forearm as the shotgun rounds around it could be seen, and finally the front stretched, and went over her knuckles. Forming the gauntlet.

However, at the same time she did that, she didn't notice the new slits Ruby and Gage made for the two top blades to sink into when they were not being used, and luckily for them, their design was compatible with Ember Celica, and Yang thought the little addition was comfortable.

"So… what next?"

"Next… just bend your wrist back to test the bottom blade."

"Alright…"

Yang did this, and the blade below her wrist immediately shot out, and it made Ruby and everyone else jump as it extended, and she turned her hand so she could look at it clearly as it was pointing straight up into the air from the sheath under her wrist,

"*SCHUCK!*

Everyone gasped, and even Weiss and Blake looked up at it with her mouths agape, and Jaune was honestly looking at it with hearts in his eyes, along with Ruby… who was secretly kind of jealous. "Wow!" The blonde exclaimed.

"Don't get to the reactions yet, there's still the other stuff i have to show you! Like the pivot blade, and the turbine function."

His words were confusing everyone at this point, except for Ruby, so Yang just decided to ask about the first thing he mentioned that intrigued her. "Pivot Blade?"

Then suddenly, Yang accidentally stretched her hand back more, and the blade stretched all the way out of the sheath that was under her wrist, and it traveled along a tiny rail that ended in the middle of her palm as the blade… turned on it's side… and the blonde noticed that it had a grip on it as well.

"The blade can stretch out into your hand, and it'll let you rotate the blade up to ninety degrees, so you can use it like a regular knife! And it turns, so you can hold it either like a hammer, or an icepick."

Ren was now crossing his arms at Yang, with a cool smirk that was aimed towards the addition's creators. "Hmhm, Even i feel a bit jealous Yang." He chuckled.

She looked down at it, and used two of her fingers to tilt, and turn the blade a bit before she gripped it, and smiled, with Ren's remark feeling being part of the reason. "I'm not a girl to use knives… but yeah. This thing's making me want to start practicing!" Yang replied.

"And you bet i'll be there to teach you." Gage said with a happy little smile on his face, "But i'm still not done. I haven't even showed you the other two blades yet!"

He then held the knife and evened it out again before he pushed it back down so the bottom blade wasn't in it's pivot blade form, and it was placed back in it's regular form. After that, Yang suddenly noticed that the tip of the small railing where the pivot knife would rotate was still there, and Gage bent Yang's middle and index finger down against it's rounded tip,

"Here. Now, use your fingers and pull that up until you hear a click."

She did just that, and right after Yang did, the front end of Ember Celica lifted up from her knuckles, and two more blades shot out, creating some sort of…. Tri-bladed gauntlet out of her beloved weapon!

"Holy crap!" Yang shouted as she covered her mouth, and let her fingers relax. "That's awesome! No Grimm could get up from one of my hooks with this!"

"Hehe… you could maybe even drill a hole through them too," Gage added, a little bit quietly so she couldn't hear as he reached for the front end of her gauntlet.

"What was that?"

"...Just watch what happens next!"

The ghost then grabbed the front, and pulled it back until there was a sudden shifting sound, and the couple both just watched as all three of the blades extended outwards, and… pieces of metal came out of the side of each blade, and formed a small metallic ring that connected all the blades together, and then they began to spin rapidly!

Yang felt the blades twist and turn above her knuckles, and she became kind of nervous considering how fast the blades were moving, Gage was feeling a bit worried himself, so he didn't let them go too fast until he decided to show her how to reset it.

Luckily for Yang, the small rali was still in her palm, so he smiled, and just pointed at it, "And to make it stop, just push the front of Ember Celica back down so it's placed like how it was before." He directed her.

She gave him a nervous, "M-Mmhm!" And hastily did what he told her to do. She used her other hand to pull the front end of her gauntlet back down so it covered her knuckles like before, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the blades stopped turning, and were still once again.

"There we go!" Gage cheered.

"H-Hehe…. Yeah, i don't think i'm ready for _that_ thing just yet, but it's still really, really cool Gage….-and Ruby!"

Her boyfriend and younger sister just stood next to each other and smiled as they stood next to each other, and just thanked the blonde in return. "Thank you!"

"No, thank you!"

Everyone else just gave them all a small round of applause, and Yang figured out how to deactivate the hidden blades by herself by just pushing the small railing that was hovering over her palm all the way back down until it clicked, and it was pushed back into the under part of her gauntlet, which got rid of the top two blades.

Then she just evened out her wrist, and the blade under her wrist was finally retracted, and after that, she finally deactivated Ember Celica so it was back in its old bracer form, and unable to hurt anyone.

"This is… really, really smart of you guys to make for me… now i can block blades more easily without getting cut or having the paint scratched off of Ember Celica."

"Well, you're my cool gal Yang, and a cool gal deserves cool things! Hehe." Gage chuckled as the blonde began to take off her gauntlet, and new present. "But… yeah. If i could figure out some cool other gadgets that could go along with your style, i'll definitely try to make them… If Ruby is up to help me."

Ruby just giggled, and lightly punched the ghost's shoulder before she put her hands on her hips with puffed cheeks, "Yeah i will, but you better make me something for my next birthday Gage! Something cool like that thing!"

"Hehe, yeah i'll try Ruby."

They all then let out a tiny laugh… until Nora of course snapped one more photo, and everyone else began to join in, Weiss only a little bit, and Blake barely although.

Yang smiled and just hugged Gage's arm so it was against her chest, and she nuzzled her own head against his shoulder as she laughed, and let out a small sigh… but that was until she suddenly felt her scroll vibrate, and her ringtone, the song _I Burn!_ By _Casey Lee Williams_ began to play aloud,

~I burn! Can't hold me now! You got nothing that can stop me- I burn!  
Swing all you want! Like a fever I will take you down!-~

She panicked to make the music stop, so she took out her scroll to see that it was in fact her father Taiyang who was calling, and she jumped at the sight of his contact. "Oh, crap!" She whispered.

"What is it?" Gage asked her.

Yang turned to him first, but then looked at everyone else, as she was thinking about leaving the room… since phone and video calls with her dad usually ended up being a tad embarrassing for her and Ruby.

"Uh, hey i'll be right back you guys! My dad's calling me, so yeah, I'm going to go outside for a few minutes!"

She then gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek before she sauntered over to her dorm's door, opened it, and went out into the hallway. "Tell Dad i said hi Yang!"

"I will!"

Gage chuckled to himself, and picked up the plate of cake he had put down earlier… but hesitated to eat it, as… he still had one thing to actually give or… tell her about before the day was over, but he couldn't do it with Team JNPR in the room… as it involved his and Team RWBY's most recent find at Bolin peak.

So, he took his cake with him, and put his foot in the door before it could close and looked back at everyone too before he could go after her,

"I-I'll be back in a second too! Just gotta… give Yang her private birthday kiss!"

Weiss shook her head at his 'excuse', since she knew what he was doing, and the heiress just waved him out the door with a tiny smirk that formed across her lips, "Oh, Go get her, ' _tiger_ '. Hehe…" She replied, in a mocking tone of course.

The ghost rolled his eyes to her response, and with that, he exited the RWBY dorm, closed the door behind him before he noticed that Yang was already gone, and decided to head back down to the lobby of the dorm building in an attempt to follow her…

…

Yang was now standing out in front of the dorm building as the sun finally started to shine through the grey sky above, and it made her kind of sad at the realization that winter was finally over, but she still smiled, and called her father, as she missed his first call while she was coming back down from her dorm.

She called back Taiyang as soon as she was outside, and she smiled as he answered with his usual loud and heartfelt voice almost instantly. "Happy Birthday Yang!"

"Hahaha! Hi dad! Sorry I didn't answer right away, didn't want to have to talk over all my friends inside…. I'm having a bit of a party right now by the way."

Tai just chuckled, and let out a relaxing sigh as he hear how normal her voice was again…. Compared to the last time he called her. "It's alright Yang…. But man, I can't believe my little sunny dragon is eighteen now!" He chuckled.

Yang blushed, and brought her scroll closer to her ear, as to not let anyone else hear his little nickname for her. "H-Hehe… i know right? Soon enough you'll have to teach me how to be, 'responsible'. And all that." She joked.

"Yeah, hehe. Just remember i'll still let you stay with me after you graduate, for as long as you need to!"

"Thanks Dad, but hopefully me and Gage will be moved in together by then!"

Taiyang rolled his eyes on the other end, but still grinned at the fact that she was confident in her relationship to last that long. Just like he was. "Oh yeah, how is _the boyfriend_ , anyway?"

"He's fine." She answered as she rubbed her arm, a little nervously with a blush, since she began to think about the night prior… and what they did,"...Y-You should have seen what he did for me yesterday. H-He uh… fixed up his room for me, and even made a romantic dinner for just the two of us!"

"Well, it's good to hear he's treating you right. I just hope i don't have to worry about Ruby bringing home a 'guy friend' anytime soon…" He replied, with a small amount of humor in his tone.

Yang laughed, and shook her head, thinking of who would be the poor sucker that'd have to feel her overprotective wrath for the first time. "Haha, well, she isn't bringing anyone home unless i give you the all clear. Because anyone who wants to get with her is going to have to work for it. I'll make sure of that!"

"I know you will Yang. You're not my little girl anymore. Now, you're just my little woman!"

She was about to reply but… stopped herself for some reason, and closed her eyes before she let out another tiny sigh, and began to speak to her father in a… appreciative voice. That was sweet, and peaceful to Tai's ears,

"*sigh* ...Thank you." The blonde whispered to him, almost shakily, as she's been wanting to hear those words from him since she was actually sixteen years old...

"...I'm… so happy to hear that. Since… you know, a lot's happened in the last few months. And i know it's hard for you to think about me experiencing those things, like… what happened to Gage… and how i was afterwards. I'd think it'd feel like how i saw Ruby fight against the Grimm a few months ago back during the Vale breach… and how different she really was than when she was like five, hehe… because well… she grew up. Like i did."

"And now i'm here, training for the future with her, the love of my life, and the greatest friends i've ever had... because you let me do it. You believed in me and pushed me to train and work my hardest to get here, and it was worth it. Every single second… because now… i think this is the happiest i've ever been in my life so far... "

"...So yeah… thank you Dad, for saying that to me... Because now i know that you still want to me go further in this great big world."

The other line remained silent for almost a minute after she said that, and all Yang could hear with the static sound of the background noise from her father's end of the call.

It was so quiet, that she even thought he hung up from the overload of emotions she put into her thank you,and had to collect himself… but, she looked down at her scroll and saw that the call was still going on.

She was about to ask him if he was there, but she heard a small shaky exhale come from Taiyang as she opened her mouth, and he chuckled as a way to distract himself from how he was truly feeling.

Like… he was finally letting go of her,

"*exhale* ...Yang, you know that it's what i've always wanted for you and Ruby. And i've been ready for this day for a long time… it just hit me a lot harder than i expected! But, i'm still happy for you! And no matter what happens or what choice you make… just know that i'll always support you in your time of need. Because you know… I'm your dad. It's what I'm suppose to do. And I love you."

He sounded both encouraging and shaky at the same time… and it made Yang so happy on the inside, that she hummed and giggled with a warm voice as she exhaled, and wiped her eye a little bit. "Thank you. So much." She thanked him again.

"You're welcome Yang… just, keep shining bright like how you always do. For me, Gage, and Ruby. Okay?"

"I will… *sniffle* ...Hehe. No matter what!"

They both laughed at each other again, and sighed once more, as Tai thought it would be better to end the call before it got anymore feely. "Alright then. Now, why don't you go head back to your party? Don't want your friends to think you're a daddy's girl now do ya? Hehe." He teased his daughter.

"*snicker* ...Okay Dad. I will. Love you!"

"Love you too Yang… and Happy Birthday!"

Yang giggled one last time with her father, and he finally ended the call. Then, as she was still giggling, she put her scroll away, and sighed yet again as she looked up at the now clear sky and bright sun that seemed like it was also smiling at her.

She stared at it and began to think about her future for a few minutes after that, and she even thought that... This great day and beautiful looking sky was a sign, that the days to come were to be filled with love, warmth, and happiness… Just the usual same old for the blonde brawler… but still, she loved it nonetheless.

The blonde looked at the glorious day for a few more minutes, and was about to turn back into the dorm building to go back up to her Team's dorm to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend, little sister, and the rest of her friends… but then Gage suddenly came out of the front entrance, and gave Yang a small wave as he made his way over to his girlfriend.

"Hey Yang. You're not still talking to your Dad right now, are you?"

"Oh, no. I was just… enjoying the view out here for a few minutes… Care to join me?"

He looked up at the sky, and smiled as he saw the sun as well, but he then moved his attention back towards his lover, as he was worried about them being interrupted by something else distracting on this wonderful day. "Sure thing, i was kind of hoping to get you by yourself again anyway…"

"And why's that, Care-Bear?~" She asked him, with a smirk.

"Well... it's because i've wanting to tell you about something else. It's erm… kind of a surprise actually."

She then raised her eyebrows, and crossed her arms, as she saw that Gage had his Collector's scroll out, and had it at his

side… almost like he was waiting to use it for some reason. "What Is it?" The blonde asked him.

The ghost smiled… and chuckled to himself as he raised the device up, and waved it at her as the image that she had captured of Raven was on the screen, and he just looked at it afterwards as he lowered it again.

"Well, I thought that you've waited long enough with _this_ in your scroll's gallery… so… I kinda made preparations for when you'd want to go and investigate it."

Yang's mind went blank the minute he showed her the photo, but she gasped internally once she read his lips. "W… What kind of preparations Gage?" She asked him.

She said this as she took a large and immediate step towards him, and her action made his grin grow even larger altogether, "I managed to ask two of my friends who were interested to help us out in Vale, AND, they're ready to go whenever!"

"*gasp* ...Really?! That's great! When do you think we can go meet them?"

Her boyfriend jumped at her sudden enthusiasm, and was thinking that she was actually interested in going to investigate _that_ day… which, he unknowingly guessed right. "U-Um… whenever you want to I guess." He answered her.

Yang's mouth was hanging agape with small smile on her lips until he told her that, and then, once he answered her, the blonde's eyes shone with determination, along with her hair, which now was glowing almost as bright as the sun that was high in the sky.

And Gage knew what her next question was going to be about… or command rather, since he knew how she was when her aura, eyes, and hair reacted like that.

So… he put his scroll away, moved closer to his girlfriend, and used both his regular and metal hand to grasp her two hands, but as he went to ask her what she wanted to do… Yang looked up into his turquoise eyes, and squeezed his palms with everything she had in her.

"Gage… if that's the case, then… I want to go. Right now."

"...Are you sure Yang? I mean… what If the rest of your Team wants to come along-"

"Then I'll tell them it's a just a me and you thing… another little… 'trust experiment'. Since they already know all about my overprotectiveness of you."

She then gave him another loving stare, and placed her hands on his upper chest as she smiled again, and saw that he was about to try and voice some other concern… so she shushed him immediately with a finger that was placed against his lips, and she giggled as well.

"Gage… it's just a little club visit, what's the worst that could happen?" She asked him, playfully.

Gage looked away from her for a few seconds with an unsure expression at first… but… after a little bit of thinking, and a little bit of persuasion the blonde's lilac eyes were giving him, the ghost caved in, and just shut his eyes at his own weak resistance against Yang's puppy dog eyes…

"*sigh* ...Alright Taiyo-chan. Then I guess it's finally our time to shine!"

Yang's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she gasped and squealed with glee after she heard his answer, because as of now, she was finally finding her way back down the trail her mother had left behind after eight months of silence.

So, as a final act of love and appreciation before their next operation, the blonde threw herself towards her boyfriend, wrapped him in one of her big old fashion bear hugs, and raised a fist into the air, towards the bright horizon that was shining down upon them both,

"Yeah! Let's do this Care-Bear!"


	24. The Birthday Bar Fight

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Hehe, I'm so happy it's December now, because now i can go back and read the Christmas/Winter arc and have it be relevant XD. I swear, I'm just gonna play All I Want For Christmas and other Holiday shit on a loop and re-read all of Part Two up to chapter 22 for fun, And you can too!

Anyway, got another big chapter here for you all, (The now current biggest one so far XD) And all I can promise with this one are some familiar faces, another dose of plot and stuffs… and for another new addition to Yang! ...Even if it doesn't seem like much! So make sure to leave a review on how you felt about this whole plot I have going so far! But besides that, I hope you enjoy!

Also sorry in advance but i have to get this out of the way, a lot of stuff just go revealed this past week so… Holy shit! Walking Dead Season 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, and the Telltale Series, Spider Man: Homecoming, and FUCKING THE LAST OF US PART 2! SO MUCH HYPE!

 **Song:** Promises by Nero

…

Gage and Yang were in Gage's dorm, and were preparing to head across into Vale, where Emile was suppose to pick them both up, along with a partner, and head over into the bad side of town.

They were already close to finishing up their preparations, as the ghost was already dressed in his Spectre outfit, with his black sherpa fur lined suede jacket, and he was currently putting Mistletoe on his back while he let it's gun-strap rest against his chest.

"By the way Yang, you don't have to bring Bumblebee along. I asked them to pick us up from air station." He told her.

Yang was putting on… something new, and she responded with a smile as she looked back at him. "*sigh* ...Good. I hate bringing her over on the bad side of town…"

The blonde said that, and pulled up one of the black stockings that she was wearing before she finally stood up, and turned to her lover with one hand on her hip.

She was wearing a short white sleeveless pirate\colonial-esque ruffled blouse that slightly exposed her midriff and cleavage with a black corset over that with straps that also went over her shoulders, her black fingerless gloves, her black short shorts, black combat boots with golden eyelets, and of course the black stockings she was wearing with her symbol that went up to her mid-thigh area, with straps that went all the way to her short shorts on both sides of her two legs.

Another outfit to be named and to be added to her wardrobe!

Gage had to take a double take as he sat up from the foot of his bed, and smiled sheepishly at what she was wearing… as he thought she looked irresistible in it, and she could tell easily from the look on his face.

"Hehe… you like it? I thought since you started walking around in a new outfit, that I should too."

"Hmm…~"

The ghost smirked, and approached his lover as he put both of his arms around her lower back as he pulled her closer to himself, causing her to crack a smile while she returned the embrace by placing her two hands atop his shoulders,

"...I love it. So much… that i think i'd be lying if i said i didn't want to pin you to that wall behind you right now…" Gage whispered flirtatiously, with his eyes staring back into hers.

Yang blushed of course, but kept up with his act still, as she giggled at him playfully before she took a step back, and placed a hand against his chest, "Hmhm… i would've let you if you noticed me five minutes ago… so maybe later tonight… if you're a good boy.~"

He then changed his expression instantly, and let go of her as he pointed at the blonde, and started to laugh. "See! Like a dog, i am your pet!"

She puffed her cheeks despite her tiny smile, and crossed her arms with a red face while she pressed her back against their front door. "N-No you're not!"

"Hey, i'm not complaining Yang."

"*sigh* ...Shush. Now come on 'tiger,' let's get going while the sun's still up!"

Gage snickered, and followed as she opened the door while she put on her gauntlets, and after he went out the door first, the blonde left soon after, and shut the door behind her before they started to walk towards the landing pads.

…

 **Later…**

…

Now, the couple were both standing on the sidewalk that was in front of the air station the ship they were on landed at, and they were waiting to be picked up.

They both looked visibly bored… as Gage was looking at his feet and occasionally looked up, and scanned the road in front of them for a car or van while Yang was just playing with the new blade attachment for Ember Celica's right gauntlet.

"Hmm-Hmm-Hmm… Hmmhmm…~"

She hummed, and just stared at her right hand as the blade kept shooting out and retracting back into her gauntlet… though, she seemed to not pay attention to her fingers after about a minute of doing that, and Gage grew a little nervous…

"Y-Y… Yang, don't play with it like that."

"Sorry… i'm just bored…"

However, their boredom seemed to have finally come to an end, as Gage looked to his left, and saw a light silver truck, a Ford F-150, suddenly drive past where they were, before it went in reverse, and parked right in front of them.

It parked, and the couple both took a step back so they could try to look through it's windows to see who were in the front two seats… but, the windows were tinted as well.

"Uh… hello?" Gage asked as he tried to look through.

Nothing happened at first for almost a minute, but then...the passenger window lowered, as it was facing them, and the sound of… Jon Bellion playing through the car's radio made the couple jump.

And once the window finally lowered, a familiar face popped out from it, and leaned out the car to give them both a big smirk, with a little bit of a laugh. And this person, was in fact Jackson Wesson!

"Hey lovebirds, long time no see! Well… not actually." He greeted them, and it caused Yang to laugh a little bit.

Gage crossed his arms and forced himself to smile as he turned to Yang, and tried not to look at Jackson, even though he was basically inches away from being able to breathe down his neck…

"Yang I… thought about when you said that I should 'fix things between us', so… I asked him to come along…." The ghost said quietly.

Jackson was still hanging there of the window with a smirk, and watched Gage as Emile tried to peek put from behind Jackson's head, "...And I'm here too. Now get in."

"Alright. And cool ride Em!" Yang said to the Collector.

"Hehe, thanks Yang."

Yang winked at him, and Jackson smiled in return before Gage just opened the door to the two back seats for his girlfriend, and they both climbed into the truck.

Emile hummed, and waited for the door to close again, and when it did, he turned his truck back onto the road.

The blonde scooted to the left seat and sat behind Emile while the ghost sat behind Jackson, and watched as the hunter eased back into his seat.

But then, Gage also noticed that he had his trusty auto-rifle Khovostov in between his legs… and the sight of it made him squint his eyes at Jackson,

"Jesus… are you expecting some heavy resistance Jackson?" The ghost asked him.

"The bad side of Vale's always dangerous. I just thought this could scare off anyone who would try to size us up…"

Yang sighed, and looked over at the auto rifle with another smile, admiring the weapon from afar. "Jeez… why can't Weiss bring us stuff like _that_ from Atlas?"

"Her father was kinda worried about giving Weiss Myrtenaster at first, so I'd think he would freak out if she asked Ironwood for a high-tech rifle." Jackson replied, rather quickly.

Gage zoned out for a little bit during their conversation, but that was until he heard Jackson mention Weiss… because it almost sounded like… he already knew her and her family well.

"...Hmm. Have you worked with the Schnees before Jay?" Gage asked him, with half closed eyes. "...it Sounds like you know Weiss better than us."

That was when Jackson paused for a second to think about what he just said… but, when it processed, all the hunter did was look back at the couple and laugh at himself.

"Hehe… we're old friends actually." He admitted, feeling kind of embarrassed for not making that known earlier. "I would have made that kinda known back at Bolin peak, but she wanted to keep it under the wraps from the other Collectors."

Gage changed his expression to a blank face, and planted his head firmly against the headrest of his car seats as he stared at him in utter disbelief, Yang would have done the same… but, she actually already knew of this. "How the hell did he manage that…" He thought to himself

"Yeah I know… we wouldn't seem like good friends. But I've known her since we were kids. Before… you know…" Jackson replied.

Yang gave him another smile, and raised up a bit so she could reach forwards and touch his shoulder, she could only flick it though due to her seatbelt, but Jackson knew what she was trying to do.

"You're fineee." She giggled.

"Thanks Yang. So… how is she anyway?"

The couple both looked at each other and hesitated because of… well, everything that's happened to her since December… but he had to have his answer, so Gage volunteered as tribute to, 'Break The Ice', since it seemed like she actually hadn't told Jackson about what happened…

"She's uh… okay right now. But…"

The moment Gage opened his mouth he couldn't even bring himself to look Jackson in the eyes, and he nervously rubbed his left shoulder as he looked out the window. "But what?" Jackson asked him.

"But… the past few months haven't been that great to her."

"...What happened?"

The ghost was happy to spill the whole three month ordeal to him, and how Neptune was acting after their breakup up to the present, BUT, Yang decided to completely steal the opportunity from her boyfriend before he could speak, since she honestly knew more about what happened than he did,

"Well, her 'boyfriend,' Neptune tried to cheat on her with _ME_ while Gage was in the hospital, so i told her, and she broke up with him literally right after Beacon's holiday dance ended. Oh, and now he has a grudge against Gage, probably myself too and Weiss for sure."

Jackson appeared to be angered by this new development, and narrowed his eyebrows as he gripped Khvostov's barrel while it was still resting in between his legs… but he still had to ask one question…

"You and Weiss i can understand… but why you Gage?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders, and rolled her eyes blankly, "Weiss said she wanted something like what me and Gage had, then she went into this rant about how 'Gage would treat her better than he ever would,' and i guess now Neptune thinks she likes him… or something…" She muttered, trying to make the summary brief.

Now the hunter peered over at Gage, and even turned his body towards him with already pissed off eyes… that seemed to be suggesting something unlikely, "Oh really now…"

"Jackson! I. Am. Not. A. Fuckboy. Like. Neptune." The ghost growled as he crossed his arms, and Yang leaned towards her lover, and wrapped her arms around his neck defensively as well. "I'd never be with someone like that 'Jay'. You know that…"

Jackson just turned his head away and grasped the bridge of his nose before he sighed, and Emile just hummed casually and turned down the radio,

"And you should see the kid when she gets all protective. His face can turn red just like _that_." The Collector then chuckled, and snapped his fingers to get his point across even further. "And I doubt the ice princess could make him do the same… when she isn't yelling at him…"

The younger huntsman looked down at his auto rifle, and relaxed his shoulders before he looked straight ahead through the windshield of the truck as he sighed,

"Sorry. Like I said, childhood friends…. And I always hated to see her when she was sad… but this? This is something else..."

Yang rested her head on Gage's shoulder after Jackson said that, and stared at the back of his seat, like he was a helpless little puppy… but… then she realized that there something he could do to help her, aside from murdering Neptune in his sleep.

And so, she raised her head back up, and lightly kicked the back of his seat to get his attention, "Jackson… maybe _you_ could help Weiss feel better by… you know…" Then, he turned back again to face Yang, while she was of course smirking. "...Being there for her more… in more than one way?~"

Jackson's gaze narrowed at her statement, but soon it shot wide open as he began to realize and think about what the blonde was implying...

"Okay hold on one berry picking minute...Yang… do you want me to help Weiss… by dating her?!"

"Pfft… you said it Jay, not me! Hehe!"

She giggled loudly at Jackson while Gage tried not to smile at him, mostly because since her little suggestion made Jackson blush and tense up, with his pupils dilating to the size of dull golden marbles!

The younger hunter stuttered, and immediately groaned out loud as the blonde couldn't even contain herself anymore, anf she and Gage both began to laugh, and even Emile smiled a bit as well!

"Heh… Now that's something I'd wanna see…" The Slavic man snickered.

"*sigh*...I'll admit, the thought _has_ crossed my mind more than once, but... I don't know, after all this time...?"

Gage felt Yang's head push and press against his shoulders on purpose, and to signal him to try and say something to help out his sort-of-friend.

So, the ghost sighed quietly, and looked up at Jackson as he put his arm around Yang, and pulled her closer so she could nuzzle against his body even more, "Well… sometimes you just have to take chances Jackson." He said in a low tone of voice.

Jackson's blush finally receded once they shifted back to being serious, and now he was just looking out his window while Gage went on, and he continued to listen,

"I took a chance when I decided to leave Mountain Glenn with RWBY… and I took another one by letting Yang get close to my heart. And now, I still don't regret doing either of those things. Because you know… they worked out."

However, as he continued his little uplifting speech… Yang suddenly recognized the path he was going to go down and talk about… as she also realized that they did have one other thing in common… and it was the fact that they _both_ isolated themselves before all of this

"But… I'm not saying that you should do it, I'm just telling you to try if you're confident enough… and I know you, a guy like myself who isolated himself out in the wild too… so… I know how easy it is to get attached to someone who seems to care about you alot. And if it could work out for me, then it can work out for you too."

Yang then looked at Gage with a happy little stare, and she hugged him even harder once she saw that Jackson seemed to actually be listening carefully to the ghost's words.

But of course, she had to chime in with him as well. "A-And, if you're already latched, then Weiss will know that you'll be loyal to her. It's foolproof!" She shouted

But then… the blonde also kinda blocked her mouth so Gage couldn't hear what she whispered next. "...And I know it won't end up like last time!"

"Wait, what happened last time?" He asked them both.

Yang and Jackson both flinched and stuttered while they looked away from each other, panicked, and yelled, "NOTHING!" As Gage pressed his back against his seat almost like their loud voices were like a gust of wind.

He was of course obligated to ask why while he raised his finger… but as he looked the front of the truck where Jackson was, he suddenly saw that Emile was looking at him through it, and his eyes said it all. 'Just don't. Please'

So his finger became bent, and he lowered it while he let his body slouch, and sighed as Jackson changed his expression back to normal and spoke before any awkward silence could begin,

"*sigh* ...Anyway… i don't know if it'll help her Yang, but… i'll think about it. Alright?"

"Alright… just don't wait too long. Because we all know how impatient she can be.~"

Jackson just rolled his eyes the second time she made the suggestion this time, and decided to laugh it off, since he knew it happened all the time with her lover, "Yeah yeah yeah… anyway… how long until we get to Junior's place?"

"Five minutes, tops." Emile replied, as he finally found a reason to speak. "No need to get ready just yet. I doubt we'll find any resistance if i'm there with you three."

However… his warning meant nothing to Yang… so… she gripped one of her gauntlets as it was in it's incognito mode so it was ready, and eased into her embrace with Gage as his arm was still around her…

"Heh... Yeah, i wouldn't be so sure about that…"

…

The group arrived at the club after driving down to the bad side of town, and made sure that their weapons were very visible as they parked in the lot outside of the club, exited their vehicle, and headed up to the front steps.

They walked up to the front steps, and towards the medium-sized crowd that was standing behind the red velvet lined rope that outlined the line of people, where a large bouncer was positioned.

Gage, Yang, Jackson, and Emile walked towards the crowd, and the older Collector was about to signal the man… until Yang walked out in front of him, and did just that with a wave.

"Hey buddy! Remember me?"

The bouncer suddenly turned towards her with an open mouth, and looked very panicked as he took a step back, and put his hands to his sides in fear, "Y-Yeah… i-i remember you blondie! W-Why are you here?"

"Me and my friends here just want to have a nice little chat with Junior… you know, like before. So, you wouldn't mind letting us in, now would you?~"

"N-No! N-Not at all, ehehe…" The bouncer chuckled nervously.

Yang smiled, and simply used her hand to press the down the tip of the fedora that he was wearing, since all of Juniors men usually wore them, and gave him a wink as he unclipped the line, and let all three of them cut in front of the other partygoers.

So, they went forwards, towards the club doors. But, Gage of course was curious about how the man knew her. "Yang, you've… been here before?" He asked her.

"Yeah, twice. Just for information though, i promise!"

"Oh… alright."

Jackson and Emile both laughed, and watched as she opened up the two doors to the entrance as the muffled sound of music could be heard, and it then became more clearer to them.

The bright lights of the club broke through to them, and Gage shook his head due to how bad his vision was in his still bruised right eye.

But once he could see again… he could clearly see Yang strut her way out in front of them, towards a large group of bouncers, and smirk with her hands in a shrugging gesture as she spoke to them playfully.

"Guess who's back… Again!~"

They all got a good eyeful of her, and almost instantly drew a side arm from their coat pockets as Jackson raised his rifle, Khvostov, and Gage reached for his revolver Javix.

This happened right as The Malachite twins, Melanie and Miltia, looked over from behind the bodyguards, and at Gage and Yang. Both with dread… and excitement. "Oh not _her_ again…. But _him_? Mmm…~" They purred together.

Emile was about to take his glaive, named Družica as Yang growled at the twins, and that grasping sound made all the men take a step back, also because Em was standing at 6'9, but Yang just sighed and raised a hand at him and made him seize.

"Just give it a second.-"

"*sigh* ...You have _GOT_ to be kidding me…" A familiar deep, and stressed voice groaned. Then, Hei Xiong, Junior, made his way through the crowd, and covered his eyes as he saw all four of them.

"*sigh* ...Damn it, just tell me what you want this time blondie…"

That's when Gage suddenly remembered that Junior mentioned someone called Blondie the last time he came here, seven months ago, and it suddenly all came together. "Oh… So _she's_ blondie…" He thought.

Yang smiled once her boyfriend and Jackson lowered their weapons, and then she turned back to the tall bartender. "Straight to the point, i like it." And with that, the blonde took out her scroll, and waved it at Junior with the picture of her mother on the screen.

"So… how long ago did you talk to _her_?"

He squinted his eyes at the photo… and… raised his eyebrows as he crossed his arms… and he noticed that the bartender in that photo was cleanly shaven, unlike him. "Um… that's not me..." He said.

"...Or my club actually."

Everyone just slouched and sneered at him in disbelief, and watched as Junior pointed at the dance floor, which was barely in the photo, and seemed kind of amused. "The dance floor's not even in the same position."

That was when he looked down at the small light up panels/tiles in the club, and saw that it had a logo on it, that said, _Alpenglow_ , on it, which made him chuckled and smirk as he pointed at Yang,

"Hehe. Yup, that's definitely a different club. It's a new one from across town, called Alpenglow. She probably thought it was a better place to keep her secrets since White Fang members may or may not be working there… but you didn't hear it from me."

Everyone all sighed again once he said, 'across town', but Yang's expression was unchanged, since he mentioned… _her_. "So you do know about her!" She growled, as her eyes turned red. "...you lied to me!"

Emile just chuckled at her response although, "I don't blame him. She can scare the shit out of anyone… like you."

They all then stood there in a sort of stand off, one side expecting the other to pull their weapons on them… but Jackson just gripped his rifle, and remained collected.

"*sigh* ...So… this is awkward."

"Junior… just tell me what you know about her." Yang threatened the bartender as she put her scroll away. Then we'll leave, and i promise i'll never come back… unless it's with Gage for a drink."

Junior smirked, and looked over at Gage as he looked like he was about to burst out laughing. "Heh… You and her huh? That just made my day."

"...Just answer her damn question Junior…" The ghost sighed.

"Alright 'loverboy'..." He then turned to the blonde brawler, and crossed his arms, with his grin still showing clearly. "...You know what, fine. Knowing you blondie, you'll head to that club and leave it in ruins, and more people will come here. So… i'll tell you, since she stopped paying me for my silence last week..."

The bouncers and security all eased up on their stances, and took a step back as Gage and Jackson did the same before Yang could stare up at him. "Go on."

"*exhale* ...There's not much, but from what i've pieced together over the last eight months, she really, really wanted me to keep you from finding her trail, she keeps heading outside of the City of Vale, near the Vacuo border, and… she's looking for someone. Someone that, 'knew one of my other contacts from Beacon well'."

The group turned and face one another with both confusion and great relief of how easy it was for him to tell them that… but soon they all tried to think about what she would do outside the kingdoms…

But, that was when Gage and Emile both turned to look at each other… because they realized that Raven could be looking for the same place they were. The Archive, and she could be looking for the infamous Dr. Cordelia… but… who would he know from Beacon was what Gage wondered…

So before Gage could, Jackson turned to Junior, and put Khvostov on his back before he crossed his arms, and asked him about it. "Junior… you haven't heard of a place called The Archive, have you?"

"Look kid, she didn't mention that, but if it's anything White Fang related, i'd go ahead and head over to Alpenglow and ask around… or just beat it out of them. I won't say anything."

Yang was just staring at them all like they weren't even speaking english, and her confusion even worsened as the emotion from Gage's face randomly disappeared, and he turned towards the exit a little too quickly.

"Thank you for you time. Now come on, let's go you guys."

The blonde half pronounced the word 'what', and watched Emile follow behind him, and Jackson did the same with a shrug. So… she looked back at them and Junior awkwardly, and went after all three of them.

She followed them as they went back outside, and she ran to her boyfriend before she tugged on his arm, and looked at him strangely. "Gage, what was all that? And what the heck is this Archive place?!"

"...We'll explain it on the way to Alpenglow Yang. Don't worry."

"*sigh* ...Fine…"

…

 **Later…**

…

In Emile's truck, they headed all the way across to the other side of town again as fast as they could, considering that clubs became more populated at night, and soon arrived at Alpenglow, which was located only a few blocks away from Dust Til' Dawn.

The group parked in the nearly crowded lot to the right of the large building, and quickly repeated the process of getting to where the entrance was while Yang was still asking about Gage about what the three men told them about the doctor and The Archive…

"So… the guy knew your dad… and now he's with the White Fang…"

"Yesss, and he's why they have all this new tech too."

"Ohhh. Yeah… we should _probably_ take him to Ironwood if we get our hands on him…"

"Yup." Gage replied, with a blank face as they approached the cerulean lined rope that held the larger crowd back from entering, and there was an even BIGGER bouncer at the front, "So… how are we supposed to get in?" Gage asked his friends.

He looked intimidating, as he was nearly Em's height… but, that didn't phase the older Collector, as he just smirked, and approached the bouncer as… his right hand began to glow blue.

"...What do you want, old timer?" The man asked him rudely.

Then, Emile quickly waved pulled his hand up, as a blue sort of flame or mist formed in his palm, and he blew the flame towards the man's face, and the cloud dissipated as it clouded his eyes… and made them glow abnormally bright.

Em smiled with his success in using his semblance, and just flicked the man's forehead, as he looked to be in a catatonic state, and spoke to him clearly in a hushed tone. "Hehe. We're V.I.P.'s, and you're going to let us in."

"Hee-Hee ...You're V.I.P.'s… and i'm going to let you in." The man repeated.

The bouncer then unclipped the rope, and moved so they could walk through, despite the protesting of crowd of people near them.

Yang was going to ask, but she knew semblances were always a mystery, so she didn't, and headed inside first while Em looked back at Gage and Jackson, who both looked fascinated with it, "...It only works on works on dim-wits.~" He whispered.

"Heh, cool. Maybe you can use it on Gage when this is all over!" Jackson chuckled before as he followed Yang inside.

" _*sigh* ...Shut up!"_ The couple sighed.

Gage and Yang huffed, and hastily got to the club doors, and threw them open as Jackson and Em were still chuckling, and that was when the inside of Alpenglow was revealed to them.

The Gazzo Remix of the song _Centuries_ by the band, _Fall Out Boy_ filled their eardrums once the doors were wide open, and the club light made all four of them squint this time, and Gage groaned in annoyance.

The club was outlined almost like Junior's except that the dance floor was wider and rectangle shaped instead of square shaped, and it was in the center of the room, as there were two bars on both sides of the large room.

It was packed, so much so that once the four walked into the club they were immediately rushed by a bunch of clubgoers, and Gage just forced himself into the buddy system, and he stayed right behind his girlfriend.

He uh… never really mentioned it before, probably because the only place he's felt this was during the holiday dance back in December, where everyone could be written off at harmless, but… the ghost use to have a bad case of Agoraphobia, the fear of unsafe areas and crowds, when he was a child. And this seemed to trigger something inside of him.

Yang didn't seem to notice though, as she was use to big crowds, good and bad, and she just went ahead while her boyfriend followed her, and Jackson pointed out a bunch of booths that were in the back of the club,

"Hey, those seats look good and inconspicuous. How about 'em Yang?"

"Good eye Jackson. I was thinking the same thing."

Emile didn't do anything but walk forward with Gage, who stayed behind him since he was tall, and they tried their best to trudge their way through the dance floor… while the older Collector looked over his shoulder.

The teens may not have felt the same way he did, but the older Collector knew that there were indeed more than a few pairs of eyes planted against the back of their heads… and he didn't know it, but… a majority of them came from the club's security force… which were made up entirely of faunus men.

They were scattered throughout the room, and if the people on the dance floor weren't so sporadic, Gage, Yang, and Jackson would have probably noticed their glares as well.

But, they still got to the booths, and sat down… except for Emile. Gage and Yang both sat in the left side with Gage being in the back, and Jackson sat in front of them, but scooted to the front once he saw that the Collector was scanning the area around them.

"Something wrong Em?" Jackson asked him.

That was when Em looked up… and saw that there was also a second floor, for the V.I.P.'s, and there was a balcony up there, where there was a taller, and older man looking down right at them.

He was dressed in a tuxedo, had black and greyish scraggly hair, and a bushy beard along with very large and noticeable antlers upon his head… and he grinned before his eyes drifted over… to Yang… and a large smile formed across his lips before he looked over at another bouncer that was located next to him.

He tapped his employee, and pointed down towards the four as they exchanged a few words, and the goon turned and started to walk away, presumably towards a set of stairs… and that, was all Emile needed.

He then turned away from them all, and put his hood up once his back was turned to them, "Yeah. They're eyeing us…" He replied, as he tried to keep his voice low. "I'm going to scout around, so watch yourselves. Because i think they'll be coming over here soon."

Gage was already paranoid, so he nodded, as he was already sure that someone saw them the moment they came inside. So, Em sighed, and left the three teens to themselves, as Yang began to look around too.

"*sigh* ...Why do i feel like there's a lot more eyes on me than you two?"

Jackson was of course tempted to make some sort of remark aimed towards what the blonde said, but he thought it would make a lot more noise than he would like, so he chose not to… as a sudden disturbance could be heard from out of view of their booth.

Gage could hear it coming from the booth behind them in fact, and that when he felt his scroll vibrate… and he received a sudden message from Emile. "Wow… that was fast…" He thought.

The ghost leaned forwards as he took out his scroll so he could try to get a view of his friend, and it wasn't hard, as he saw Em walk over by the bar, and sat at a stool… but he he had his gaze shifted over towards the booth behind the teens too.

And with all those indicators being present, both Gage and Jackson looked behind their booth… and saw four men stand up, who were all dressed in security uniforms, and they all walked over to the three as they were laughing with each other.

Gage saw his scroll, and read Em's message, which just said, "4. Average lookin. Heading 4 u. Owner was eyeing ur gal from upstairs."

The goons began to get louder, and it was clear that they were coming for them, so the ghost just looked up at the apparent club owner for a good second while he was still standing up there, and he instantly looked back down before he could notice,

"Shit…"

The four men finally walked to their booth, and every single one of them had a smirk as they had drinks in their hands, and drunken blushes across their faces as well. "Ayyy! Welcome to Alpenglow, Hehe…" The tallest on slurred.

He had two beers in his hands, and them both down… but… in front of Yang strangely, as two of the other men in the back of the group were both visibly leering at her.

She changed her scowl to a fake smile once the man greeted them, and Jackson did the same… but he still crossed his arms too.

Gage on the other hand, just gave them a blank stare, and raised his metal hand up onto the table so it was able to be seen clearly by the drunks, to intimidate them of course.

"Hi there. What's going on?" Yang asked them, as she was trying to sound clueless and innocent to them. And luckily, it worked on them too… but only because they were more focused just on her… physical features.

"What's a gal like you doing in a place like this?" One of them asked, just as the another goon leaned against their booth casually. "Yeah… aren't you a little young to be in here love?~"

"Well my eighteenth birthday is today actually…~" She said, giving the main goon an innocent stare as she gently brushed one of her bangs out of her eyes. "...And my two friends here thought it'd be nice to take me out for a good time…"

Gage was left speechless by her sultry approach to swindling the men, so he just grabbed one of the beer bottles, and placed it in front of himself, as Jackson chuckled to go along with the act, but honestly just did it because of how perfect she was acting.

"Hehe… yup. This one kind of dragged us along though. You know... It being her first time and all."

"Yeah, she looks like she's a wild one doesn't she?" The man chuckled in return as he looked at Yang like she was a piece of meat. " I mean damn… you have to bring two guys with you to have a good time? You must be quite the party girl…"

Gage just exhaled, and took a sip from the beer bottle he took before he looked back at the main goon with a glare. "I'm just here to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. So don't get any funny ideas…" He hissed.

"Pfft, what a buzzkill…"

Yang turned towards her lover and giggled as she put a hand on top of his metal one, and looked back at the man with another fake smile "Oh don't mind him… he just gets jealous easily. Anyway… what brings you four over here?"

"Well as luck would have it… our boss saw you come in, and he thought that you looked like just the type of girl he needed to fill in one of our… job openings."

Yang eased up her front so she could seem even more confused… and then… she looked up towards the second floor balcony, where the owner was still watching from above. "Oh, him?" She asked as she pointed up at him.

She didn't visibly show it, but once she saw the club owner's face… she pieced it all together.

That man, was actually the man that was in the picture with Raven. He was the one that she was talking to… so… the blonde _knew_ that she had to have a, 'word', with him.

"It pays well. All you have to do is go up there and meet him so he can have a… 'private' interview with you. You know… to tell you about the job… and see how _experienced_ you are...~

And this was the perfect opportunity for her to get close… so… she clutched her scroll close to herself, and decided to go along with what they had planned. With caution of course.

"Hmm… I do need money… and I am a student after all, so… sure. I'll talk to him."

The man smirked, and laughed as he held out his hand to Yang, "Perfect. Come right this way..." So… she took it, and stood up so she could give Gage a reassuring wink before she walked away. "You two can just stay here, and have a few drinks while you wait. Right?"

Jackson watched as he took the other beer bottle, and two of the men moved in front of the Yang and started to guide her away towards a nearby staircase. "Sure thing."

"That interview better be about an opening for a bartender..." Gage said, with narrowed eyebrows.

One of the goons just put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, and began to push her away from them. "She'll be fine, 'mighty mouse'."

And Yang of course looked at her lover, and rolled her eyes as she believably scoffed. "Pfft. Yeah babe, take a chill pill…" Before she walked away with two of the men.

"Now don't go anywhere you two. We'll be back." The head of the goon said to Jackson and Gage.

The two Huntsmen in-training were both rightfully worried about how their group was basically split now, and the ghost realized of how it looked like the men were going there along… to outnumber her.

Jackson could see it too, because you definitely didn't need that many people to look after a teenage girl during an interview…. So, the ghost was the first to question their logic .

"Now wait a second, don't go you anywhere either. I mean, the five of you in a room alone with her for an interview, with my girl? That sounds _really_ suggestive to me..."

And Jackson tagged in as well. "Yeah… you wouldn't want us to get the wrong idea, now would you?" He asked them, as two of the men stopped.

They looked at each other, and stopped walking before they… growled, and the one that was sounding all flirty rubbed the back of his head. "*sigh* ...I suppose not."

"Then stay, and have a drink with us. Our friend will be right back anyway right?"

Jackson asked them this, and handed them the beer bottle he took as Gage looked past the two goons… and texted him while his hunter friend had their attention,

"If I take another sip of my drink, get over here."

"Got it kid." Em replied.

Then, as the goons began to take turns drinking from the bottle they had, Jackson tried to strike up a conversation about if their security force had good military grade firearms, being the gun nut that he was.

But the two men just kept giving him one worded answers, as they were clearly disinterested, and they just kept looking up at the second floor balcony… where Yang was, as she spoke with their boss.

She was leaning against the balcony with her arms propped up on the railing… and it provided an excellent view of her rear and thighs as she bent forwards and tried to look interested in the conversation they were having.

But… once the two men looked at each other, they both smirked and pointed at her before they… began to speak to each other in Japanese.. about her. While Gage was _RIGHT next to them,_

"Otoko, jōshi wa kanojo o aisuru tsumoridesu..." The first one whispered, but not too quietly.

(Man, the boss is going to love her…)

Gage picked up almost immediately on what tongue they were speaking in, and he sneered over at them as the main goon chuckled with his friend, and growled his reply yearnfully.

"Watashi wa tōzen shitte iru! Watashi wa... Sono o shiri…"

(I know right! I mean… that ass…)

And that was when the ghost nearly cracked the bottle he was holding onto with his metal fist, and looked over at Emile with a look that had trouble all over it…

...But, Gage reached his breaking point once the second man made a gesture with his hand like he… was squeezing something squishy, and snickered loudly once more.

"To kappu no saizu wa, subarashī!"

(And the cup size, amazing!)

Gage's eyes turned red at that moment, and he mentally marked their heads with giant red X's, reminding him that these two were to be given no mercy from him, and that he couldn't take this any longer.

So with that… he took a sip from his beer bottle, to signal Emile to approach them, and Gage slammed the bottle down onto the table as he stood up, and growled at them furiously

"... Nani datte?!"

(...What was that?!)

"U-UM…."

Gage was now looking the man dead in the eyes, and Jackson did the same once he saw Emile coming back to him "...What the _hell_ did you just say about her?!" The ghost growled.

"C...Come on man, it's why you two are both hanging around with her in a club isn't it? To get her all easy so then she'll go down on you!"

Both Gage and Jackson looked visibly pissed off now, with Gage having a look that could definitely kill if his red eyes would grant him that power.

He was mere inches away from just lunging towards the man, but Emile managed to reach the two as the two other goons came back down, and saw the stand off intensify as the older Collector placed a hand atop the main guard's shoulder,

"Actually… they're here for the exact opposite…"

Silence then overtook them all, or it would have, if the sound of drunken dancers and the club music weren't already there, so everyone gave each other a death stare.

Gage already had his going the moment the men started to flirt with Yang, so he didn't let up at all, as Jackson did the same… but wondered what the ghost had planned to get out of this.

"...Gage?"

And he couldn't think of anythinf. The anger of seeing them treat her, his Yang like an object was too overbearing to brush off for the sake of a front that was bound to crack….

...So, the ghost looked up one more time towards the second floor balcony, and turned towards his friends with an ambitious glare once he saw that his lover and the club owner were gone.

"...Fuck these guys."

Then, all hell broke loose, as Emile moved his hand up to the back of the same man's head before he growled, and slammed it straight down onto the tabletop as hard as he could.

After that, he turned towards the group of two that were now running towards him from the stairs, and opened up his arms to taunt them, welcoming their challenge.

Gage looked towards Jackson during that one split second, and slid the beer bottle he had across the table so the hunter could grasp it, turn towards the main perverted goon, and smashed it into his head as he went to slam it across his face.

Jay stood up,and pushed the man away,and onto the dance floor, which caused loud screams and shouts to be heard from all over the club, and now… even more of the corrupted faunus began to move down towards them.

One grappled onto Em's shoulders and pushed him back a bit, which was just enough for Gage to scoot to the front of his booth seat, and kick the back of his knee making it give out and bend.

The older Collector grinned, grabbed him by the neck, and just picked him up before he threw him into the booth that Gage was getting out of, and the impact against the back of his head knocked him out.

Him and Jackson then just turned around and faced the now small squadron of faunus, and Gage quickly stood up… and watched as the goon that had been talking to Yang the most get back up from the floor…. And grasp his bleeding forehead in fear.

This all happened as the record that was playing scratched, cut out, and switched to the next track remix. Which was, The Sancit remix of the song _No_ _Limit,_ by the artist _Wiz Khalifa_.

It started out somberly with the cheering of a crowd as the quiet beating of drums could be heard in the background… while Wiz's voice boomed over Gage's actions, and resonated the ghost's feeling of how much he just wanted to break the man's bones.

~We can't change the world? Look how we changed the game! Who said we can't change the world? No pain no game!-~

The man panted, and wiped some blood off his face as he raised his fists with sneering and angry eyes as Gage did the same, but with a more calm expression, and it did indeed leave the goon internally scared.

The ghost took one step forward, as Jackson and Emile were already in full on brawler mode, making sure to be nonlethal, and the man jumped, as Gage suddenly growled, and charged at him.

~-We can't change the world? Look how we changed the game! Who said we can't change the world?!~

The head of the club guards shambled back onto the dancefloor as Gage ran to him, now having the high ground, and the flashing strobe lights of the nightclub became nearly blinding again!

~Who said we can't change the world… Who said we can't change the world...~

And then finally, as he reached the step down to the dancefloor, Gage launched himself towards the man as he brought his fist back, audibly growled, let out a battle cry right as the bass of the song remix dropped!

~...NO PAIN, NO GAME!~

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Before the bar fight could actually commence, Yang was brought inside of the club owner's office, and still kept her clueless blonde act up as he kept giving her a creepy smile, and was standing at his desk as he poured some champagne for the both of them.

He hadn't mentioned anything about his other employees or who he was or any other contacts that have come to him, obviously, so… he was beginning to test her patience, as the man's real intentions began to become even more and more present…

"You know, for a pretty young thing like yourself, I'm surprised you came to talk to me so quickly for a job as one of our… private dancers…~"

"...Oh... so it was for that?" The blonde said, as she made sure to stay a good amount of distance away from him. "Your friends didn't tell me I would be dancing... B-But… I'd still like to hear more about it."

He chuckled, and turned back towards the blonde with a perverted look in his eyes as he stood in front of her.. and used one of his fingers to brush the side of her cheek delicately. "There's nothing else to it dear…"

"...The only other thing I need to know is… do you happen to look good in lingerie?~"

She made it look like she was visibly flustered by his lewd question, and she even tried to blush to make the act seem authentic as she smiled and took a step towards him. "P… Probably. I've only dressed up for my boyfriend o-once for Halloween… and my clothes didn't stay on for that long…"

"Hmm. Good, hehe…" The older man then watched as she got closer to her, so… he leaned against his desk, and just caressed the blonde's cheek before he moved in closer… and whispered into her eardrum softly, "Now…. The only thing I need you to do… is to show me what you can do to a man like me…~"

The blonde internally cringed, and look down as he moved his fingers down her neck, and looked like he was expecting a kiss from her. "...Um… y-you mean like… sex?" She asked, innocently.

He just gave her a smirk and another small nod as he picked up a glass of champagne for himself, and sipped from it, making the blonde wanting to already smash the bottle over his head.

Yang internally screamed, as she already planned of how she would deal with it if something like this happened, but she had to go along still before she could do anything to him, "...A-Alright. Fine… as long as I get the job…" She stuttered deceptively.

She of course took a step towards him, and blushed more as the man put one arm around her lower back, and she made herself put her right hand on his chest… and she began to move down it towards his waist.

"...I kind of a have a confession to make…. I've… I've been kind of holding something in since I walked in here too…"

He of course smiled, and pulled her towards himself… and he felt her palm come closer and closer towards the bulge in his pants. "Don't worry baby… I know exactly what you want…" The man whispered.

"Good…"

The blonde gave him a fake giggle, and stared at him with imaginary bedroom eyes as she suddenly reached down, and grasped his privates, but so hard that it would be more painful than arousing!

"A-Agh! Hey, not so rough down there!"

But as he looked up at Yang to yell at her, she turned her innocent grin into devilish smirk, as she finally found the confidence to strike, and she just squeezed him harder before asking him in a seductive voice,

"Hmm, it doesn't seem like you actually know… so in that case... I guess I'll have to _show_ you what I want!"

Yang then let go of his nuts, and used every ounce of strength she had to knee the man in the balls before she allowed for the new blade in her right gauntlet to shoot out, and she bent him over, so the back of his head was slammed into his desk!

His scream of pain was muffled once he saw that her blade moving closer to his throat, and so zhe let go of his balls, and used that hand to take out her scroll, and showed it to the man as it still had the picture of Raven on the screen,

"Now… answer my questions about her, or I'll call the cops and tell them about that roofie crap you tried to pour in my drink when I wasn't looking!"

"Eeeerrgggh! ...F...Fucking bitch!-"

"That's _sir_ to you." She growled, as she let go of his face, and moved her blade closer to his exposed neckline. "Now… why was she here?"

The club owner huffed and growled for a few minutes as the pain in his balls just kept getting worse and worse, but…. He knew he had no way out of this.

And after a few minutes of silence coming from him, Yang's lilac eyes changed their color to her angry red color to try and frighten him, and she even increased the amount of frustration in her voice, "You've only got two to answer, and a short amount of time before my boyfriend comes up here…"

" ...F-Fine! *sigh* ...She came here and wanted to know if she could use my private lounge as a safehouse!"

"Did she say why?"

He looked down at himself and contemplated on ratting out his new client, but he soon just threw it to the wind as Yang began to casually look down at the blade like it was a toy, and he just blurted it out after that.

"S-She kept mumbling about going between here and the outer kingdoms! J-Just chill, please!"

She couldn't help but internally chuckle at his fidgeting voice, but she still had a serious face on as she smiled since his response backed up what Junior had told them, so now, she actually only had one more question to ask.

"Alright… one last question, and you're home free."

"W...What?!" The man asked angrily, as she eased up on his neck, but kept her bladed gauntlet relatively close to his body, "...Did she ever mention a place called 'The Archive'?"

He looked up at her strangely, but with half closed eyes, as he had only heard it be mentioned by some of his employees when they were speaking with some of the more shady looking faunus that managed to wander into Alpenglow.

"N… No. She didn't say shit about that, and i don't even know what the hell that is!" His voice was strained and hoarse now as he growled that… and… he decided to go on even further, as he was scared of what she would do to him if she thought he was lying.

"B-But… rumor has it that the White Fang actually come into my club regularly, s-so… that's your best bet!

"...How do i know you're not lying to me?" Yang asked as she loosened up on his neck.

"...You know what time of guy i am. All i want in life right now is a beer in one hand, and a tit in the other… so secrets don't mean shit to me. And if i get to live another day by letting one slip, so be it."

He spat and explained himself with some acid in his tone, as he did not want to be associated with the White Fang at all, because it was definitely bad for business when you were outside of the shady side of town.

"…If i really was one of those crazy fucks, then i wouldn't have treated you like some innocent little girl…" He added as Yang let him sit up from the top of his desk.

She then took a step back, and had her arms at her side, but half raised in case the club owner decided to try anything, even though she already guessed that he was just wanting her to go. "Yeah well… hopefully this has taught you a lesson…." She replied with a glare.

"Trust me… you've made one hell of a impression on me girlie… i'll tell you that."

He dusted off the tux he was wearing, and inhaled and exhaled with frustration as he grabbed the bottle of champagne that was on his desk, and took a long sip from it,

"*sip* ...So… now what?"

Yang crossed her arms, deactivated her gauntlet blade… and thought for a few seconds about what she could make him do to keep her anonymity safe… and… also something else that he could do for her and her boyfriend as an added bonus...

"Now… you're going to wipe your security cameras, forget this day ever happened… a-and you're going to have one of your lounge rooms cleared for me and my boyfriend whenever we come back off-duty!"

"*sigh* ...Deal-"

And right as the man agreed to her demands, someone suddenly kicked the door to the club owner's office open,growled once it flung open, and made both the blonde girl and the man jump in shock.

"*BANG!*"

"Yang!"

Yang knew exactly who it was once they called her name… so, she turned, and faced Gage as he stood in the doorway, and was aiming Javix at the faunus man while it was in it's revolver form.

"..You okay?"

He kept the hand cannon aimed towards the club owner's head, but he just sat there and took another sip of his drink before… Yang let out a small giggle, and started to walk towards her boyfriend with a grin.

"I'm feeling pretty lucky today actually!"

"Oh… w-well… i'm glad that you're alright…"

He blushed and lowered his revolver as she exited the man's office, but of course turned to the owner one last time, and gave him a wink before she grabbed onto the handle of his door, and slammed the door shut as she closed it,

"Thank you for your time!"

Gage looked visibly embarrassed because of how calm she looked, but then she saw the small bruise on the side of his face, so she just gave it a tiny kiss.

She saw it as a reward for him acting so worried about her, and he enjoyed it… even if it did hurt a little bit. "Mmm… So… did he talk?" The ghost asked her.

"Yeah, and it seems like Junior was actually telling the truth…. That's a first for me, so I'm really happy right now. Hehe."

They both smiled, and walked over to the balcony that wasn't that far away, and the couple looked down at the club floor to see almost a dozen of faunus men lying unconscious on the floor, while Jackson and Emile were just chilling over at the bar, as the bartender didn't even leave.

Yang had to take a double take to see that the men were actually the owner's bodyguards, they were all just knocked out despite the occasional groan, and it was all because of her boyfriend, "Holy crap Gage, what happened down there while i was gone?"

Gage blushed even more, and looked away from his lover with his turquoise eyes as he scratched the back of his head, feeling even more embarrassed. "W-Well… that security dude started talking about your ass in japanese, then he said it was the only thing i wanted from you after i called him out… and so then i uh... kinda started a bar fight…: "

He was expecting her to just burst out laughing at first, which she was thinking about doing… but… then Yang just reached for his metal hand, and held it as she gave him a loving smile, happy to hear that someone talking about her like that could set her boyfriend off.

"...All over me?" She asked him, with her lilac eyes now staring into his turquoise ones. "...I didn't think you to be the jealous type… even when i was just acting for them…"

"Yeah well… when you see someone give the rape face to a person you love, you'd want to go all _Yang-dere_ on them too." He replied, with a large smirk as he looked down at the dance floor.

The blonde blushed, and just caressed Gage's bruised cheek as she… felt charmed by his harsh words, and felt his metal fingers intertwine with her fleshy ones before Yang moved closer… and kissed her lover on the lips.

Oh, and the pun TOTALLY didn't turn her on at all. Nope, not one bit!

They both smiled as their lip lock intensified, and the ghost suddenly felt Yang place her hand onto his chest as she accidentally made him walk back and be pressed against the railing of the balcony, and he just put one hand around her lower back as he continued to hold her hand with his metal one,

"Mmm…"

Then, as their tiny moan grew a little louder, Yang let go of his hand, and instead focused on the sensation of his sweet lips, that had a faint scent of alcohol, and she hung her right arm over his shoulder, showing off how blissful the kiss felt…

"...You do realize i can hear you two, right?" A friendly voice called up to them.

…But that was before they were rudely interrupted,of course by everyone's favorite hunter… Jackson, "Hey lovebirds, i'm not trying to interrupt your little moment, buttt… we should probably go before the cops show up!"

Yang sighed, and broke the kiss as she just glared down at him, and huffed with annoyance. "*sigh* ...Now i want to punch him in the face…" She grumbled.

Gage chuckled, and glanced down towards their friend with a smirk before he turned back to his lover again. "Don't worry Yang, someone's bound to do it for us. Now come on, let's blow this popsicle stand."

"Fine… but i'm going to have you all to myself after this… again."

"I'll make sure not to hold you back then. Hehe.~"

…

…

...

After making sure the remainder of the clubgoers that didn't leave were calmed down, the four exited the club, walked down it's steps as a crowd of spooked partiers began to leave in a panic, and as Emile looked at Yang and asked her,

"*sigh* ...So, what'd the guy say?"

She sighed as well, but looked up towards the sky as they all turned to the left once they hit the bottom of the steps, and headed into the parking lot, "Well, he backed up what junior told us, but that's pretty much it."

"He didn't say anything about The Archive?" Gage asked her.

"No, he said that he wasn't apart of the White Fang, but that there are some around here, and that we should track them down if we wanted to find out where it is."

Em shook his head in frustration, and took out his car keys while Gage and Yang followed, both feeling the same as he was. "Well, i guess we should look while the sun's still out…" The older man suggested.

He unlocked his truck, and Gage opened the back door for Yang so she could get in… but… as he looked back, she was there walking towards them, but Jackson wasn't.

Instead, Jackson was back over by small entrance to the parking lot, and he was looking over at the large crowd of people as they moved past the lot, and were trying to get to their own vehicles.

Yang saw him, and just called out his name. "Jackson, you coming or what?" She asked, sounding a little tired.

He just raised his finger up to signal her to stop talking, and he used his other hand to reach back for Khvostov before he pointed over into the crowd… with caution.

She and Gage both just saw where he was pointing to…. And they both squinted, but looked into the crowd to see that the large mob of people were still walking past them… but, there were also a select few who seemed to be making their way through the crowd… and towards them all

There was four of them. All of them were dressed in black with hoods over their heads, and they appeared to be trying their best to stay inconspicuous as they got closer… and closer.

They eventually made their way out of the crowd, and once Gage and Yang turned to face them… they began to get a good look at their faces… or, they tried to, as all four of them were wearing Grimm masks!

Jackson backed up a bit, and made sure that the hand that was on Khvostov was visible as Emile raised his hand up to get their attention, "Hey, we don't want any trouble."

"Too late now pal, because you've already got it!" One of them yelled

Gage went wide eyed, and Jackson suddenly gasped and pivoted over to a different parked car, as all four of them men suddenly reached into their pockets and coat pockets to pull out a sidearm, and three small smgs spread out between them.

"Shit!"

Yang turned and only saw the shining metal of their weapons for only an instant before she turned back to Gage, and pushed him onto the floor before she dove right next to him. "Gage look out!"

Em opened the driver side door and threw himself into his car right as the three masked men began to light up the vehicle with their firearms, and it caused all of the people in the crowd they came from to disperse and scream into a panic! Again!

Jackson ran and took cover behind a car that was parked in front of Emile's, and stood next to the couple as he took Khvostov off of his back before he cocked it, poked out from behind it's bumper, and started to fire back at the four hitmen.

Gage and Yang both hit the floor, and laid down next to the car and screamed as it's windows were shot, and glass started to fly everywhere.

The ghost covered Yang's head with his metal arm, and used his other to take Javix out of its holster, look under the car, and aimed his revolver at the men's feet as he pulled the hammer back and fired, hitting the ground in front of them as a warning shot.

Jackson gave them covering fire with Khvostov and managed to hit close enough to the cars the were parked around them to make one get spooked, and back away behind the other two. "That's right, get in line!"

"Crap, Yang, get up-"

"*ROAR*"

Then suddenly, the sound of the engine in Emile's truck turning over made every single person in the parking lot jump, and soon the older Collector reversed out of his spot, turned, and made sure the back of his Ford was facing their assailants

Gage and Yang stood up and crouched next to Jackson as he kept shooting his auto rifle, and Em revved his engine even more as he rolled down his window, and started to reverse even more, making sure that he was in the path of the masked men.

"They're Fang for sure, masks says it all!"

After that, he slammed down on the gas, and accelerated towards the attackers, which made them all shout, turn and begin to run for the exit of the lot, so… Gage, Jackson, and Yang all began to give chase.

Emile managed to reverse all the way out into the middle of the street, and into both lanes so each side of traffic would stop, and allow for his friends to get across the street safely, as the Fang insurgents looked to be headed towards an alley that was on the other side of the road so they could escape.

"Crap, they're going to try and lose us in that alley!" Jackson yelled.

Gage just shook his head, and began to run across the street in pursuit with Yang right next to him, and they both just watched the faunus in secret run into that alley, and split into two groups, which ran in opposite directions.

As he passed Em's truck, the Collector just shouted to him over the sound of screeching and honking cars that were approaching his own, "Go get em kid, don't let them get away from us! Your culprit's identity is on the line!"

And once the ghost heard that. he of course went into overdrive, and chased them along with Jackson and his lover, but once they entered the dark alleyway, they could see clearly that it cut into two different ways.

Yang and Jackson both stopped, and kept glancing at each of the paths, deciding which one would be better to go through, even though they most likely ended at the same point. "Oh no, which one should we go down?!" Yang asked out loud.

Gage didn't reply, and instead just stood there and panted, but Jackson was quick to answer, as he grabbed onto the ghost's shoulder, and pointed Yang over to the other trail as he let out a small pant.

"*huff* ...Gage and i will go left, and you go right Yang That path seems smaller than ours, so you should be able to fight them off easier by yourself if the other two try to attack you!"

But, the ghost of course looked over at his lover and stuttered, even though the blonde nodded in agreement with the hunter's proposal. "B-But-"

"Gage, i'll be fine." She reassured him with a sigh, and a step towards the right path. "There's no point in arguing right now, and that sounds pretty good to me. So just go!"

"*sigh* ...Fine, but you better be alright!"

Yang smiled, and rolled her eyes before she turned away from the two men, and just started to run down the right path until they both couldn't see her anymore, in pursuit of the other two White Fang insurgents.

Jackson could clearly see the dissatisfaction in Gage's eyes, so he just patted his shoulder, and reloaded Khvostov as the ghost pulled the hammer back on Javix again, sighed, and they both turned, and began to sprint towards the left trail...

"Just ran fast Gage!"

"Yeah i got it… just make sure you can keep up!"

...

Yang's boots clattered and stomped against the concrete ground as she ran through her path of the alleyway, still chasing after the two men.

She couldn't see them, but she followed their tail, as there were trash cans and a few boxes that had been purposely knocked over to buy them time, but the blonde just jumped and ran around the obstacles.

"*pant* ...They're not getting away that easy!"

The path had a few corners that she had to turn, but as she did just that, she could hear their tried breaths and footsteps of the men she was pursuing.

Yang was fixated on catching them, because she knew they could either show Gage the way to The Archive, and if they went there… they could find out both about her mother, and his father's other killer.

So their eight month search together, that began the moment they shared their first kiss, had lead up to this day. This was the day that they were to find out where to go to find their answers.

Yang turned another corner, and found the two Fang members as they finally ran out of the alleyway, and began to sprint towards a building that was in front of them, which looked to be a large loading bay, as there was a ramp that lead to a large metal door that was barely open.

Once she could finally see the building and figured out that was where they were heading, the blonde stopped, and could clearly see that the other half of their group, the two other masked men, were holding up the door for them.

"Oh hell, if they're there, then where are Gage and Jackson?!" She asked herself.

She assumed that they just lost their half in the chase, and the brawler growled, and frightened the men once the sound of Ember Celica shifting into their gauntlet forms could be heard,

"Rrrrgh… if that's the case, then it's just up to me!"

They panicked, ran to the loading bay opening, and dove and slid under it right as their buddies let go, and Yang just began to slowly stomp towards them as the door slammed shut.

She walked up the ramp before she sent her fist forwards, punched the metal door hard as her eyes grew red, and she yelled at them again. "Open up! My friends are gonna have this place surrounded, so there's no point out running!" Yang threatened them, even though it was a bluff.

Meanwhile, the four faunus inside of the building were conversing with one another, but stressfully, as two of them kept their guns traced on the metal door that blocked them from Yang's grasp.

"*huff* ...Shit, now what?" One of them asked.

Their squad leader's advisor, who was a cat faunus, just took off his mask and lowered his hood from his face as he pointed towards the door, and smiled.

"Her friends didn't follow us in, so I say we just kill her and leave. Dumb girl thinks she can take us all on herself.."

And one of the other ones that were aiming towards the door just shook his head,"Yeah… once my by brother told me that this blonde bitch was there at Alpenglow, I knew we'd have to take care of her." He said through gritted teeth.

"...*sigh*...Jin, Liam, you ready?" Their squad leader asked them, as he took off his hood as well, revealing a pair of mouse ears. "She'll be right on top of us when we open up."

"Just say the word boss. The door's made of sheet metal, so bullets should go right through it."

The mouse faunus nodded, and just smiled as the two men by the door aimed their submachine guns at the metal door, and Yang just pounded on the door some more.

So… he lowered his hand, and eased himself into giving the command to open fire. "Alright then. On three…"

"...One… Two…-"

"*BANG!* *BANG!*"

Then all of a sudden, two rifle shots rang out from behind the Team of faunus, and the two men at the door were both hit by two stray bullets that seemed to have come out of thin air!

One hit the shoulder of the insurgent on the right, and the second one went right through the left one's lower ankle, and they both cried out in pain as they fell to the ground, and the leader and his advisor turned around with their weapons drawn.

The weird thing about it although… was the fact that the rest of the storage facility they were in was stocked with only large crates that were held up by tall shelves, so they would have been able to see anyone if they were actually behind them, even if the room was a little dark.

But then, as they raised their weapons at nothingness… Jackson's voice suddenly echoed throughout the building, and his voiced just boomed over their exasperated breathing,

"...Put your guns on the floor."

The leader flinched from hearing the hunter's words, but then he just pointed back over at his friends that were lying on the floor, and waved his gun in the air as he tried to threaten him.

"Kid, we'll fire right through that door if you don't lower your gun-"

"*BANG!*"

However, before he could finish his demand, another shot rang out, this one being from a revolver, and the bullet hit the hand of the squad leader that was holding his sidearm, and it caused him to drop the gun!

"AAAGH!" He screamed. Then, as his weapon fell and clattered onto the floor, the faunus looked at the hand that had been shot… and he could see that the bullet went straight through his palm, and it left a massive hole in his hand as he began to whimper. "H...*gasp*...F….Fuck..."

And as he looked back up to where he thought the bullet came from, Gage and Jackson suddenly appeared in front of them, as they were invisible thanks to his semblance, and the ghost repeated Jackson's previous line… but with a lot more anger as he pointed Javix at all four of them.

"Put your guns on the floor, and _kneel."_

There was now only one in the squad of four that was unharmed, and he just smirked and looked down at the floor as he glanced back at his leader, and one of the others by the metal door just yelled out at him in pain,

"...Do as he says Eric! T… There's no point in making a decision right now..."

"...Yeah there is."

But as soon as he felt confident to stand up against the two Huntsmen in-training, Yang growled, and lifted the metal door that was blocking her from entering.

She opened it with one arm as she looked in, aimed one of Ember Celica's right gauntlet at the remaining insurgent, and smirked, "...Wanna bet?"

Gage looked at arrogant one, and simply squinted his eyes at him while his team leader just glared at him like he was the devil himself, and what the ghost said to follow up his act made it even more surreal.

"...Go Ahead. _Make My Day_."

Now, with more than three loaded weapons aiming at him, the faunus named Eric just chuckled, and dropped his weapon as he got onto his knees, and their leader did the same as Gage approached him, and aimed his revolver at his head,

"Now… I am very pissed, and _very_ buzzed at the moment, so you're going to answer any questions I ask truthfully. Otherwise-"

He then smiled, and pulled the hammer back on Javix one more time before he pressed the barrel against his temple, and made sure that the man could see how serious he was.

"-...This just might have to be your Last Day On Remnant."

The leader began to internally pant and sweat, which made Yang blink twice as she looked over at her boyfriend with a worrying stare, but Jackson didn't change his demeanor one bit.

Him and Gage just looked down at the man for a few more seconds before the ghost noticed Yang as she got closer to the three of them, and crossed her arms, changing her stare into a frown that made him ease up on his stance.

So, he looked up at her, and gave her a look that just said, 'trust me' all over it before he glanced back down at the man and continued,

"W...What? W-What is it?" The faunus asked.

"...We've been looking for a place called 'The Archive' for a long time now, and all we need is the location. And lucky for us, you just happened to make yourselves known to us inside of the city when we needed you. So… just tell us where it is, and we'll be along our merry way."

The faunus shook his head, and grasped his bleeding hand once Gage made his demand… as he knew that there was no way out of this without breaking the pact he made with his White Fang brethren. "Heh… no point in keeping it from you now… i mean, you are _The Ghost_... right?" He asked him.

"Yeah, that's him. So spill it. Now." Jackson replied, with his gun aimed at the other two men that were lying on the floor.

The leader turned, and looked for his other men to speak up or protest for him to actually go through with their plans… but nothing happened. They all just watched, and waited for him to go on, and it made him growl and bare his teeth in anger.

"Rrrgh… fine!" So with that, he looked up at Gage one more time, and relaxed his body, trying to ease himself as he opened his mouth… and tried to think of how he would be able to beg the White Fang for forgiveness if they were to find him and his colleagues after this day, to punish him for his misdeed...

"...Thirteen miles south of Vale's walls. It's an old abandoned prison, near Mountain Glenn. Wisteria Penitentiary. T...That's your Archive…."

He spat it out, and groaned with each word that came out of his mouth as Gage, Jackson, and Yang all looked at each other and smiled. But… as Gage moved Javix away from the faunus's head and grinned at him… he only angered the Fang insurgent even more,

"Don't look at me like that. You think I asked for this? *huff* ...To be asked to murder a bunch of kids? ...No. We, The White Fang, use to help people, we _saved_ people! But then Adam, and these new ones came in and… *sniffle* ...and they…"

That changed everyone's looks back to ones of pity, and as the man's disheveled and fearful eyes grew watery, it surprised them all to know that… there were those who still opposed the cult, but still remained with them.

So… was it out of guilt? Pity? ...Or were they held by their will, with a gun or knife being pressed against their backs? ...Maybe this was another reason why Blake left them after all of that time...

"...They've only made people hate us more, but they're too stupid enough to see it! Because what's the point in having dreams of freedom, in a world full of fear and hatred?"

"That's what we're trying to do." Yang interrupted him, as she placed a hand atop the faunus leader's shoulder. "We're trying to stop them so we can start our own new world. That's better than this one. All we need is for the bad part of the White Fang to be gone…"

"...And if it's what you want, then we'll be happy to get you out of their reach."

All four of the insurgents looked over towards the blonde, as Gage and Jackson did too… but… the hunter had a sort of, uneasy look on his face for what she was suggesting.

Gage felt the same, but still smiled for the good vibe she seemed to be giving them all, so the ghost glanced back at the hunter, and sighed with another smile right as Jackson went to whisper into his ear,

"Gage, you think she's being a little too friendly-"

"It'll be fine Jay. All we need is for them to comply right now. And when Em catches up with us, it'll be easier to talk to them."

"*sigh* ...Alright, fine Gage. Let's just get this over with. All this fighting is enough to tire me out for one day..."

And with that, Yang let go of the man, and went to open the metal door as Gage holstered Javix, and Jackson kept Khvostov trained on them all as the ghost took put his scroll, and began to dial Emile.

But even with that, the blonde just smiled at the leader, since he looked remorseful for what happened earlier… and she believed it to be authentic. So… she deactivated Ember Celica, and started to walk back outside.

…

Twenty minutes went by until Emile could find the three teens again, and when he saw the four faunus prisoners they had, he parked right outside of the alley they ran through earlier, and made the four insurgents sit on the sidewalk with their hands behind their heads.

Everyone had put their weapons away, as the sounds of police sirens began to become louder, and now Gage and Yang were just leaning against the Collector's truck while Jackson finished explaining what just happened to Emile,

And once he did that, Em turned to Gage and just gave him and his lover single clap as he smiled and laughed. "Hehehe, I was surprised to hear you handled it so easily kid. Especially with your woman holding you back!"

"H-Hey!" Yang exclaimed with a blush. "I-If anything, I made this whole day a lot easier for you all!"

Gage flinched once she saw his girlfriend become all defensive, so he just smiled and put his metal arm around her. "He's just joking around Yang… and we know you did."

"Hmph…"

And once the blonde puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, Em moved closer to the couple and smiled at Gage, "So… did you put down what they told you about The Archive?" He asked him, trying his best to whisper.

"Yup, got it right here." Gage answered as he held his Collector's scroll up. "I'll make sure to send you the details later when we're in the clear… but… I gotta ask you something."

"What is it?"

"...You think you could let us handle it this time? Just by ourselves?"

The bear faunus hummed after hearing his request, and Jackson did the same too even though he didn't have a say in it… but…. They both knew RWBY and Gage at least had some improvement after The Battle of Bolin Peak.

And since any sort of disturbance or complication in the operation would result in another House Party Protocol, Emile was a little reluctant, but he eventually found himself saying yes in the ghost's favor.

"...*sigh* ...Yeah sure. What's the worst that could happen?" He joked as the couple both smiled.

"Thanks Em! I'll make sure to not get hurt this time, Hehe!"

The Collector grinned, and just patted his shoulder as he looked over at Yang, and saw that she was smiling because of her boyfriend's jab at himself. "Heh, You better not. Your girl went through enough last time as it was." He chuckled.

Yang rolled her eyes, and sighed as she rested her head on Gage's shoulder, feeling relaxed that their mission was finally coming to a close. "Thanks Emile… hopefully _he'll_ get the idea after hearing it from you!" She teased him.

All three of them laughed after hearing that from her, and even Jackson cracked a smile, but only until they became quiet again.

After that, Jackson just kicked the ground, and looked down at their four faunus friends before he put his hands behind his head, and just asked, "So… now what?"

"Well, I was gonna call Grish and his girl to help me with these four, so you three don't have to stick around any longer." Em replied.

Yang's eyes then lit up again, "Oh! Well in that case-" And she turned to Gage as he looked at her questionably. "-how about we head out… and go do something while the sun's still up?" She asked him.

"*sigh* ...Of course…" Jackson sighed.

"Hey, just because you don't have a girlfriend doesn't mean that Gage can't spend time with his.~"

She said this with another smirk, and nuzzled against her boyfriend even more, and it just caused Wesson to scoff and look away. "Alright… I'll give you that one…"

Emile smiled at the couple again… and… kind of smirked as he looked at the two, but soon he began to think about something else he could do… since, well, Gage did tell him that it was the blonde's eighteenth birthday.

And since he already knew about her age and… her bike Bumblebee thanks to Gage, he got an idea that he thought wouldn't exactly be a gift, but that would be a nice gesture for the blonde, consider that she did in fact help their operation go a bit smoother. Before things went loud that is.

So, he chuckled to himself, and took out his car keys before he waved them in the air towards the couple, "...You know what, do either of ya have your license yet?"

Gage was going to raise his hand, but he remembered that he only had the permit from when he was sixteen, so he didn't… but of course, Yang smiled, and raised her hand with confidence, "...I do!~"

"Here. Take my truck for the rest of the day. A little present from yours truly." Em replied with a grin as he suddenly tossed her the keys to his Ford. "Just put the keys under the hood and park it near where I picked you two up when you're done."

She gasped, and jumped to catch the keys as they flew towards her, and she looked down at them with a smile as she looked back at the older Collector again, and thanked him before turning to her boyfriend again,

"...Thanks Em! *gasp!* ...Gage let's go get some fooood!"

"Oh hell yeah, let's do it! Hehe, thanks Old Man!" Gage chuckled as he grabbed onto the passenger side door of the truck.

The couple then laughed with each other, and Gage began to climb inside as Yang ran over towards the driver's side door, and Jackson just laughed as he walked over to Emile and nudged him, "Wow, just like that eh?" The hunter said sarcastically.

They both just turned, and watch the two as they smiled and Yang began to sit down in the driver's seat and got situated before she put the keys in and turned the engine over.

They watched this… but Jackson eventually looked back at the older Collector, as he sighed, and relaxed his shoulders with a blank smile while he began to look down at the ground.

"...Well, i gave up my love life for my job, and so far… i regret it. And yeah… i don't want anything to happen to either of them after how i've seen them act towards each other after all this time, so… i'd think it's better for them to have moments like these while they still can. Makes the world seem a bit more brighter for a few seconds, you know?"

Wesson stared them for a few seconds more once he finished, and as he watched Gage and Yang begin to roll down their windows, he did crack a smile a bit more and remained silent… but, Em took more it as a mixed understanding, so he just smiled and patted the hunter on the back,

"...You'll understand once you get a girl Wesson, *sigh* ….Because that'll be the day..."

Jay growled, and facepalmed after he said that, but once that small instant passed, he just shrugged Emile off, and began to walk over towards his truck as the couple reversed the vehicle out of their space, and smiled

Gage just watched his lover as she tried to get a feel for the wheel, looked and adjusted the mirrors for her own benefit, and noticed Jackson, so she looked over at him, and the ghost did the same.

"Hehe, You know Yang, i'm happy for you! But, maybe next time Gage will be able to chaffeur you to dinner by your next date! And… maybe he won't have to borrow his One-liners from Dirty Harry either!"

The couple both stared at him after that, with completely mirrored emotions, as Yang covered her mouth and stifled a laugh,while Gage blushed, glared, stuck his middle finger out the window, and put his feet up on the dashboard as his girlfriend just stomped down on the gas pedal.

"Heh, Bye Jackson!~"

"Rrrgh, so long ya prick!"

…

Once they finally got out of the area of Alpenglow, and reached a street with slower traffic, the couple began to relax after finally completing their mission, but Yang still snickered as she looked over at Gage, and saw that he still had his feet up on the dashboard, and that he was also rubbing his forehead with his cold metal hand as he had his eyes closed.

"*sigh* ...Fuck, i could really use some aspirin after all of that..." He sighed as he looked back at her.

"So much for, 'fixing things between you two'."

He huffed at her reply, and just leaned back in his seat more as he slid his right arm out of the sleeve of his jacket, and looked out the truck's window, "We'll be good friends eventually Yang… probably in like ten years, but eventually…"

She rolled her eyes, while trying her best to also keep them on the road, and let out another giggle as she leaned back in her seat as well, "Oh shush Gage, you're just cranky because you're hungry… and because i laughed…"

"Huughhh… Not gonna deny either of those things…"

The blonde smiled as he lowered his hand from his temple, so, she just reached over towards the radio, and turned it on before she sighed, as the beginning of the song, _The One,_ by the band _Kodaline_ began to play through the scratchy stereo speakers, and to the couple,

~I know, we'll have our disagreements… Be fighting for no reason, I wouldn't change it for the world… 'Cause I knew, the first day that I met you… I was never gonna let you, let you slip away. And I still remember feeling nervous, Trying to find the words to get you here today…~

They both smiled, and tried not to look at each other because of the small blushes that were slowly creeping onto the skin of their cheeks, so… Yang just glanced at Gage, and smiled nervously. "S-So uh… where do you want to go to eat?" She asked him.

~You make my heart feel like it's summer... When the rain is pouring down. You make my whole world feel so right, when it's wrong… That's how I know that you are the one.~

~...That's Why I Know You Are The One…~

The song went on for a few moments as the ghost thought to himself, and concluded that his headache wasn't that bad that he couldn't take his girlfriend for a romantic night on the town, so he just smiled again, and looked over at her, and into her eyes as he lowered one of his legs from the dashboard,

"How about… We go back home and get dressed all nice while _i_ go make a reservation for some fancy restaurant, and then we can have a nice little romantic birthday dinner for you?" He suggested, with a wide grin as he looked up at the roof of the truck.

And then, Gage sighed, and made a gesture with his hand like he was trying to reach out for something up high and out of his own reach. "...Maybe with a little private walk near the pier afterwards, to get one last glimpse of the moon together before winter's officially over…~"

But alas, even though he did his best to sound poetic and romantic for her, she shook her head, and declined. "Save it for _VALENTINE'S DAY_ , Care-Bear! Hehe." She giggled, trying to drill it into his mind.

"Oh come on Yang, how are we supposed to fit all that lovey-dovey and sexy stuff into one day?"

She blushed even more now, but made sure to answer quickly, to make it seem like that he wouldn't have to actually work his butt off for her on that special day. "There's twenty four hours in each day Gagey, that means we can be romantic for twelve, and kinky for the other half.~" The blonde purred.

"Hmph, Okay I'll wait…"

He smiled as he said that, and soon just went to look out at the road that was in front of them, interested in where she was actually wanting to go to for dinner. "So… where _are_ we going for your birthday dinner Yang?" He asked her.

"I was thinking that one burger joint we went to on a date not that long time ago. Where Weiss and Neptune met up with us outside?"

"Oh, _Dunkelman's_." He corrected her, which caused the blonde to snap her own fingers after she heard the name. "Yup, that's it. They had good burgers! And I thought it'd be a little nostalgic."

Gage didn't think it wasn't a fitting place to take her at first, because of his inner romantic self, but he went along with her request. It was her birthday after all… and their burgers really were amazing. "...And they do sing you Happy Birthday if you ask…" He joked, even though they probably did.

"Then let's go!"

The ghost nodded, but also leaned back in his seat and pointed a head, as his lover seemed to be looking more at him than what was in front of them both. "Alright alright, but make sure to keep your eyes on the road until we get there…"

"I will… unless I see a parking garage we can park in. Because I still really want to fool around with you for a bit...~" Yang teased seductively him in return.

"Hehe… whatever you want Yang, just say the word and I'll do anything. You deserve it after everything that's happened today…"

He added that last addition to her flirtatious turn to the conversation by just placing his hand on her shoulder, and leaning a bit closer so he could plant a kiss on her cheek, which made her blush, and sigh as she dropped the act, and looked back at her lover with thankful eyes once again.

"*sigh* …I love you, Gage."

"I love you too Yang… And yeah, again... Happy Birthday..."

See, and that was the one thing Yang loved about Gage. Even after everything that's happened one day, whether it was good or bad, she knew that when night fell, or she was just with him alone during any other time of the day, he would be willing to just sit or lay right next to her, and be all poetic and lose his mind right alongside her.

...And now, after what they both thought was the greatest day of their lives so far this year, the couple began to finally look up from everything that's happened to them in the past, and towards what they hoped to be the brighter days of the future…

Which... were no longer that far away…


	25. Once More Unto Breach: Part One

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if my formatting style was a bit off last chapter. Small uploading problem. Because for those of you who don't know, I actually like to upload from my phone rather than my laptop, and I actually switch between the two when I write. Small pointless detail I know, but now I have the opportunity to ask you guys a question,

' _Do you like to read fics off of your computer, or mobile phone_ _?_ '

Anyway, the only other thing I wanted to say was that I am going to _TRY_ , yes try to make the next five chapters short, to give myself a small break before and after the new year, and because I want to remake more of those early Part One Chapters. But don't fret! Because once that grace period is over and we reach 30 for Part Two… you're going to wish that I took longer!~

 **Song:** Time to Pretend by MGMT

…

 **Two Days Later…**

…

*RIIIING!*

Gage and Yang were both in Doctor Oobleck's class, it being their last class of the day, and since the final bell had just rung, they both smiled and turned to each other as they were sitting at their desks while they were dressed in their school uniforms.

Gage looked under his desk, and picked up the dark green knapsack that Yang had bought for him last month, and he just put it on top of their desk as he opened it, she grabbed his books for him and began to stack them neatly for him, as he was without his prosthetic again, but his metal arm was also already inside of the bag.

Once he threw their pencils and smaller stuff inside, the blonde put his books inside for him, and just pointed towards his prosthetic that was against the side of the interior of the bag,

"Hey Gage, do you want me to help you put on your arm?" She asked him.

The ghost looked over at her, and shook his head as he just zipped up his bag and stood up, "Not right now... don't want to gross anyone out, you know?" He answered as he looked to his left and right.

"Gage, it's not _that_ bad…"

"I know, i just don't feel like putting it on right now. Heh, trust me, i'd do it in the middle of the Mess hall if i wanted to."

"*sigh* ...Alright…" Now Yang stood up with her books held against her chest, and she sighed as she made sure that his left sleeve was tied up neatly while Gage put his single strap knapsack on, "So, do you want to go to my dorm, or yours to look over our notes?"

He used his one arm to cover his mouth then as he let out a tiny yawn, and rubbed his eyes soon after as he looked back at his lover with a very exhausted looking expression,

"*yawn* ...We can go to mine, but… we should still head over to yours. I have to ask Blake something about the stuff we found the other day."

"Alright. Hehe, but you sure you don't want to take a cat nap first, sleepyhead?" Yang giggled, since it looked like Oobleck almost put him to sleep with his lecturing.

Gage almost went to yawn again, but he just stopped himself and smiled at her as they both began to walk out of their seat aisle while the other students also did the same, "I'm fine… and I'll meet you there. Gotta talk to Oobleck… and maybe I'll get some coffee afterwards…"

They both then stopped once they made it out of the row, and Yang smiled even more as she and Gage both turned and saw that there was already a huge line of other students lining up behind the history Professor's desk.

"Hmm. Well then you better get in line while you still can Gage!"

"Ughhh…" He whined once she pointed it out, and was about to start walking towards the soon to be conga line, but Yang immediately hummed loudly, and grabbed his shoulder tightly… as he was forgetting something. "Heyyy! Where's my 'see you later' kiss?~" She teased him.

Gage exhaled with amusement, and blew a small raspberry as he just turned back around and faced his girlfriend with a cheeky smile. "*sigh* ...See you later."

And he just gave her a small peck on the lips before he turned away, and began to walk to Oobleck's desk, and she went the opposite way, up the steps of the lecture room while she blushed and waved him goodbye,

"See you later!~"

"*exhale.* ...Guess it's a good thing Oobleck talks so fast…"

…

 **...**

…

Yang made her way to the dorm buildings alone, with her books still being held against her chest, and she just hummed to herself as she used one hand to loosen the tie of her school uniform before she reached her dorm, and sighed.

She was feeling happy about her little moment with Gage from earlier, not because of just how sweet it was, but because of how… normal they both seem to have treated his stump in that moment, like it was… actually starting to feel normal.

She still wasn't exactly as comfortable as she could be with it, being only two months since his accident, but… she had to get use to it. There was no bringing it back, and she just had to accept that.

So, she tried her best to do that, and she began to think of the warm and fuzzy feelings she usually had when she dreamed about just being with her Care-Bear, and now she was even thinking about what they could do later that night…

"Hmm…~-"

"H-Hey! Uh… Yang!"

But as she blushed and began to reach for her dorm's door handle, Yang heard a male voice call out to her, and it made her jump at first, but then she turned towards it… and gripped the door handle even harder.

The blonde was of course expecting it to be Gage because she was sure he wasn't that far behind from catching up with her… but it wasn't him. As this person instead filled her with anxiety rather than joy...

It wasn't Cardin, or some other jock either…. Instead, the person was actually Neptune Vasilias. Weiss's now ex-boyfriend, and the one who tried to get in the middle of her and her relationship!

Her eyes went wide as he waved to her, and she was about to just make her door fly open so she could run into the dorm, but…. She chose not to. As he was already close enough, and she had honestly been waiting to chew him out.

And that feeling also overshadowed the fact that Weiss had actually accused him of being the man that invaded Gage's dorm and tried to murder him last month, and she even forgot about it to be honest, since the ghost decided to rule him out.

"O-Oh-Uh… H-Hey Neptune!"

Yang forced herself to let go, and she turned to see that he was already getting really close other, so she just took a step back and watched him approach. "Hi Yang…. You got a minute?" He asked her, a bit nervously.

The blonde hesitated to answer at first but… she could see that he clearly looked distressed, and now with that knowledge, she wanted to know the reason behind it.

"...Yeah. A few." She answered him as she continued to hold her books against her chest, while he now stood in front, and towered over her. "What's up Nep?"

"Nothing I… I just wanted to talk to you, when Gage wasn't around."

"Oh, well… okay. What did you want to talk about?"

He was standing there with his hands in his pockets now, but made sure to keep oddly staring into her eyes. Like they were just a pool of nothingness… and once he took a good thirty seconds to respond, it started to get weird for her.

It even felt like that just looking at her put him in a small trance of deep thought… but once she kind of fidgeted, and rubbed her shoulder as she looked away from him, Neptune jumped and finally came out with it,

"Uh… well… I just wanted to say that I was…. Sorry. About everything that I've done to you, and Gage… and your Team… and so on."

And she immediately turned to face him once he said the word sorry again, but… he took _another_ large step towards her before he could go on… and she started to become a little nervous because of his small mannerisms.

"I shouldn't have even thought about trying to flirt with you while everyone else already knew how committed you were… especially during a time like that. And I shouldn't have even kept it from Gage… but, I didn't know how he would react so… I guess you can say I became scared... and more jealous of him than I already was…"

That last part alarmed her too, so she just smiled off of instinct for a few seconds before that faded, and she exhaled as she turned her body, and leaned against the wall of the hallway… nervously.

Then, she rubbed the back of her neck, and tried to sound not as rude with her response, "W-Well… that's good. I'm just glad I could make some sort of impression on you like that…" But of course she had to let a tiny lick of her inner rage slip, "Since I guess losing Weiss meant nothing…."

"...Wait what was that?" Neptune asked, as he flinched, and tried not to focus on Yang's eyes too much.

"Oh, nothing."

Now she obviously just smiled and looked away from him… but he took yet another step closer, and she started to bunch up and shrug her shoulders by his weird approach. "So… do you forgive me?" Neptune asked her.

As much as it didn't feel sincere, Yang didn't want him to think of her as being unchanged and aware of how he really was, because him noticing that could spark some part of her to rebel and lash out at him… so, she forced a smile to appear on her face, and nodded.

"*sigh* ...Yeah. Sure. I'll forgive you Neptune. But this is my one freebie, and you're definitely never getting another one from me."

She crossed her arms as she said this, and it made Neptune smile even more as he looked down at her and chuckled quietly to himself. Almost like he was laughing at her warning.

But… then he got even closer, and put a hand on the blonde's shoulder tightly, and now she felt like he was trying to hold her in place against the wall, "I understand… and Thanks Yang… I'm glad I can have someone be able to trust me other than Sun… especially you." He said, soothingly.

Yang now felt like he was just eyeing her from above because of his height, so she blushed, and internally screamed as she placed a hand on his chest, and tried to push him away,

"H-Heh… well, you're welcome, _friend!_ "

Yang tried to make it obvious it his voice kind of seemed too suave in the moment to sound platonic… and once she made him back up, his eyes became erased of any somber emotion he had before.

Luckily, he tried his best to brush it off with his usual cool demeanor as a front… to try his best to hide his inner anger of course. So he went on to take a more friendly approach,

"Anyway… do you want to go get a cup of coffee or something? You know, to catch up. I mean... didn't even get to wish you happy birthday Yang."

The blonde stuttered once he asked that, and honestly became nervous to find a quick response that was normal, even though his suggestion sounded like he was seeing it in a different way than she was.

"U-Uh… maybe? I don't-"

"...She's fine Neptune." Someone growled out loud.

Yang and Neptune both jumped and turned to look to the right side of the hall, where the voice came from. Then however, Gage suddenly disabled the invisibility part of his semblance, and he appeared to the right of his lover, and was trying to glare at the potential homewrecker.

"Oh, h-hey Gage!"

She said this with a smile that expressed solace and clarity, and quickly took a tiny step towards her boyfriend, who was now standing there with his left sleeved rolled down, as he was now wearing his prosthetic, and he was also holding two hot cups of coffee.

Him and the blue haired boy were now looking straight into each other's eyes, both having a secret amount of irritation and anger behind the blank canvases that were their eyes, despite the different shades of blue.

And they didn't say anything on it, but Neptune's expression changed yet again to a face that was even more blank than before, so Gage chose to turn to Yang, and give her a tiny smile as he held out his right hand, so he could give his lover her drink.

"Here, Taiyo-chan, Oobleck let me use his coffee machine."

She licked her lips, and just looked down at the drink with a smile and took it from her boyfriend. "Oooh, is it White Chocolate Mocha by any chance?" She asked him randomly.

"Mmhm. Hehe, you should see his k-cup collection!"

Yang giggled once more, and took the first sip of her coffee with a sigh as she glanced back at Neptune… and saw that he was now just… staring at her cup.

Though, she didn't choose to call him out on it, and she instead just lowered the cup from her mouth and tried not to laugh awkwardly at him. "S… Sorry Nep, i guess Gage beat you to it."

"No… it's alright Yang…" He replied, as he placed his hands in his pockets and just tried not to look at Gage. "...Maybe later or something, right?"

"Oh… i dunno about today, me and Gage were planning on having a… study date. You know how it is."

Gage then put a hand on Yang's shoulder, and soon put his arm around her as he took another sip of his coffee cup. "Then i gotta let you copy my notes from Port's class, and any other stuff you missed from Oobleck too."

"Yeah, right. Heh, good thing i have you as my private tutor."

Nep's cool attitude faded completely, and he now seemed rather… quiet and distant, but after a few more seconds of silence, he looked up at the couple one last time, and he took a step back as well. "Oh… well, I guess I shouldn't keep you two waiting any longer. Sorry."

The couple both looked at him weirdly, and Gage just quickly reached back for the RWBY dorm's door Befpre as he gave the blue haired boy an awkward nod as Neptune just took a step back and continued to watch them both once again,

"Um… it's alright Neptune. We'll just see you around. Okay?" Yang asked him with delicacy.

"Yeah… see you two later."

So with that, Neptune turned and began to walk down the side of the hall that Gage had came from, and didn't even care to look back at the couple while the couple just continued to watch him weirdly.

The ghost eventually just exhaled, and turned the door handle so he could finally open the dorm's door for Yang of course, "*sigh* ...Well… That was weird." He sighed softly.

However, Yang just did what she thought was appropriate… and patted Gage's back as they both went into her dorm with relief together. "Hehe… I guess you could say Nep was… _acting fishy_!" She snickered.

"...Eh?"

Her boyfriend chuckled in response, as she turned and shrugged her shoulders with a bright open mouthed smile, but of course he also decided to just make fun of her attempt in the end.

"It'd work…. If he wasn't afraid of water."

"...Hmph..."

…

Gage opened the door, but instinctively closed his eyes as he entered first, considering what happened the last time he just burst into the RWBY dorm… and how he accidentally saw Blake in the nude.

And luckily before Yang could ask why, he opened his eyes, and looked over to Blake's bed to see the cat faunus lying there in her yukata, and she was happily reading by herself as she was lying on her bed.

"Hey Blake!" Yang greeted her partner.

"Oh hello Yang… and Gage."

He gave her a small wave, and just placed his coffee cup on Ruby's nearby desk before he put his hands in his pockets and began to walk over to Weiss's bed. "H-Hey Blake, long time no see… or talk…"

She leaned up from her mattress, and just put her book down as she brought her knees to her chest, and hugged them while Yang went to put her own books away.

"Yeah… sorry about that. Just… you know, Sun and other things."

"It's fine." He replied as he sat down on the heiress's bed with caution, and chuckled to himself. "Hehe, I'm basically stealing Yang away from you guys everyday, so it alright."

Blake let out a tiny nervous giggle, and just turned to him… and was trying not to make eye contact with him. "Hmhm, that i can't argue with."

"Awe, Blake misses me…~" Yang cooed.

Gage laughed some more after that as Blake gave her partner a tiny smile, and laughed with him while the blonde was now leaning against her desk as she took a sip of her coffee.

And while she did this, Yang looked over at Gage and enlarged her eyes in an attempt to get him to realize again what they came here to do, but luckily… the curiosity got to Blake before he could see his lover's gaze,

"So… how'd your guy's mission in the city go? Did you find out anything new for us to investigate?'

The feline faunus asked this with confidence that he didn't find anything about her involvement in his father's death, as Gage hadn't thrown himself in a flurry of rage when he entered the room, so she just crossed her legs and leaned forwards.

"We did… and we both actually came here to ask you about it…" He admitted, and caused Blake to become a tad nervous by the serious look that Gage had dawned upon his face. "O-Oh… well… ask away." Blake replied.

He smiled, and just clapped his hands together while Yang simply smiled, and began to walk over to him without making too much noise because of her own excitement.

"Okay… *exhale* ...We found out about a place called The Archive, which is actually an old prison to the east of Mountain Glenn, called Wisteria penitentiary. Have you ever heard of that?"

"Hmm… I have actually." She answered, as Yang sat down next to Gage, and hugged her knees as her eyes grew huge while Blake went on, "I didn't actually go to it or anything… but, i heard from others back then that the more violent members of the Fang were moved there. But i never found out why."

"Well, i was told by The Collectors that there was a man there, being guarded. His name is Orville Cordelia, and… he's suppose to keep track of all of the information on their operations. Every. Single. One!" Gage told her, his voice growing louder by the end of his sentence.

Blake released the grip she had on her legs, and she just crossed her own silky legs as she fidgeted… and scooted back towards her pillow so she could sit on it. "...R-Really?" She asked him, with a very convincing fake smile.

Although, she struggled to keep it as fake, because with this information, Blake became very conflicted with her own emotions. She felt happy for Gage that everything was starting to become full circle, but was scared because of the obvious…

"Yeah! Really!" Yang almost shouted as she scooted closer to her boyfriend, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Only thing we have to worry about is their defenses!"

Blake rested her hand on her pale knees, and just brushed some hair out of her eyes as she leaned forwards, and began to look down in thought…but Gage had one last question for them all. "...But one thing i want to know, is if those wolf faunus are going to be protecting him…"

"-T-They prefer the word, 'canine' faunus." Blake interrupted him, with a blush that said she seemed embarrassed and felt like she was being rude. "Sorry… They just see themselves as being apart of one family. A-Anyway… i'd imagine they'd be there."

"Yeah… they have the smell, strength, and the obedience to go with whatever they tell them to do." Yang mumbled as she stretched her legs outwards, and looked down at her own feet. "So i guess they're like… their special forces, or zealot class soldiers…"

That jogged Blake's mind a bit after she thought about how those specific faunus were like in their last encounter at Bolin peak.

They were armored, but seemed almost feral and ruthless in their attempt at fighting back… and she could only think of one other person who would teach them to do so...and lead them in that respect.

"Hmm… i remember a long time ago, Adam told me about the rumors of new arrivals into their ranks. He didn't say how useful they were, all he said was that everyone else was calling them… ' _The White Wolves_ '..."

Gage's jaw tightened once he heard the faunus leader's name, and he closed his metal fist as well. But for a brief second as well… it seemed like time just froze, and his eyesight suddenly turned bright red.

He heard Adam's hoarse and gurgling laughter inside of his own head, with a mix of Summer's also while he could just see the white outline of his Grimm mask… and the blackish red accents of the mask as well.

His body tightened in its slouch stance as he sat there, and he inhaled sharply too, but… once he glanced to his left and could smell the lovable fragrance of Yang's hair… he snapped out of it, and just growled at his reaction to hearing Adam's name,

"Rrrgh… well cool club name or not, we're going to fight them, and we're going to beat them. Because once they're dealt with… there'll be nothing holding me back from finding out about my dad's remaining killer."

Yang sighed softly and continued to lean on him as she put her feet down, and he looked down at his own… but… Blake just continued to stare at him… with a look of lament and sorrow reflecting off of the bright hazel orbs that were her eyes…

"Gage… why are you talking like this?"

"Because… we're going after them. At the end of this week, or even before that, while they're still in the dark about our knowledge!"

Her pupils dilated after that, and she jumped up and nearly fell off of her bed as she leaned closer towards the couple in shock of his announcement… and the fact that Yang seemed to be okay with this decision.

"W...What?! B...But we just got back from an operation two weeks ago!"

"Exactly. We have to do this now!" Yang replied, as she moved her hand down Gage's prosthetic, and grasped his metal hand.

"We have two ways of how to get Gage's information! That doctor, and his files, and we're going to need them both if the Collectors are going to start taking larger strides Blake, so we need to take this one chance and hope it pays off!"

They both then stood up together, and Blake did the same after some time, but only because she was now flustered with both fear and helplessness once again.

"B...But… That's still barely enough time to plan…" She mumbled.

Gage sighed, and just took a step towards Blake before he just put a hand on her shoulder, and looked her straight in the eye with a smile, "No it's not. That gives us… four days. One for planning, three for preparing!" He rebutted, stubbornly.

"Gage…"

"Blake. Please. Just… do this for me. I have something in the works already, so… All I need is to get everyone together and talk it over. It'll work, not because it's foolproof… but because it has to…"

She looked away from him for a few seconds, and towards Yang… who looked dissatisfied with his decision, but still supported it. Blake of course knew why…. Yet, Gage still managed to say it out loud without them asking for it...

"...Blake. I don't want to have come this far, only to have the truth pushed further away from my grasp again. Please… just… help me do this."

The feline faunus stared into his turquoise eyes after hearing his plea, and she could see the desperation in his gaze as it was focused on her own hazel orbs.

Blake knew what this meant if she was to show any affection or positivity… he would only become angrier and angrier, fueling his unforgiving rage a lot more… but… she couldn't deny him this.

So at this moment… she just let out a shaky sigh, and slowly nodded before she moved closer to Gage, and hugged him tightly as she muttered, "...Okay... " And began to try and hide her silent exasperated breaths from the ghost.

"...Okay. I'll help you Gage…"

She knew how making this vow could end… how betrayed he would feel… but, Blake didn't care anymore. She let her feelings for him and his relationship's well being take over her survival instinct, and she just wanted him to be happy… even if it was her own demise that would bring him it.

Blake kept her eyes wide open… and she just… welcomed death. She thought it over in that moment and she was fine with it. Hell, she didn't think she'd even get this far after leaving the White Fang. Let alone be in a healthy relationship with someone, and with all these friends she's met since she came to Beacon.

So in the end… Blake ironically felt more alive the closer and close she thought she was approaching her possible death...

And now, the cat faunus took a step back from Gage, and let go of his body as Yang smiled, and closed her eyes in relief. "...I'll tell everyone else to meet here in two days after all our classes are done for the day. Then you can tell us all about your plan…"

"...Thank you Blake." Gage thanked her.

"D...Don't mention it." Blake stuttered, still struggling to contain the aching catch in her throat, but once the faunus did take control of it, she let out a tiny giggle, and sat down on her own bed again.

"N… Now why don't you get out of here? Since, I know Yang will start to get bored if you stay here with me any longer."

Yang rolled her eyes, and giggled as she grabbed Gage's hand again and blushed whilst she tugged his arm, and began to walk towards the door. "Hehe… you know me so well."

"Well… You are my partner."

The blonde and the cat faunus both looked at each other and smiled as Gage blushed and followed his lover towards the dorm's front door with a large happy grin on his face. "B-Bye Blake! And thanks again!"

"Bye Gage!"

Then, Yang gave Blake one last wink before she reached for the door handle, grasped it, and looked back at her lover one last time before she turned the handle and opened the door again…

"Now come Care-Bear… it's time for our little, ' _study'_ date…~" The blonde brawler purred as she moved her lips closer to his eardrum.

"W...Whatever you say... T-Taiyo-chan…"

…

After leaving the dorm, the couple went down to the bottom floor of the dormitory building, and they were now walking hand in hand as they approach Gage's dorm together.

"So… this isn't actually going to be study a study date, right?" He asked Yang with a half smile.

Yang snickered a bit, and just stopped next to his dorm's door, and she just looked away from him with crossed arms, "It could be… and it also couldn't be." She replied, with a smirk of course.

"I honestly think I've been rewarding you too much Gage… and right after it was _my_ birthday...~"

Gage stuttered, and just pointed at Yang while he blushed. "H-Hey! _You_ wanted to do all those things with and/or to me, so i didn't want to… 'deny sharing the experience with you'..." He said, finishing with air quotes.

"Ohoho really?"

"Y-Yeah! And i did offer to take you out to a fancy restaurant on your birthday… and suggested that walk in the moonlight… and that basket full of c-condoms for later that night too…"

The blonde hummed in response to his words, but in annoyance… probably because she did hate turning his offers down, but she had to get him to see the idea of combining all of those different suggestions into one day… Valentine's Day.

"Hmph…" Yang scoffed, but more towards herself and her own stubbornness rather than her boyfriend. "...Well… are there any other date ideas that you came up with for the two of us?"

Gage stayed silent for a few seconds before he looked away from his lover, and his cheeks blushed an even brighter shade of red. "...Just one…"

He said this, and glanced at Yang to see that she was now looking at him like she was waiting for him to give her some gift, so he sighed… and finally spilled the whole possible plan of his to her,

"...I was thinking that maybe… we could just have a walk in the Emerald forest together. And I heard some other students talk about a small pond being out there… so… maybe we could go swimming in it too?"

"...Or perhaps skinny dipping…" Yang replied, with her words seeming to just roll off of her tongue in her familiar seductive tone of voice. "...Now that would be my kind of treat.~"

However, even though he thought it was something to become nervous of, Gage suddenly broke away from being embarrassed for once, and instead smiled at her again.

"Yeah, then we can start making out in the middle of the lake, and wait for some masked killer to jump out of the water and murder us both!" He joked, as he rolled his eyes.

"Pfft. Gage, are you kidding me?" His blonde girlfriend sputtered at him, as she crossed her arms, and looked up into his turquoise eyes with yet another smirk once again. "You know i'll make sure that _NOTHING_ will be able to interrupt us, rampaging psychopath or not!"

"Man… lewd stuff must really get you riled up, doesn't it?"

She shrugged, and firmly planted her back against the wall as she continued to grin at the ghost with bedroom eyes… and then she ran a hand up his chest as well,

"No, I only get riled up when someone interrupts me from doing what I want to you. And If that were to ever happen… then I will shut whatever it is down... No exceptions...~"

After that, Gage leaned even closer to her, and Yang took that as an opportunity to move closer to him too, so she could just simply whisper into his eardrum one more time. "...All that passion, just for our alone time…"

This combined with the sultry sound of her voice made him chuckle as he smiled, and placed a hand under her chin so it would be easier for him to look into her beautiful lilac eyes.

"Heh… that's my girl."

She let out a tiny giggle in response as she looked up at him, and cupped his cheek as he moved so close to her that he was able to press his forehead against hers fervently.

But… as the couple shared another laugh again and continued to stare into each other's eyes more and more… time seemed to slow down… and Gage suddenly did something that he himself didn't expect.

The ghost's smile faded while she kept smiling on… and he just casually took the initiative, and eased Yang into a small kiss as he moved his metal hand down her figure, placed it against his lover's right hip.

Her smirk went away as well while her eyes fluttered one last time, and she felt Gage's gentle lips press against her own, with his body being forced against hers so much that she gasped, and felt her back be pressed against the wall of the hallway.

"M...Mmph…"

The blonde moaned, and moved her hand up the ghost's head before she ran her hand through his hair, and moved it all the way to the back until she grabbed onto the back of his head, and tried to part their lips with a smile…

...However, he didn't allow it. All she was able to do was inhale before Gage huffed, and he nipped at her bottom lip until she opened up again, and allowed him access to her oral caverns with a steamy gasp in shock of his actions.

"...Mmm!"

Yang's gasp became even louder as she could feel Gage's hand move all the way down to her leg, and then she felt him grip the underside of her thigh before the blonde was lifted only slightly off of the ground, and was now pinned against the wall behind her.

She kissed him back and now had her arms wrapped around the ghost's neck while she panted heavily, and let her tongue enter his mouth slowly as Gage let his slide and make contact with hers before she closed her eyes… and slowly pulled away, which he was about to do.

"*pant* ...Gage…" She gasped before she giggled tiredly, and tried desperately to catch her breath again."T...That was really bold of you… especially when we're in public..."

Gage's face was a bright tomato red at this point, and he was now just staring nervously into Yang's flustered and loving lilac orbs. "H… Heh… S-Sorry..." He apologized as he let her feet touch the ground once again,

"...I guess I got a little carried away… I… it's just that…"

Yang then tilted her head to the side and looked at him questionably, now because he suddenly paused, and looked down from her gaze for a few seconds until he faced her again, and sighed heavily before he continued what he was going to say,

"*sigh* ...I feel like… that if I had a lasso, I could just… throw it around the moon and pull it down for you if you asked me to… like… I can do anything now, you know?"

Gage now smiled back at Yang with happiness being clearly shown from his expression, and he expressed this even further as he laughed once more and continued to hold her.

"Like… I'm invincible, and now nothing can weigh me down. Whether I'm jinxing my luck or not, I feel like I'm finally winning! That I'm the one on top now… rather than the people we've been fighting all of this time..."

Yang could see the silent sorrow behind his blank smile that he was hiding, and she gave him a small real one in return as she brushed his cheek, and exhaled peacefully,

"Gage… whether we're actually in the lead of this, 'war', we've been winning since the start." She stated, with solemn and utter determination to make him have a real smile again. "We don't have to break their bones or hurt them to be in the lead. In the end, the only thing we'll we need to win is… to just live…"

"...Just think of it." Yang whispered, as she grabbed onto Gage's school tie and pulled him towards herself again. "They're out there fighting and dying to keep their little secrets safe, while we're here. Loving and living easily with nothing to hide… because we're the good guys."

"They're struggling with their plans and such now because of us, and it's so easy to foil, that we can do it with one hand tied behind our backs! ...It's the ultimate form of revenge Gage. And we're not even trying to do it on purpose either!"

She said this and was trying so hard not to raise her voice in anticipation or whatever emotion that expressed her secret longing to get back at the White Fang for what they did to her Care-Bear, and now he could see it to.

Yet… that wasn't what he wanted from her. Or from himself. The only thing he's ever wanted was to find out the identity of his father's other killer, and now that information was in his grasp.

So now… the only thing he could think of doing after… was being with her. His Taiyo-Chan. And how everything would be so much easier and simpler after he finds what he is looking for.

How… everything, every day after that, would be so much better than the last two months of depression that the couple had to endure to get back to another high point in their search together.

"Four more days…" Gage thought to himself, before he moved his metal hand up from her thigh, and used it to grasp her right hand gently. "If there's only that much left… then I have to make it special. In case of something going awry…"

The ghost then put his other hand on her shoulder, and was trying to restrain himself from pulling his lover into a tight heartfelt embrace as he closed his eyes, and did just that.

"Hehe. Well… then Let's Just Live tonight, Yang. However you see we should do that, I'll happily be there to celebrate with you."

Yang blushed, and simply placed her hand against his chest before she could reply… with yet another smirk. "Hmm… in that case… you wouldn't happen to have anymore wine for us to drink, now would you Care-Bear?~" She asked Gage.

He sighed once she mentioned the alcohol, but he couldn't blame her for asking. She did just reach the legal age three days ago, so just rolled his eyes, and went to open the door to his dorm,

"As a matter of fact, i do." He admitted as he grabbed the door handle, and turned it so the door would open. "But… let's not get too wasted this time Taiyo-Chan. I have to get up early and head into Vale tomorrow…"

Yang moved away from the wall and went to follow, but she also did it while she turned to her lover and stared at him questionably for two specific reasons.

The first, was that Gage hadn't mentioned anything about going into the city to her at all recently and the second… was that it seemed like he was talking about going by himself rather than with her. And that made her think about him possibly running another secret mission again without telling her… but… she couldn't immediately assume that.

Gage did make a promise to her about when it came to fighting the White Fang, so she hoped to god that he knew there would be hell in store for him if he chose to lie to her again.

So, Yang chose to respect his privacy, as to not make herself feel like she was turning into one of those control freaks you would see in bad relationships, and she sighed one more time as Gage opened the door for her,

"*sigh* ...Okay…. But, where in the city are you going to go?"

"Just… a place I've been meaning to visit for a very long time…"

And with that, he shut the door once she came inside, leaving the hallway to be silent once again. No other words were to be spoken… but unbeknownst to the couple, there were actually two other people listening in on their conversation from opposite ends of the hallway.

On the right side… was Neptune. Who was peering around the corner for only a few seconds before he audibly growled, and gripped his left shoulder, which was writhing in pain, and was also wrapped in a bandage under his clothes.

He was angry, mostly because of how Gage interrupted his and Yang's conversation, even though he was pushing her to just to 'hang out' with him casually.

That was what he was trying to convey at least… so he could try and get close to her, and fix his reputation throughout the school, which had been heavily damaged thanks to what he did to Gage, Yang, and Weiss.

This wasn't how his plan was suppose to go down, and that knowledge just caused Neptune to grit his teeth, and use his left elbow to put a hole into the wall that he had his back against before he exhaled, and chose to walk away…

And the person on the other end of the hall,was in fact Blake, who was feeling an entirely different emotion. Fear, sorrow...and loneliness were the general ones.

She was peering around the corner until the couple went inside like Neptune, but once they went in… Blake put her back against the wall of the corner she was hiding behind before she crumpled, and slid down the wall until she was able to sit down, and hug her knees as she sniffled… and just tried to hide her face from the world…

There was so much wrong, and anxiety that she was feeling, and her heart and head ached with regret and fear, but she couldn't forget about it. Not now, not ever, and not anymore.

Blake Belladonna's day of reckoning was coming, and… she didn't care about it anymore, about how she would come out of it.

All the feline faunus could do now... was think about submitting herself to Gage. To welcome whatever punishment he would have in store for her, and to not fight back for the greater good.

Blake knew Gage of course was far from being heartless when it came to his friends and their well being. So... if she chose to yield herself to him in that one final moment of revelation…

Then… _maybe_ he would let her live…

…

 **Author's Note #2:** Alright guys, before i say what i gotta say i just want to give a shout out to a new story here on the site called, _At The Edge Of Darkness_ by TheBoredBoot, and my friend, Keeper Of The One Winged Angel, who has actually been a fan of RWBY: Desertion since the beginning of Part One!

Their story takes place during Volume 4, and it tells of the journey of two ocs, Fenrir and Morven, and also Yang and Winter. Only one chapter is out at this time, and the story is on TheBoredBoot's profile, so go check it out if your into oc fics like myself.

Anyway, as for my actual note, i'm obviously not going to be able to upload before Christmas, so i just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas, or whichever holiday you celebrate, and also A Happy New Year!

Hopefully i'll be able to upload one more time before 2017, but if not, then just know that another update will come soon! But until then, i'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	26. Once More Unto Breach: Part Two

**Author's Note:** First off, I just wanted to say that i finally found a name for Yang's new outfit that i showed off back in chapter 24, and it shall be forever known as… her Strider outfit! Also… lol, I guess I was able to upload before Christmas! Hehe!

Anyway, i just wanted to give a big thank you to all of you who became new followers of Desertion this year, and hopefully we can expand this little following in 2017. Because It's… something big compared to my real life, as it's not exactly going that well at the moment, even during this time of the year, but…. This has definitely helped me in some way.

Whether it's from seeing your feedback, or just teasing you guys and planning ahead and scheming with myself and my friends here on the site, it's… been a very cool experience. So… with that, here's to 2017. May i get better irl, and may Desertion continue to grow and expand!

Goodbye 2016! It's been one hell of a ride! Also… if anyone got that one christmas movie quote i added in at the end of that last chapter… i luv u! Oh! And Merry Christmas! Again! XD

 **Song:** I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie.

…

After waking up at nearly nine o'clock in the morning, Gage got dressed, showered, and left his dorm by himself, without Yang bothering him at all, as she was still sleeping like a loud snoring baby by the time he left, as she may had a little too much to drink during the previous night.

So, Gage left, but without his suede jacket or weapons. Instead, he was just wearing a dark green long sleeved urban flannel, with a black shirt under that, and with his brown pants and skate shoes, armed only with his prosthetic left arm.

And now, he was standing in front of the gates of a familiar place… The City of Vale's own memorial park. Where… his parents had been buried.

The ghost shook his head, and just forced himself to smile as he entered through the gate, along with a few other groups of random people, and he just began to walk through the main yard, and down a path that lead to the hill where their grave sites lied.

He walked with slow pace, as he was trying to make sure his metal hand wasn't too visible… but once the other visitors left him, he looked down at his own two hands, as he was holding an item in both of them.

In his right, he was holding a cold beer bottle that he bought from a store on his way there, and in his left, in his metal hand, was a single red rose which he made sure wasn't wilted in anyway when he bought it from the flower cart that was at the front gate.

"Hopefully Yang understands why i didn't have much last night. Mom wouldn't want me drinking this young, or right before i visited her so… i can have my fun after our next Mission…"

Gage wandered slowly unto the trail until he reached the hill, and walked up to the small forever fall tree that was towering above his parent's grave at the top of it.

That was when he laid eyes upon their tombstones once again. Two slabs of stone, engraved with their names while a plaque laid in between the two, and showed their separate dates of death, which were permanently engraved into the depths of Gage's mind even now after all this time...

 _Here lies Gaigus and Miriam Sim._

 _Both a Loving and Caring Mother and father._

 _May they walk, and light the path endlessly for others…_

The ghost approached his mother's stone, and brushed off the red leaves that had fallen from the tree that was above them, and he placed his red rose on top of her grave before he just turned to his father's, and placed the beer bottle in front of his stone.

Then, Gage took a deep breath, and stepped back from their gravesite as he put his hand together, and looked at their stones once more,

"Hey, I'm back again. I'm… sorry i didn't show up back in November… or… well… recently. I… kinda got into an accident… and… now i have this thing…."

He was referring to his metal arm of course, and he just pulled up his left sleeve up a bit, to show it to them. "Heh… I didn't do anything stupid i promise. Someone else just got into a pickle… and i had to get them out…."

"...And It hurt… it still does. But it was worth it. So you don't have to comfort me, or anything i promise… Yang's already got that covered pretty well."

Then, the ghost gulped, and reached down to his belt straps, and took the small glass ornament Yang had gotten him for Christmas off before he raised it, and pressed the little button on the side of it so the yellow heart on the inside of the glass box would light up,

"She's… something else, i'll tell you that. You both would love her. She can cook… she can drive like a bat out of hell, she's funny, beautiful, and she's just… *shaky breath* ...She's so sweet!"

He gripped the small gift a little tightly as he felt a catch in his throat, and desperately tried to make it go back down from whence it came with a small laugh, as he just began to play with the ornament's little button again…

Gage did this at first because he knew he was about to go off into a tangent about his love, and once he did that he would go on and on and on about his feelings and how much he loved her… and… then he became afraid.

Not because of admitting those things… but more afraid of accidentally telling them about his… marriage proposal. To Yang.

That thought crushed him, of him telling them, even though they couldn't actually hear him, because it made the ghost realize… that even if the White Fang were to be vanquished and their new world would become real…. His mother and father would still never be able to be there to watch him as he stood there on the aisle.

To never tease the couple about their honeymoon or reminisce about their own… to never be able to be there to see the child Yang kept pestering Gage about be born grow… or to even help their son become the proper parent.

None of that was possible now. Or ever. His parents couldn't become some spiritual being like Ruby's mother… no. He was to find out and experience all of those things by himself without any guidance...

...But, he made light of that, thinking that it would still be better to do that along with just Yang at his side, and the thought comforted him… just like he said the blonde always did.

So, once he realized that all of those thoughts and emotions would be released if he went on about the bodacious blonde, Gage let out a shaky chuckle, and made himself stop,

"...*shaky sigh* ...Anyway, i didn't come to cry and just rub her in your guy's faces. What i came to tell you… is that… i think that my hunt for dad's killer is finally going to end... "

He said this, and turned to his dad's gravestone with a half-smile, before he exhaled one more time, and looked down at his metal hand again,

"Yeah… i can finally finish all of this… and put an end to whoever they are. I'm not going to let this opportunity slip away from me, so i'm going to do this. No matter what."

The words nearly stung as they came out of him, and he could still feel how his parents would react to this, which would be a stern glare, accompanied by a look at disappointment.

The one thing they always told him about their jobs, was that killing or hurting anyone out of hatred was a crime against their causes, The Huntsmen and The Atlesian Military. Whose jobs were to protect those who stand against the Grimm, no matter their background or beliefs.

"Now… i know that… My intentions… would never be what you want from me… but… I _HAVE_ to do this." Gage mumbled, as he fidgeted with Yang's ornament even more. "...Once this is finally said and done, I can focus on changing… everything…"

"...I can change myself. How I act, how I fight, how I carry myself… and how I can protect those people, my friends, and the woman that I love. Because once that… 'menace', is no longer of this world anymore… then I can stop worrying about losing anyone else close to me."

Once he got that confession out, the ghost put his ornament back on his belt strap, and just kept his hands at his side while he now looked down at his parent's graves, and was trying not to let out anymore sighs of self-hatred.

He felt as if he was...going against what he was taught by them, and fracturing the good sense he associated himself with thanks to how his parents brought him up… but… now he was his own man.

And now… it was his turn to form his own rule. His own morals. For better, or for worse.

"...But… i promise, once i can get past this… i am going to try to make the world, and my life alot better than it is now… because i know it's what you both would have wanted to do for me."

Then, with a larger smile, Gage took out a bottle opener he had in his pocket, and crouched down on one knee so he could reach for the beer bottle he set next to his dad's stone, and pop off the cap for him,

"And besides i have to uphold your spirit, don't i? Hehe."

He laughed once he thought of his father, and how he would have probably told him to buy another bottle to share with him when he arrived, and that thought made him comfortable enough to return to normal.

But, as the afternoon was slowly approaching, he was thinking more and more about leaving, so then Yang wouldn't be too worried and question where he was if she was awake when he got back to Beacon.

"Look…" Gage then started to speak as he got back up, and stood on his own two feet once again. "...Just, don't worry about me you guys. I'll… I'll be fine. And once I get past this… and I feel safe… I'll come back here to see you both again" He told them, as he put a hand on his mother's grave one last time… and he turned to leave.

"...But… until then… Mom, Dad... I love you both. And I'll make sure to make you proud by the time I get to see you again…"

…

 **Later…**

…

Gage went back to Beacon by himself again, and was heading over to the RWBY dorm, as Yang told him to meet him there before they could go out and do whatever daily activities they usually did when in each other's company.

So now he was approaching the dorm in silence, still dressed in the casual outfit he had dawned earlier that day, and he sighed with nervousness as he took out his scroll, to unlock the door with the code his lover had given him,

"Jesus… Seeing Blake naked must've really traumatized me or something…"

He whispered that to himself, and was about to close his eyes as he reached the door… but… then he stopped, as he began to hear a tune of some sort coming from inside of their dorm room…. That of an acoustic guitar strangely enough,

"The hell?" Gage thought.

The ghost put his scroll down, and decided to put his ear close to the door as he tried to listen… and… once he did that… it began to sound like someone was… also singing along to the music as well.

The guitar strokes were faint, barely even audible… but they sounded sweet. And majestic… as a familiar squeaky and bubbly voice sang in a much lower octave than she was known to be heard in… and she sang with that same tone an unfamiliar song into Gage's ears. Which was, in actuality…. _Shiver_ by _Lucy Rose_.

"...~And we broke… Everything that was right, We both enjoyed a good fight… And we solved… All the holes we had to breathe, To make the other one leave…~"

"~...And I loved... the way you looked at me… And I miss... the way you made me feel… When we were alone… When we were alone…~"

Gage put his hand against the door and held his breath, as he was trying to get some idea of who this person was… and who owned the guitar.

Yang was out, Weiss's voice was more angelic rather than subtle and low, and while Blake did have this characteristic… he doubt she could hold the melody just as well as this person was…

...So now, Gage could only think of one other person who would be able to sound as gracious and quaint as this mystery singer,

"~...And I'll shiver like I used to… And I'll leave them just for you… And I'll shiver like I used to… Just for you…~"

He could hear the rhythm of the song become louder, along with the person's voice as she let out a breath full of stress and shakiness… which made Gage nearly grab the door handle right then and there… But he stopped himself.

"...Maybe they just want to be alone right now…" The ghost thought. He could feel something alarming in their voice, even though they kept on singing… but.. he couldn't just tell Yang to change her plans now. He was already there.

"~...And we stole… Every moment we had, to make the other one feel bad… And we hoped... that we could be what we knew, we'd never turn out to be real…~"

And so, since his lover was probably already on her way, Gage just mentally drilled the idea of knocking before opening the door… and, he still made sure to stay silent for the one that was still inside of the dorm room...

"...~And I loved... the way you looked at me… And I miss… the way you made me feel… When we were alone… When we were alone…~"

"...~And I'll shiver like I used to... And I'll leave them just for you… And I'll shiver like I used to… Just for you…~"

Her voice became even louder, so that she was able to be heard through the walls of the room, like she didn't even have a care in the world, as the song was already beginning to reach it's climax without any interruptions, which she was more than glad for.

But… right as she threw caution to the wind, the mystery girl inhaled one last time, and let her heart guide her fingers across the strings of the acoustic guitar… however… her own clumsiness and caress demeanor got the better of her in that final moment…

"~...And if we-"

"*Pluck!*"

And out of the blue, the girl accidentally plucked the wrong sting, and it let out a small, but loud high pitched scrape, and it caused the person to stop playing entirely, before letting out a sigh of frustration, and also relief.

"...*sigh* ...Dang it…" She exhaled.

Gage frowned at the person's fault, but could now make out the voice to be Ruby's out of all people, so with that knowledge… the ghost let out a tiny breath, and pressed a button on his scroll to make the door unlock, before he knocked on the door, reached for the handle, and opened the door slowly.

Right then he heard Ruby gasp quietly, along with the creaking of a bed as she fidgeted in her spot, but was too late to do anything as Gage opened the door all the way, and he looked over at the small rose blankly…

"...Ruby?"

The small girl was there, sitting on Weiss's bed with an acoustic guitar in her arms, with the holding strap around her body, and she had a massive blush on her face as she gave her sister's boyfriend an incredibly nervous smile, and wave to accompany it,

"H… H-Hey Gage! Um… s… sorry about all that noise…"

"...That was really you?" He asked her, as he shut the door behind himself before anyone else could hear them. "...I thought someone was just playing music… or something."

She sat there on the heiress's bed, with her back being cushioned by a pillow, and with a sleeping Zwei next to her as the rose sat there, and looked down at the guitar while she held onto it gently,

"...Y-Yeah… that was me…" She admitted, as she was trying not to look the ghost in the eyes for… some reason.

Gage titled his head in confusion though, as he didn't remember her or Yang owning an acoustic guitar, so he decided to ask about it. "...Wait, where'd you get the guitar?"

"Oh, it's Jaune's. He left it here after Yang's birthday party, and i found it... But i wanted to try and play it for a little bit before i gave it back to him…"

"Tch, that explains it. But I still didn't think you played. Hehe, and acoustic, out of all things?" He chuckled, trying to make her smile again.

The ghost made sure to do this with a tiny grin as he approached her bed, and he decided to sit down next to where her legs lied as he gave Zwei a little pat on the head, the corgi turned and laid on his back.

And Ruby did smile, and she even leaned up from the pillow she was laying against, feeling comforted by her friend's acceptance of her small secret.

"Dad taught me, actually. Heh… he use to always play little songs for me and Yang to fall asleep to on his own guitar when we were sick or couldn't sleep… so i learned from him."

Gage snickered, and tried to think about that entire atmosphere when Ruby and Yang were little. Being there, the island of Patch, which wasn't that much of a 'tropical' island not that he thought about it.

Then, it made him chuckle once he remembered a comment he made a while ago when the sisters mentioned the place they were born, as it seemed more of a rural place… that was the ideal location for farmland.

"So you lived on a ranch house, and you were raised by a truck and guitar owning overprotective father? Hehe, i guess i can call you two a bunch of country girls rather than island gals."

"Pfft… couldn't have said it any better myself." Ruby snickered as she waved him off with a smile. "And Blake's the only 'island gal' here in this dorm. She's from Menagerie actually." She added, which made Gage give her a confused look in return,

"Huh… the more you know.."

Ruby giggled with him too, and finally began to take the holding strap off of Jaune's guitar before she grabbed the instrument by its neck, and placed it gently next to the side of the bed as she blushed, and decided to rest her legs on Gage's knees.

"So… what are you doing up this early Gage? You and Yang usually sleep in… o-or do other things, until the afternoon when you get the chance."

"Oh… i just… went into town…."

She then hummed, and looked the ghost up and down because of his hesitant answer, and noticed that he seemed… dressed a lot differently than how he usually would when he went out.

"Hmhm, for what, a secret date?~" She joked.

Gage's face was drained of all merriment, even though he would enjoy the small moments of innocence and cluelessness that Ruby would create, and he just looked away from her as he chose to answer truthfully…

"No, i… i went to… see my Mom and Dad's grave, at that one Memorial Park near the citt center… and i just thought it would be nice to get out of my old drags…"

"Oh…" Ruby droned quietly, with her eyes sinking as she mentally baka chopped herself. "...I'm sorry Gage… I...-" But the ghost interrupted her with a smile, raised a hand, and signaled for her to stop.

"It's alright Rubles. You didn't know… I was kind of trying to keep it that way, but… I can't keep anything from you. Hehe, You would've kept pestering me anyway."

He said this, but she still kept looking away with a frown, so Gage just rolled his eyes and grabbed onto her foot since it was still resting on top of his knees, and he just raised her leg up so he could get her attention again.

And it did, as Ruby blushed and went to swat his hand away with another smile that had crept into her face again, thanks to the ghost. "H-Hey, don't touch that! Yang told me about your foot thing!"

"SHE WHAT?!"

Now his face was an incredible shade of red, and his turquoise eyes were the size of marbles as the rose covered her mouth while she giggled at him, and pointed at Gage as she just let him continue to hold her foot up,

But once he looked at her leg, the ghost blushed even more, and set it back down on top of his knee as he held his head in his hands, and groaned loudly… because the last thing he wanted was for his girlfriend's little sister to know about his kink…

...So he audibly whined, and laid on his side as he did so, which caused the small girl to just quit her laughing, and gently brush his hair with a smirk. "Relax Gage, Yang just told me to use that against you! But… i still don't know what that's suppose to mean…"

"O-Oh thank god…" Gage quietly gasped as he raised his head back up to face her. Then, he blushed even harder, and looked up at Ruby with a massive sigh escaping from his lungs, "...A-And… don't worry your pretty little head about that! It's just… a-an inside joke! Y-You know?"

Her smirk still showed although, as she wasn't actually that clueless, and she rolled her eyes as she looked away, and gave him a partially sarcastic answer. "Ohhh... no wonder i don't get it..."

With that being her last response, Gage sighed again, and just stood up as Ruby moved her legs away from him with another grin, and she decided to change the subject, since she knew it was just what he wanted at this moment.

"Sorry, i'm just trying to get all the jokes I have on you while I still can! You know, with that whole Archive thing going on in like… three days." She said, as she crossed her legs.

Then he finally managed to calm himself, and he sat normally again, while he tried to calm himself so he wouldn't blush any longer. "Yeah… tomorrow's the day we're going over the plan, so don't worry."

"I won't. You're the one making it, so I have nothing to worry about."

"Hmm…" Gage hummed, and just looked over at the small girl curiously, but also with an expression that showed gratitude towards her small comment. "...You're really that confident in my plan?"

Ruby nodded, and now moved closer to Gage with her left leg hanging off of the bed as her entire body was now turned towards him. "It's probably better than anything I could think of…" She admitted.

The ghost turned towards her as well, but, then he put a hand on her shoulder, and appeared to be shocked by her words, and how casual she sounded,

"Are you kidding me?" He asked her, with another smirk showing while he looked into her silver eyes. "I basically wing this shit every time. It just so happens that my luck is amazing… so far."

She giggled, and stared back into his own Turquoise orbs with a blush… but… then she turned away from her sister's boyfriend again, and gently rubbed her arm as her eyes drifted away from his again too.

"Yeah… but… still. You've done a lot more than I have with this whole battle we have going with the White Fang, and that other group too. A lot more than… I ever could have done I think."

She couldn't bear to say it around her Team, since they would obviously just try to bring her back up, being the supportive friends that they were, so…

...Ruby thought it would be better to say it around him when she was alone with him again, even though that only happened during rare occasions. But luckily, this was one of those occasions, so she didn't hold back at all.

"I couldn't even bring myself to go on this whole quest you're on right now either… maybe… if it was about my Mom… then maybe, but… *sigh* ...I wouldn't have gotten this far either way… I mean, Your security system classified me as being 'harmless' Gage…"

However, that made the ghost only smile more, and increase his grip on her shoulder as he scooted even closer to Ruby again as he spoke,

"Ruby… Virgil's just a machine." He told her, with a half smile. He then let go of her, and just let his hands rest on his knees as he went on, and made sure to keep eye contact with the small girl. "You don't have to look the part to be threatening, or be threatening at all to show that you mean business. I mean… you are a Rose, right?"

"...Yes…"

"Exactly! And Roses are suppose to look subtle and beautiful, but at the end of the day, they still have their thorns ready for anyone willing to pluck their petals away."

Gage said this, and Ruby's cheeks became as red as her cloak as he tossed out the word beautiful in his analogy, which kind of distracted her at first…

But, she still understood what he was saying. That her looks, her body, her attitude, and everything about her was nothing to compare to her own capabilities, even though there was absolutely nothing wrong with either of them at her age.

"Gage… I…"

"No, no, no, I'm not finished!" Gage rebutted, making Ruby giggle and blush even more as he leaned towards her further. "I had all these questions when I was your age, and look how I turned out!'

"I didn't even have the opportunity to attend a Huntsman Academy two years early. So… you're going to be one hell of a Huntress by the time you're as old as me. I know you will!"

And after all the praise, he managed to get Ruby to finally return eye contact with the ghost, as she was starting to feel flustered by his words, but... it felt more like something Yang would say to her.

"Y… You really think so?" Ruby asked him.

Gage chuckled once more because of her, and just balled his metal hand into a fist as he tried to reply. "I know so. Because, you do have promise Ruby. _You_ just have to see it, and believe in it… like you believe in me." He answered her solemnly.

Ruby still remained a blush, but this time… this time she didn't hide it from him, as she looked up into his eyes and suddenly jumped at him so she could pull him into a hug, and let out another small giggle as she closed her eyes, trying to hide how happy he made her.

He was nearly knocked onto his back because of how fast her semblance made her move, but once he felt her embrace and saw the rose petals appear randomly, he just hugged the rose back as he felt one of the petals land on top of his head, and rest there softly as he laughed with her as well,

"Hehe… You know Gage, i never would have thought Yang's first boyfriend would be a guy as… 'charming', as you…"

"Yeah well… thanks for supporting me and her after all this time. It really-"

"*knock!* *knock!* *knock!*"

They both then heard three loud knocks on the door before the dorm's front door suddenly opened, and caused Ruby to let go of Gage, and scoot away from him, still with the blush on her face.

After that, her and Gage both turned towards the front door, and watched as Yang peeked her head into the room, and waved at both her boyfriend, and her little sister, "Hello!~"

She greeted them in a sing song voice, and the sight of her immediately made the ghost stand up with a nervous smile, while Ruby just waved at her nervously.

The blonde now entered the room fully, but squinted at her little sister as she closed the door behind herself, and put her hands on her hips afterwards as she smirked at the two,

"Hey you two! ...Wait... *gasp!* ...Ruby! You weren't trying to steal Gage away from me, now were you?~"

"Pfft! W-What? No! I-If anything, he barged in here to hang out with me!"

The two sisters then smiled at each other, and turned towards Gage as he put his hands up in a defensive manner, and just looked at Yang before he replied with a nervous chuckle, "H-Hehe… well, you did ask me to come here and wait for you Yang, remember?"

"*sigh* ...Yeah I know Care-Bear, I'm just teasing ya." She sighed, feeling instantly drained of any amusement by his cluelessness. But she still smiled at him and her sister, "Anyway… are you ready Gagey? You sure looked like it by the way you're dressed up!"

He nodded, but instantly turned to Ruby to make sure that she didn't open her mouth to mindless correct Yang on why he was dressed that way.

"I just felt like being a little more… casual today. But, yeah, I'm good to go when you are Yang."

And luckily, the small rose did stay quiet… but only because she turned away from him and Yang… and sat back down on Weiss's bed… with an emotionless expression on her face.

However, Yang didn't notice, and grabbed onto Gage's metal hand and tugged on him to come, so he chose to take one step forward before he turned to Ruby so he could say goodbye… but… then he stopped.

He could clearly see that Ruby seemed a little off… and that it seemed like she was already alone for a while before he came along and had his talk with her.

Also, the lyrics of the song she was singing earlier were a bit somber from what Gage heard, so it worried him, and caused him to grasp his lover's hand tightly, and take one step back towards Ruby again as he whispered to her,

"Wait…. Ruby. Do you want to come with us?" The ghost asked her.

She turned back towards him, and instantly jumped up once she heard his proposition, "Okay!" But, she then stopped herself, and looked up at her older sister with clear insecurity, "W-Well… if that's alright with you Yang..."

Yang remained still for a moment, and squinted weirdly at Ruby for a few seconds, but then she quickly smiled at her, and gestured for her to come with! "Of course it is little sis!" She nearly yelled.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it'd be great. Because then me and you can have a tag team match against Gage in the Arena!"

"Hehe… that does sound fun!"

Of course Gage stuttered, and he let out a sigh as he looked over at Yang and internally, and externally groaned at the two sisters, "*sigh* ...You guys, it's suppose to be my day off…"

The blonde just giggled, and turned to her boyfriend as she just ran a hand up his chest and smiled, while Ruby laughed too and started to get up off of Weiss's bed.

"Well then once the day is over… I'll make sure to tend to your wounds myself… how does that sound?~" Yang asked Gage, seductively.

"...Fine, but let's just hurry up so I can get changed into my other clothes, okay you two?"

Ruby and Yang both nodded, so he exhaled a little too dramatically to make them feel bad for him, but it didn't do anything but make them laugh even more.

So with that last attempt failing, Gage whined and moved closer towards the front door, with his metal hand still intertwined with Yang's right one as Ruby finally got up, and looked back at the sleeping Zwei on the bed before she clapped, and got his attention,

"Come on Zwei! I can take you for a walk, and then you can watch me kick Gage's butt!"

And once the corgi instantly woke up, got up from the bed, and yipped with joy as he hopped into Ruby's arms, Gage rolled his eyes and opened the dorm's door with Yang hugging his metal arm as he did so, and began to walk out into the hallway.

Ruby followed the couple with the corgi still in her arms, and they both watched as Yang went to whisper something into her boyfriend's ear, and made him blush, which made the small girl just scoff at them, even though seeing him blush was kind of cute in her mind.

As they walked in together down the hall and she followed, Ruby made her way to them and walked along side them as she looked at Zwei while the sound of his panting made her giggle...

...But then she looked back at Gage and Yang… and thought about what was going to be coming. Their mission… and how it important it was to both of them… and what would happen if it failed.

At first, she thought about what could happen to them both, how everything they've built together after the eight months that they've been in love could be shattered in one instant, but… that thought passed as soon as it came.

Because then… it was replaced with the little message that Gage gave her during their little moment from earlier. And Ruby finally understood what he was saying.

He was saying that… even when he was down and out, she could rise up and take charge hopefully in his absence… however, she saw it more as that she wouldn't have to take charge… but that she would _NEED_ to. Eventually. Because Gage wouldn't always be there to help her.

So… with that knowledge, and with that realization finally being seen by her, Ruby just turned away from the couple, closed her eyes as she scratched behind Zwei's ears… and sighed once more as she walked down the hallway with Gage and Yang alongside her…

"Everything will be alright… I know it will..."


	27. Once More Unto Breach: Part Three

**Author's Note:** Okay, I for sure know this one will be uploaded after Christmas! And if it is, then I think I may actually be able to post again before New Year's day! Hopefully… again. No promises of course. But I swear to you, all the preparations will come to a close by chapter 29, and then… The Archive raid will begin.

Also, sorry for this but this chapter will most likely be a villains one, and a short one, as I actually didn't plan for the other uploads of this month to be that short, and I didn't think of much to do for this one. Either way though, I hope you enjoy!

 **Song** : Castle by Halsey

…

Cinder was in her dorm, in nothing but just a tank top and her underwear, as she had just woken up, and had a massive case of bed head as she threw the blanket off of her body, and raised up as she gasped her forehead.

"*sigh* ...When i had the idea of being an undercover student, i didn't think it would be this stressful… how foolish of me…"

After lamenting for a little bit, she hesitantly got up from her bed, and stood up to see that both Mercury and Emerald were already awake, but… Emerald was staring at the vixen, while Mercury was just reading one of his comic books.

"Good morning Cinder!" The verdant haired girl greeted her.

Cinder immediately jumped because of the sudden loudness of the girl, and the fact that she was nearly standing over her at the same time, just made Cinder inhale sharply, and growl as she walked past her partner in crime, and headed towards the bathroom.

"Hello Emerald…"

The first thing she had on her mind was to brush her teeth and take a shower so she could fix the mess that was her hair, as she didn't want _ANYONE_ to see her in a state like the one she was in at this moment.

However… as soon as she reached the doorway and reached for the ends of her tank top… Cinder soon began to hear her scroll begin to ring from her nightstand… and she stopped.

She stopped dead in her tracks, and didn't sigh with frustration, because she made sure that any of the male students that became infatuated with her would not be able to receive her personal scroll number.

The only people she allowed to have her number aside from Merc and Emerald… were those who were still with the White Fang, Roman and Adam mainly. So once she realized that. Cinder woke up, turned, and fast walked towards her scroll with haste.

"What now?!" She growled.

Emerald was quick the grab her phone for her, and Cinder just swiped it from her before she could present it to her… and once she laid eyes upon the screen, the dust wielder's suspicions were proven to be correct.

The caller, was Adam Taurus, and he also was requesting to video chat, and once the scroll rang three more times, Cinder answered it, and quickly sat back down on her own bed again as she turned the device on it's side, and looked down as Adam's figure became visible on her screen,

"Cinder! *wheeze* ...W…. We have a problem." He croaked, through his respirator mask.

"I would have guessed, Taurus. Your calls never bring me ease."

They both were more than frustrated already, and it was made clear because of their voice, and how they were both known to act. And Adam upheld that characteristic, as he growled, and coughed at his 'handler' angrily.

He was done with having to listen to her attitude, when Cinder knew well that all she had to do was sit there and act care-free for about eight more months, while he had to worry about his cult dispersing. So, the bull faunus was having none of her attitude today.

"*cough* ...Just stop your bickering and listen to me! *sigh* …not that long ago, I received word that, _The Ghost_ , and a few of his colleagues were spotted near one of our safe houses inside of the city."

A screenshot from a street camera then appeared on her screen, and it showed a clear image of Gage, Jackson, and Yang running across the street in pursuit of the four Fang insurgents that they later interrogated,

"I sent a small team to take them out, *wheeze* ...But it appeared that they were outplayed by them, and therefore my men tried to escape, yet they were still chased after."

But after that image flashed on the vixen's screen, another one popped up, which was a collage of the four Fang Member's mugshots. And one of the men appeared to have a bandage wrapped around their hands...

"After that, they disappeared for nearly two hours, before they were mysteriously found, and given over to the VCPD by someone who remains anonymous."

Cinder simply rolled her eyes while he finished, mostly because she didn't think a team of faunus being arrested was anything special, as she thought Atlas felt the exact same way.

But if… for example, a bunch of highly trained and armed soldiers were to be accidentally sent to defend a desolate canyon, only for the two squads to just dick around in for the majority of their tour, it would feel like what jail time was to her.

A aong, simple, and quiet break from the conflict of the real world, despite being in the presence of other lesser threats that wouldn't compare to the Grimm or White Fang.

But… Adam had a more critical idea of what actually happened to that team during their disappearance, that of course involved Gage and the other three that were at his side,

"*wheeze* ...Two hours… *wheeze* ...Two hours of nothing from them, and those Collectors didn't turn up dead. With that, and that amount of time, there's no doubt my men were interrogated…" He stated, with his voice becoming quieter and quieter while She still glared at him with annoyance,

"Adam… is there a point to this?" Cinder sighed tiredly.

"I'm getting to it woman! *cough!* ...If they were interrogated, and were left alive… then those Collectors must have gotten the answers they were looking for…. And the ghost knows where to find his own answers… that wretched Qrow must have told him by now…"

"What are you implying Taurus?"

The bull faunus looked down for a moment, and sighed once more time before he looks back up at the ebony-haired vixen through his grim mask/respirator, and clenched his fists out of view of the camera,

"...That Gage and his Team now know the location of the Archive… *wheeze* ...and there is no doubt that they will try to take it from us. "

Now, Cinder's expression changed completely, and her mouth agape as she stood up, and narrowed her eyebrows as she growled her response, "...G… Grrr! Then tell everyone there to evacuate, and to delete every file they have!" She huffed through gritted teeth as she squeezed her scroll with frustration.

Adam nodded of course to ease her frustration and rage… but… remained vigilant, as he was thinking of a brilliant idea that could seem… destructive for the band of Conquering Heroes,

"Cinder, *cough* ...If I may… I would suggest that we simply extract whatever files that relate to our master plan… and leave the rest for them."

That however, caused her to stare at him strangely before she sat back down… and tried to control herself from lashing out at him. "*sigh* ...And why would we do such a thing?" She asked Adam with venom in her lungs.

Then, a picture of both Gage and… Blake popped up, with the ghost's being from his student I.D., and hers… being from a still shot, that came from the security system of the dust train that she and Adam had robbed two years prior.

"Because Gage is looking for who was at my side when… we took care of his father, Gaigus Sim. This person was my old partner, Blake Belladonna. *wheeze* ...And now… she is one of his comrades, within his strike Team."

The camera had poor quality, but she could clearly make it out that it was indeed the secret feline faunus, and the image just made Adam smile as he went on with his explanation,

"If he sees the truth… her truth… then it will mean the death of her, and conflict is sure to rise between them all. And that… will benefit us all, wouldn't you say?" He asked her, with a tiny robotic chuckle escaping from his mask's audio system.

"It would but… why would you do such a thing to a girl that you cared so much for?"

"Sacrifices will have to be made if we are to be victorious… and I am not afraid to admit, that my feelings for her have clouded my judgement." Adam then raised his fist up even more, and stared at it before he sighed, and looked down.

"...But a wise man did once tell me that, 'an empire toppled by its enemies can rise again… but one that crumbles from within? it's dead... Forever'."

Cinder's sour face finally became relaxed, but she still sighed afterwards, and shrugged as she closed her eyes once more. "Alright… i'll allow this. But, if we for some reason regret this in the future…-"

"We won't!" Adam interrupted her, with a near guttural growl as he did so and snickered afterwards. "I know what it is like to have my trust be forsaken, and i know that the ghost is not the romantic hero that his friends see him to be. So all it will take is a little… push."

"Very well. I will inform Dr. Cordelia of what to extract, and to prepare for their arrival. Until then, I will see you after Gage and his friends fall from grace..."

She then went to press the red hang up button on her scroll, and was about to press the it… but Adam suddenly shot up one last time, "*cough!* ...Wait!" And he had to ask Cinder one last important question…

"What about our prisoner?"

The amber eyed woman only stared at him a few seconds as she processed the question, and laughed to herself deviously before she gave him a simple two word answer… and hung up their call without anymore interruptions.

"...Kill him."

So with that, Cinder finally hung up her scroll, and let out another relaxing sigh, and laid back onto her bed with another sigh as Mercury looked down from his bunk bed that was across the room, and at her,

"Hehe… so just like that huh? No thanking the captive for his info? Even I'd be a little pissed." He chuckled.

Emerald shook her head, and just glared over towards her partner's way with her red eyes, looking very annoyed. "Whatever… i'm just glad we won't have to deal with _that_ big of a pawn on our board anymore." She sighed, before she turned towards Cinder again, "Anyway… what do we do now Cinder?"

Cinder still laid there on her bed with her eyes just closed now, and with a smirk on her face as she answered her, looking smug as she began to think about taking the day off from her classes...

"Now Emerald, we just sit back… and watch the fireworks….~"

And once she finalized that thought, and made her decision, Cinder just climbed back full into her bed, laid her head on her pillow… and just began to drift off to La La Land with one last peaceful sigh escaping from her lips as she finally closed her eyes once last time…

"Hehe… Moments like these… are exactly why I love my job..."


	28. Once More Unto Breach: Part Four

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Happy New Year! Back here again, with hopefully a longer chapter, which is of course the hyped up final preparations for the Archive raid! I'm so giddy for you reactions to what I have planned! I just hope you all have something to say XD

Anyway, cue the AH GTA5 heist music, cuz here is the final preparation chapter! Oh and of course… I really need to say one last thing...

R.I.P. Carrie Fisher.

The force will be with you. Always.

 **Song:** Lighthouse by The Hush Sound

…

Gage was standing out at Beacon's landing pads, near the edge as he was using his Collector's scroll's holographic projector mode to fix up the rest of his presentation for his friends, as this was the day he was suppose to reveal his master plan on how to raid The Archive to them.

He had his scroll in one hand, and had his metal hand covering his mouth as he looked up at his scroll's projection of photos and other things, and he sighed to himself quietly as he closed his eyes with anxiety,

"*sigh* ...Please just let them have the clueless soldiers they usually enlist to guard the place..."

The ghost did this, because he realized how badly his master plan could go if The White Wolves were to be posted at the prison, mostly because of their keen sense of smell, and their hearing advantages.

So, he begged and prayed on his friend's behalf, that they would be able to triumph if they turned out to be there when along with Doctor Cordelia. "This better be worth it… otherwise i'm going to tear Qrow a new one… if i make it back…"

After that, he sighed once more, and turned off his scroll's projection feature, and bowed his head as he felt the rays of the sun splash against his face figuratively… but… then he heard the clacking of heels come from behind him.

The sudden noise of someone approaching caused him to panic, and he quickly turned around with his Collector's scroll behind his back… to see that Weiss was in fact behind him, with a smile on her face,

"Hehe, you're feeling awfully jumpy today." She laughed.

"Oh… * sigh* ...Hey Weiss." Gage sighed, as he let his body relax and held his black and dark green scroll at his side. "And yeah… i'm stressed as hell."

"Are you sure it's stress, or just that you're all jittery about what you'll find tomorrow?"

The ghost just shrugged his shoulders as an answer to her question, "Probably both, but i'm more leaning towards the stress thing. It is me after all…"

He then turned to face the City of Vale that was in the distance as she walked up beside him, and did the same with her arms behind her back, "Well, you're not alone in that respect. I can assure you that."

"What, are you secretly freaking out behind that smile of yours Snowflake?"

Weiss simply exhaled, and closed her eyes as she nodded, and continued to look out towards the city, "Yes… it is your plan after all." She replied, with a blank smile.

Gage huffed, rolled his eyes, and just smiled back at her before he could try and sigh again. "Oh come on… they're not _that_ bad… they just need work."

"I can't argue with that. But, i do hope they improve by the time you get your team...:"

The ghost's grin then faded, and he turned to look at the icy haired heiress with a weird look, while he narrowed his eyebrows a bit because of her suggestion. "...If i get them. And how come everyone just assumes that i'll be the leader?"

"Well… you have the attributes of a good leader." She admitted, as she turned to him, and began to list those attributes off with another lovely smile. "Experience, intelligent, good posture, good attitude… despite your wittiness, and you do seem to care more for us than yourself."

"Those are all noble qualities… if i do say so myself." She added, as she looked away, and blushed a bit, mostly because she was afraid of his response.

"Heh, me? 'Noble'? ...Really?" He asked the heiress, before he just shook his head with disbelief." ...I bet those snobs from the Atlesian Military would think i'm nothing but a dumbass outsider… like they did my dad."

"*sigh* ...Just take the compliment you bonehead… it is what i think is the truth. And i'm sure your father was a capable man if he was able to work under The General."

Gage closed his eyes once again, and internally groaned at his own mention of father, and it caused him to just use his metal hand to cover his face, which made Weiss turn to look at him with a mournful stare, feeling bad for carrying on the conversation about his deceased parent...

Then they just stood there in silence for a moment, until Weiss rubbed her arm, and looked back across the canal separating Beacon from Vale without any interest in the view as she hummed, and tried to get him to speak again,

"Anyway…. Who would you see as being a better leader for your team Gage?"

Gage gulped, and let a breath out through his nose as he lowered his hand from his face, and just pulled on the sherpa lined collar of the black suede jacket he was wearing, and just shrugged once more.

"...I dunno…. Maybe…"

His old pal Malice Mauve from Atlas? Maybe… he does seem smarter in most respects, but is highly antisocial like himself. Osiri Abyss? ...Hell no, he'd be more brutish and heartless if anything, which wasn't Gage's style at all.

Everyone else he's met on his adventures in the past were also way too old to attend the academy… that was… except for one other. And the thought of him attending Beacon made the ghost suddenly smile… and turn back towards Weiss with a smirk,

"... _Maybe_ … your old pal Jackson Wesson perhaps?~"

Now, Weiss's blush returned to her cheeks, and became so dark as she looked down at the ground, crossed her arms, and audibly stuttered. "U-UH… W...Who's Jackson?" She asked him.

Gage then chuckled to himself, and turned towards her as he put a hand on her shoulder, and continued to smile at Weiss, feeling amused about her, 'secret friendship' with him, so he decided to elaborate,

"Hehe, relax Weiss. Jackson was with us when me and Yang went to investigate that lead in Vale, and he may have dropped the bomb when we mentioned you…"

"...He could never keep secrets that well..."

He lowered his hand from her, and let it rest at his side before he crossed his arms too, and decided to question her further as her blush began to fade back to a more normal shade of red again, "You know… there wasn't really a reason to keep that from me Weiss..."

However, she huffed, and looked away from the ghost once again as she just mumbled her reply, "We wanted to keep it professional… at least i wanted to…"

"Now when you say it like that, it almost sounds like he's your… secret lover.~ Hehe…"

But then, the heiress turned back to Gage, and gave him a dead eyed glare with her icy eyes, and she took an angry step towards him, as she planted her finger against his chest confrontationally,

"Now you listen here Gage, If i wanted to be pestered about _him_ , i would have had this conversation with your tease of a girlfriend!"

The ghost still couldn't take her as serious as she was trying to sound although, mostly because she was incredibly flustered while she tried to threatened him, but he still complied. "Alright alright! I'll slow my roll… just _chill_ _out_ …" Gage replied, trying to keep a straight face.

Now she simply gave up on every ounce of anger she had in her, and only stared daggers at him now, and all he could get from expression… was that she was simply asking him, 'Really Gage. Did you really just say that?'.

So then after a long awkward silence, Gage scrunched his shoulders and posture as he looked down at his feet, and apologized as he scratched the back of his head. "...Sorry…"

"...You're forgiven…" She growled through clenched teeth, trying her best not to just outright slap the back of Gage's neck again like she did before "And he's not my 'secret lover'! Jackson is simply... just a friend… a really old, but now distant friend…"

"...Well, from how he talked about you… it doesn't seem like he wants to be that distant anymore." He said, but quietly as to not provoke her.

Weiss now turned her body completely towards Gage, and relaxed her brow… as what he just seemed to have calmed her down completely. "...What do you mean by that?" She asked the ghost.

He didn't respond vocally, all he did after that was look at her funny, before he looked off towards the distant city again, but with a more serious expression now plastered onto his face.

And that, caused Weiss move closer, and caused Gage to tighten up his stance and body because now she wouldn't stop staring at him again… and… she had an odd suspicion now,

"Wait… you didn't tell him about Neptune… now did you?"

"...It doesn't matter. Jackson still has feelings for you Weiss. _Those_ feelings. And I know that he does."

...Strangely… The heiress didn't react harshly to his response, and did something like pull Myrtenaster on her friend or incase him in a block of ice. This, was mostly likely because she was trying to put what happened with him behind her.

And in the end, all Weiss did was close her eyes and scoff at Gage with distaste for his sudden interest in her own love affairs, being her usual stubborn self. "Hmph! And why would you care about that?" She questioned him, rudely.

"...Because I know that you've been feeling empty since that dance. And Jackson's probably the one guy I know that likes you for who you are, rather than your physique or name."

She began to heel once she saw how passionate Gage seemed to be as he spoke about his, 'friend', and how he saw his relationship with her to truly be. One being held by the fear of rejection, and possibly even loss on Jackson's part.

"Weiss… I know how he feels because I went through it myself. It's just ten times worse for him." The ghost stated, with his metal hand now balled into a tight fist.

"...And how is that Gage?"

The ghost went on…. And tried his best to answer her, but… it was hard to do that without expressing his own feelings about how he felt when Yang was still just a friend to him all that time ago. And how frustrated he was with himself.

"Jackson's attached to you…. because you're the one person who knows him more than anyone else, he's just too afraid to say it, so much that he delves himself in work and other things to forget."

"...That's why he's not here. Because he's afraid of things going wrong between you two. But you can fix that… all it'll take is just a simple talk, and he'll open up. Well… he better, is what I should be saying."

Then, Gage went back to smile at Weiss,and inhaled shakily as he looked back at her, and could clearly see that she didn't take his words as some mindless rant about someone he barely knew.

"I know how impatient you can be. So… I know you don't want to wait any longer for him to come around. Right Weiss?"

"Yes… but… I just wish it wasn't me that had to make the first move… it's what happened with Neptune… and I don't want _that_ to happen again."

The ghost laughed once more, and just put his hands inside of his pockets as he turned around, and now has his back to the city as he just reassured her again,

"it won't Weiss. He's a better man than him. I already know that much… but… just give the dog a bone next time you see him… because he may give you call one of these days thanks to me… Hehe."

And now… for the probably first time ever, someone's flirtatious tone finally made Weiss smile, both because of his expression while he did it, and just because of what Gage said he did for her.

"Hmph… alright. I'll… i'll think about it… But not because you persuaded me!"

"Alright, Snowflake… *sigh* ...Now let's get going so then Yang won't get the chance to complain about us being late…"

He said this, and started to walk away back towards Beacon's main avenue walkway… but… Weiss suddenly jumped towards Gage after he took only about five steps, "W-Wait!" She shouted at him. "I… I still have one more question…"

He stopped, and turned back to face her, looking alarmed by her sudden mood change as he faced her fully. "...Do you know if Neptune is going to be there, at our debriefing?"

"Y… Yeah. He is..." Gage answered, as his eyes narrowed and his smile went away again, "I'm sorry, i just thought it'd be better to have him with us rather than having him blackmail us into coming along. Since he's pretty much unpredictable now."

"I know… and don't worry Gage, it's okay. I'll just… make sure things stay professional between us. I can't promise you that he'll do the same though."

"He'll get the message. Because if he screws this up for me, then i'll make sure to give him that ass kicking i know you've been wanting to see."

"Hmhm… i have no doubt." Weiss giggled as she covered her mouth a bit before she lowered it again. "Now, we should probably get going before our friends come searching for us."

She then smiled one last time, and walked out in front of the ghost before she glanced at him, and gestured towards the path in front of the landing pads, "Shall we?"

And of course, Gage shook his head, and simply followed the heiress as they both began to head towards the Vale dorms together, to finally begin their final preparations,

"*sigh* ...We shall."

…

 **Later…**

…

The two reached Gage's dorm, and Weiss knocked on it twice before she opened the door for the ghost, and they both walked in to be greeted by Yang, Ruby, Neptune, Sun, and Blake inside of his dorm.

The two sisters and the feline faunus were sitting on Gage's bed, while Sun and Neptune sat on the bed that was opposite to them, on the left side of the room if you looked inside from the dorm's front door.

But besides that, Gage and Weiss both entered, and Yang immediately waved to them, the heiress however, just held up a finger as she walked away from the blonde's boyfriend, and went to go sit next to Blake,

"...Not a word Yang!"

"*sigh* ...Alright Weiss. I got it…" Yang then turned to her lover, and stood up so she could lean against the bedpost of the bed they both shared. "...Now, Is it showtime Care-Bear?~"

"You know it. So let's get right to it!"

Her lover then smiled, with her laughing again in response before he took out his Collector's scroll, made sure his window blinds were shut, and used his metal hand's abilities to turn off the lights as he took the device out, and unlocked it's touch screen.

After that, he tapped his black scroll a few times, but eventually turned on it's projection feature as he walked in between the two bunk beds, and placed the device down on it's back so the front camera could show the projection of a file folder which was labeled, 'AR2717'

Once the file became visible, Gage looked at it, exhaled, and cracked knuckles of his right hand, as a way to wish himself good luck before he could reveal his plan,

"*exhale** ...Here goes nothing… or everything..."

"Hey! Don't jinx it!" Ruby yelled silently.

The ghost chuckled, and watched as the 3D file folder was opened, and laid flat as all the other images, his personal notes, and other files that had been compiled from the other Collector's they had come into contact with.

There were so many other things to start with, but like every other story, the most important thing had to be addressed first. The setting of course!

"Alright, straight to the point… we're heading outside of the City of Vale, thirteen miles south of it and it's walls, and we're heading for the Wisteria Penitentiary, an old prison that was abandoned and overrun by Grimm a long time ago."

Neptune, not surprisingly, just slouched and made it in the best of his efforts to look completely disinterested. "Grimm territory… great…" He mumbled.

Sun instantly nudged him, with four glares coming from all of Team RWBY at the same time as Gage just looked back at the homewrecker, "Nep… these are just the facts. Take them or leave them… or just shut up. It'd help us all." He said with a shrug.

Yang of course had to look away so she could smile and snicker, but Gage still payed no mind to her or the blue haired boy as he pointed at an aerial picture of the prison that was in his compilation, courtesy of Emile.

"Either way, getting there should be simple. Em takes us there, drops us off at dusk, with a few other things he might give us, and we just walk there. The hard part is getting in though…"

Then, Gage tapped the picture, and it enlarged, and allowed for everyone to see the entire layout of the location, which looked to be in horrible condition. Even from an aerial view.

The prison had two sets of fences, with the first set being partially missing in certain quadrants while the second being completely intact, four destroyed watchtowers on the interior of the prison, an apparent non working power grid, as the place seemed completely darkened, and there were just cargo and shipment crates all over the place, being completely unorganized.

Blake stood up, and took a few steps closer to try and analyze the image, while Yang and Ruby both just decided to take a snapshots of it thanks to their own personal scrolls, while Weiss and everyone else stayed silent,

"There's only two entrances, first being a primary gate and a secondary one in the front and back of the prison, that's also heavily guarded. But, I could get through those easily with someone else with me, and take out the guard crew." Gage added.

However, as Blake moved closer towards the map projection… and the ghost… she tried her best not to look at him, and asked him a question with delicacy, "W… What building should be our main focus Gage?"

He hummed once she asked that, and crossed his arms in thought before he decided that… frankly there weren't a lot of buildings, and simply pointed towards the main prison site with another shrug.

"Just the big house probably. Looks big enough to hold one giant data hive thingy… so it'll probably be highly defended, and we'll need to distract the guards to get them away from it."

Then… for some reason, Sun stood up, and crossed his arms while he smirked, and looked to be scheming. "...A distraction huh?" The faunus asked Gage, who just looked back at the blonde smiled even more. "...I think I might have an idea."

"What is it Sun?" The ghost asked him.

The monkey faunus chuckled, and pointed at the picture, as everyone now turned to face him, and appeared to be worried as he began to speak out, "This place is far out from Vale, so they've gotten have like a… bunch of trucks for supply runs and stuff right?"

"Um… yeah, probably?"

"Well… they've got to have a lot of fuel then, and if we can find wherever they're holding it all… then we have our distraction!"

The ghost lowered his arms so they were at his side, and he just watched as Sun shrugged his shoulders and looked like he was just begging for the pitch to work along with his plan. "It'll be loud… but at least it's something, right?"

He asked that, and Yang immediately stood up and looked at him with a fire in her eyes, as she liked the idea. "Half the base should be on us then! Only thing is, how are we gonna get that fuel to burn?" Yang asked, as Gage turned towards her, and pointed at her,

"I can ask Em for something explosive, Yeah, then we can have a group lure the other half of the base away, and split them all up for an easier battle!"

Weiss subsequently turned towards Gage, and simply nodded in agreement. "That is clever, but we only have seven of us. How are we going to do so much with so little people?"

"Hmm…" He murmured to himself again, and just came up with a simple solution, since he was sure that both him and Blake could handle the infiltration part of the operation easily,

"Well… me and Blake can handle getting everyone in, and after that we'll just split everyone up. Her and Sun can just find their fuel supply, since she's fast, and he had the idea."

Sun just chuckled and did a fist pump as he turned to smile at Neptune, but he only continued to look forward, so the ghost just went on.

"After that thing goes up in flames, we'll have the rest of us lure half of the group that goes to investigate away, and split them up too, to make the fight easier."

"Do you think they could have any tech with them that could turn the tide?" Blake asked, as she tried to enlarge the holographic photo of the prison.

Gage was unsure, mostly because he had no idea if the doctor is actually guarded that well, so he shrugged again, and tried to guess something… difficult, just to make them be prepared for anything,

"Maybe just a bunch of Atlesian Knights, or even a hijacked Paladin? I mean, the doctor did work for the military."

Yang then giggled, and smiled at her boyfriend as she pounded her fists together, remembering how she handled Roman Torchwick's paladin back before she had even met her lover, "Heh, well either way, that won't be a problem. I'll make sure of that!"

"Just don't get cocky Yang…" Gage said condescendingly. Yang immediately thought about saying something regarding his own recklessness, but she decided she could just do that later, so she rolled her eyes and just sat back down. "Fine… now, what's next in your plan?"

"Next, we just try our best to take out the two groups of Fang soldiers as best as we can, and when they're taken care of, that's when we'll head for the main building."

"And we just take their files and run!" Ruby shouted, with a raised fist as she nearly stood up, and gave Gage another bright smile.

The ghost only gave her a half smile though, and he just gestured with his metal hand for her to calm down, "Y-Yeah… but then there's the doctor Qrow told me about…"

"Qrow?" Weiss asked, as she crossed her arms with a look of confusion aimed towards him. "You mean Ruby and Yang's uncle?"

He let out a nervous chuckle, and looked away from her as he used his hand to rotate the holographic pictures until he found one of Doctor Cordelia, "M-Mmhm! B-But anyway, this guy is the one who's been giving away Atlas's secret weapons to the White Fang, at least from what Qrow told me."

He revealed that to them all, as Sun now stood up too to get a better look at the doc's picture, which was a picture of the man's old Atlas worker I.D., that showed off his grey beard, bald head, and large ram horns as he had a smirk on his face.

"...And Qrow said it was best to stop him from giving them any more new toys."

And almost instantly, Blake crossed her arms as well, and glare over at Gage as her ears perked up, "So… now this is a snatch and grab operation?" She asked him, sounding disappointed.

"We don't _have_ to capture him, but it'd definitely help us out in the long run, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose…"

She lowered her arms to her side, and went to go stand next to Sun as Weiss sat back down next to Ruby, and the ghost finally managed to get out the conclusion to his master plan before there were any more interruptions.

"So to wrap it all up in a nice bow, we storm that building, take all the files that are useful, hopefully get out alright... and get back home before dawn."

Gage then let out another sigh, and clapped once as all his files were sucked back into it's holographic folder, and his Collector's scroll's projector features turned off. "So, any questions?" He asked everyone.

The first one of them to move was Neptune… but, all he did was scoff as he stood up from his bed, began to walk towards the door, and rapidly exited the door with a simple, "Nope!" as his reply.

That earned a glare from everyone, even Sun, who just sighed and turned to everyone once he was sure his best friend was already halfway down the hallway,

"*sigh* ...You see what i have to deal with?"

"Hmph… It's not our fault that he's miserable..." Weiss grumbled to herself.

Yang nodded, and pointed at her sister's partner with her thumb, while Blake just brushed the back of her boyfriend's head gently, "He'll accept what's happened... eventually…"

Ruby simply stayed quiet and stood up as Weiss did the same, so Gage went to sit down next to his girlfriend as he rubbed the back of his head, feeling frustrated as hell,

"*exhale* ...Yeah, look just… take the rest of the day off you guys, to... You know, get in the serious mindset easier by tomorrow night..."

The monkey faunus then nodded, and stood up while Blake did the same, and followed him as he went to turn and walk out into the hallway, to do just as Gage asked of him. "Heh, yeah… don't have to tell me twice."

He gave them a small wave once him and the feline faunus reach the doorway, and she just looked back at her Team and Gage with a tiny grin, "See you guys later…"

Yang, Ruby, and Weiss all waved while Gage just sat there and smiled, as his girlfriend suddenly turned towards his lover, and jumped into his lap, with her arms wrapping around his neck as she made him blush again,

"Bye Blakey!"

Then, Ruby turned towards her older sister, and just waved at her and Gage again while Weiss simply looked back at them as well, "We should probably get going too… you know, to give you two some alone time…"

"Hmph… I know Yang would like that, especially after what she did with him the last time after we had a secret meeting like this…" Weiss huffed with a suggestive stare that was aimed at them both.

"W… Weiss!" Yang whined, as she blushed along with her lover. "Don't do that! You're already gonna stress Gage out when he told us to relax!"

Gage stuttered, and looked away with his blush still on his face as Yang just stuck her tongue out at Weiss, and wrapped her arms around her lover's face so she could press his face against his chest defensively, but that just made him become even more flustered.

"*sigh* ...Fine… have a pleasant day you two…"

Ruby laughed at her older sister, and just tugged on Weiss's shoulder as she tried to pull her away over towards the doorway, and the heiress rolled her eyes as she followed her partner out the door.

"Hehe, Bye Yang! ...Hope you two have fun!" The small reaper said as she and Weiss went out the door, and closed it behind them.

Now, the star couple were finally left alone together once again, and they both breathed an audible sigh as they heard the door shut, and just turned towards each other,

"*sigh* ...Well that was easy…" Gage sighed as he moved his mouth away from Yang's bosom, and his blush began to fade a little.

The blonde brawler just let her eyes droop, and she began to brush the side of her boyfriend's head as she smiled, and looked right into his turquoise eyes as he looked into her own lilac ones, "Yeah… but anyway… Hi Care-Bear.~"

"Hehe… Hi Taiyo-Chan."

She let out another giggle, and just let her arms gently slide down onto his shoulders, as she leaned closer, and whispered into his ear. "So… did you tell Weiss about _him_ , while you out there with her?"

Gage let out another chuckle, and nodded a he just wrapped her arms around his lover's waist, and leaned in closer towards her, "Mmhm. And she was definitely not displeased after i told her. So… hopefully Jackson calls her by Valentine's Day. I mean, It is next week, and hell, it's how i would do it." He replied, with a grin.

"Heh… it'd be nice for us to not be the only power couple around here. And speaking of Valentine's Day… are there any new hints you can give me as to what you're doing Gagey?~"

The ghost kissed her cheek, and lifted her legs up so she could move her body and sit next to him as he smiled, and just went to reach under his bed, "I can show you!"

Then, as Yang placed her hands on her knees, and took off her boots as she watched her boyfriend suddenly pull a box out from under his bed that… seemed to be heavy, and was decorated with art work of roses, and candy hearts.

She audibly gasped, and saw that the box had a few words printed on it in white, which said in an elegant font, _A Valentine's Day kit for Lovesick couples. "_ Wh...Whoa… Gage... what's in there?" She asked, with her cheeks now blaring red.

"Relax Yang, there's just… Scented candles, matches, a corkscrew, another pair of wine glasses, scented rose petals because that's a thing, and… a few more surprises..."

Yang's blush turned pink and overtook her senses while she squealed internally, and let out another gasp, which sounded more dreamy as she watched him raise the box over his head to show her it, before he put it back down near his feet again.

"W-Wow… You're really getting into this for me, aren't you?"

Once he heard that, the ghost laughed one last time, before he let go of the box, and turned to face his lover as he looked into her beautiful lilac eyes once more with another smile again,

"Yang, it is for you but… this is all me. I can promise you that. Because it's not just Valentine's Day... It's our first of many! So, i have to put my all into it… Hehe, for our legacy, you know?"

Once his words were heard by his beautiful blonde lover, Yang gave the ghost a lovely smile back, and giggled as he just moved towards her, cupped her cheek, and made her blush even more as she felt her heart skip a beat. "*sigh* ...I love you…"

Her eyes had the word lust written all over them, and as Gage went to say the three little words in return, he instantly exhaled loudly as the blonde pulled him towards her, and forced her own lips against his with a gasp being shared between the two.

He felt her hand latch onto the collar of his shirt while the other was against his abs, and it even moved down his body as they both closed their eyes, and he just hugged her body tightly.

Their lips smacked, and continuously pressed against each other as they both let out small little moans as time went on, and their passion for one another increased as the realization that they were alone set in.

So with that being a new variable, Yang broke the kiss, and nearly growled as she pulled away from Gage, ripped open his suede jacket, and made him blush madly,

"Gage… *pant* ...Take off your jacket!"

He just smiled, and did what she instructed as quickly as possible before he panted, threw it off the bed, and looked back up at his lover as she was already beginning to unbutton her own brown jacket.

After seeing that, he took notice and slowly moved it off of her shoulders, so she discarded it with another giggle, but suddenly gasped again as she felt Gage put his metal hand against her stomach, and gently kissed the side of her neck with a moan,

"Mmm…"

Yang sighed, and let him take control as she slowly laid on her back, and let her head rest against her own pillow as the ghost bit down gently on her neck, and chuckled to himself again. "Hehe… *pant*."

The blonde brawler felt his tongue and lips slowly trace down her throat, and they kept moving lower and lower, while Gage just put his knee in between her legs, and spread them apart for her.

"Hah… Gage, don't bite down so hard…"

He then pulled away, and blushed a bit as he raised himself off of her, and covered his mouth with another tiny embarrassed laugh, "S… Shit, sorry..." He apologized.

Now he had a clear view of her half naked self, in all her beautiful glory. At that moment, she simply laid there, only in her orange high socks, short shorts, and yellow tube top while her hands lied there together above her head, and her gorgeous blonde hair was sprawled out all over her pillow.

Yang just laid there, submissive to whatever he had in mind as she panted, and watched as he smiled down at her, and moved his down to her waistline before he raised off of her, and just kept his hands at his side,

"*pant* ...That escalated quickly…" Gage huffed with a smile

Yang laughed at him through audible gasps, and decided to move on of her own hands down to her own waist so she could unbutton her own short shorts, and pull them down a bit so her black panties were now completely visible to him.

Once he saw the lines of her underwear, he nearly jumped as he could feel that same hand latch onto the bottom of his shirt, and lift it up to reveal his abs as she just giggled at him again,

"...*pant* ...Well, do you have anything better to do?"

The blonde suddenly reached for his idle prosthetic hand, and slowly pulled it down until it rested on top of her special place, making him stare into her lilac eyes intently as he leaned forwards, and hovered over her once again.

"You're kind of distracting me right now, so I can't really think of anything..." The ghost replied, as his look of nervousness somehow morphed into a confident lewd smirk. "...But maybe something will come to mind once we're finished…~"

Then, without warning, Gage grabbed onto Yang's hand that was still lying above her head, and pinned it against her pillow while she panted, and smirked back at him.

The only thing he did in response to this, was move his metal hand up to her upper chest, and pull down her tube top so only one of her breasts were exposed before he let go, and watched Yang's eyes turn blood red again, but cutely with another blush

"St… Stop teasing me!"

Her eyes beckoned him to just stop with the foreplay, and get down to business with her like she wanted And he just decided to move his metal hand down to the line of her panties. Because who was he to deny her this?

"As you wish…~"

So, with another grin, Gage chuckled one last time, squeezed her wrist gently with his hand of flesh, let his metal fingers creep down her underwear, and pressed his body against hers with one last huff coming from his mouth, "Oh… and I love you too."

And finally, the ghost pinned Yang down against the bed, kissed her exposed breast and let one of his fingers enter her crevice as she moaned, grasped the back of her lover's head with passion, and felt her lust take control of her body once again...

"...Ohhh!"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Blake and Sun were walking down the halls of the Vale dormitory building while the couple began to, 'get down', in their own dorm, and even though they left hand in hand… they eventually separated, and walked at different places.

Sun looked distressed, as his hands were behind his head, and he just walked slowly behind Blake as she stayed ahead of him, and didn't say a word. Nothing to say to him since they left at all.

He was downright furious under his calm demeanor, given her entire situation with Gage, and he knew just as well as she did what could happen to Blake if she went along with her own plan,

"So… you have nothing to say to him, after all of that?" Sun asked her.

"No. There's nothing I can do to stop it from happening!" She nearly yelled back, being as blunt to her boyfriend as she could possibly be. "So… i might as well help him in the end, to show that I was willing to stand by his side until the end…"

The monkey faunus just sighed, and put a hand on his shoulder as she stood behind her, and tried to be serious for once, for her sake.

"*sigh* ...Blake, we could avoid this mission all together if you just go and have that talk with him! It'd spare us all a trip that we could maybe die on!"

But of course, she just growled back, and decided to keep walking, even though he still walked after her. "Sun, I could be arrested if he reveals that to everyone else! And do you want that? For me to be taken from you?" She asked him, with her Amber eyes now staring straight ahead.

The only thing Sun did after that, was growl, walk in front of her, and make hurt stop as he took a step towards her in anger, which had been pent up for only god know hows long,

"No I don't, but I don't want you to die either!"

Blake stopped dead in her tracks, and nearly took a step back by how surprised she was by his sudden outburst, and she looked kind of alarmed as well,

"You can't keep doing this Blake! If you keep running from your problems, then you're going to slow down and lose you breath, and that's enough for whatever's chasing you to catch up."

She just watched him now, as he walked towards her, and put his hands on top of his shoulders, with his jaw now loosening up a bit, "Sun… why can't you just let me-"

"Because i'm tired of it!" He yelled back, this time without caring if he was being loud or not. "I'm tired of you, believing that you need to get hurt for everyone else to be happy."

"...Sun… Gage is out for blood, and once he finds out… there's no saving me."

That just made the monkey faunus smile, and tilt his head at her mockingly, "Oh, then is that it? You're just going to give up, and let him take your life, without a fight?" He asked her, scornfully.

Then, he let go of her, and put his back to her as he looked up, and shrugged his arms as he went to start walking away,

"Well, then if that's the case… i guess you won't mind if i get killed trying to protect you. Right?"

"...W.. W-What?" Blake asked, shocked by his sudden seriousness.

Her question made him stop of course, and he turned to her once again, with a somber expression taking over his old fake smile, as she also approached him while it looked like her eyes were beginning to well up,

And once Sun saw that, he sighed, and just decided to express how much she meant to him right then and there. And what he would be willing to do to be with the feline faunus,

"Blake… i _do_ love you. So, if you're going to die, then i'm going to follow you into that night, to make your short life happy after even it's over. It's… all i've ever wanted to do…"

"N… No! No! No! No! Y… You can't put that on me!"

She now began to tear up, but he only moved closer, and grabbed onto her hands while he smiled, and looked like… he was finally happy to get that off his chest, even though it caused her to begin to break down.

"Yes i can Blake… you've done it all the time, and now It's My Turn. So… i need you to tell me that you're okay with this. And i'm not taking no for an answer."

Blake tried to pull her hands away so she could throw them down in anger, but Sun didn't allow for them to leave his grasp, and it only made her begin to cry more. "Why are you… *sniffle* ...doing this to me?" She asked him, desperately.

He made sure to keep them in line as he continued to stare into her hazel eyes with determination, and he still just smiled as he answered her.

"Because I'm trying to teach you a lesson. That you have to stop thinking about just yourself… so just… let me be there with you to face him. If it's really how you want to go out…"

That, made Blake stop struggling entirely, and she just began to let go of holding back her tears. And once they began to roll down her cheeks, Sun realized her, and allowed for her to wipe them away before She just approached the monkey faunus… and hugged him tightly

"F...Fine! *gasp* ...If you want to get killed because of me, then go ahead you…. You… *gasp* … you idiot!"

Her embrace made him jump at first, but once he took note of the situation, and listened to her quiet sobs… Sun just sighed peacefully, and hugged her back as he tried to comfort her, as what seemed like their final peaceful day together… was about to get started...

"...It'll be alright Blake. I know it will! Because from here on out, I'll follow you Like Morning Follows Night."


	29. The Ghost of Remnant: Part One

**Author's Note:** *exhale* ...Okay. Here we fucking go ladies and gents, The Archive raid is about to begin. However, I am going to split this into two parts, so if the next chapter seems short, then don't worry. The next one will make up for it, even if that's short too. I promise you.

Now, before we begin, I just want to remind you that there will always be dark themes associated with this story, including gore, shock, and of course feels. This isn't specifically directed at this chapter, but the ones coming from this day forward.

Because, why not start 2017 off with a bang right? (Really wanted to pun there again) So, **You have been warned!** And make sure to follow, fav, or review if you feel the need to, because I won't be posting an actual Author's Note next chapter! Just another warning, Hehe. But without further ado, let's get right to it. Now, please enjoy!

 **Song** : Die by Casey Lee Williams

(Hell I'd recommend this song for the beginning of the next chapter too if I could! Huehuehue XD)

…

"*inhale* …. *exhale*"

"Gage… you ready?" Gage heard Yang ask him, as he felt a sudden thump beneath his feet, and the engines of a bulkhead switch off.

He had his eyes closed, and let out a deep breath while most of his friends did the same. The only difference, was that they had not been anticipating for this moment for more than two years now.

Now, he had been trying to mentally prepare himself for the last twenty four hours, and he nailed the collected attitude he had been trying to achieve, so he opened his eyes, and turned to his lover with a tiny smile upon his lips,

"Yeah. I'm ready."

Then, Gage turned to his right, and looked at the other side of the bulkhead's interior to see the rest of his friends.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Sun, and Neptune were all sitting besides the couple in the ship's passenger seats, and soon they all stood up as the ship finally landed, on a dark and well hidden clearing that was nearly a mile away from the Wisteria Penitentiary, their objective.

It was eleven at night, as they left Beacon nearly two hours ago after the curfew passed, and boarded Emile's stealth bulkhead without being noticed, and now, they had reached their destination.

It was also really indeed that night. The night that Gage was suppose to find his answers, and the same night that Blake had been dreading for eight months now.

Once the ship's lights were shut off, it's internal overhead lights flickered on, and illuminated the ship's cabin as Emile stepped out of the cockpit, and looked at Gage with a large smile, "Congrats kid, you've reached your destination!"

Yang smiled, and watched as her boyfriend chuckled and just approached the older Collector as he put his hand on the ghost's shoulder with pride,

"Thanks Em, you know, for being our chaperone this whole time." Gage thanked him.

"And i'll keep being your chaperone after this. Because honestly…" Em then leaned close to his friend, and tried his best to whisper, "...Ops with Grish, Prin, and Jed are kind of boring…"

The ghost snickered, and thought about how seeing them work together could be amusing. Grisha barking orders, Jed being random and rambling while Emile and Prin just sat there and groaned internally.

But, he kept his humor to himself, and just tried to remember this instance for when he was to gain his own team.

"Well, I'm glad I can make your friday nights interesting, Hehe."

They both shared a laugh as the rest of Gage's friends got their weapons ready, and once the sound of them locking and loading became clear, Emile smiled again, and pointed towards the back of the ship.

The ghost obviously looked towards where his finger was directing him, and he was met with the sight of a big weapon crate that was set down near the back cargo ramp.

"I got most of that stuff you asked me for by the way, and I've got to say, you must have one helluva plan."

Yang then looked at Emile, and giggled as she lightly flicked her lover's ear before she turned and tried walk towards the crate before anyone else could, "Oh, it'll be definitely something!"

Gage whined, and covered up his ear as he watched the blonde make her way to the back of the ship, and as Sun also began to approach the weapons cache as well, both of the blondes having a smile.

They both made their way to one of the crates, and just tore off the lid of it before they both looked down at it's contents, and were taken aback, "Whoaaah!" They droned in awe

Sun looked inside, and just reached in to pull out what looked like… a C4 detonator, and he just held it up towards the rest of Team RWBY as Weiss jumped, and turned towards him anxiously with a stutter,

"H-Hey! Be careful with that!"

Em and Gage both turned and watched the monkey faunus as he gently held the detonator against his chest, and as the ghost put his hand up that clearly told him to calm down, while the older Collector just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Yeah kid, it ain't a toy." The slavic man told him.

"Alright i got it… jeez..." Sun whined, as he lowered the detonator, and watched as Blake turned towards Em, and rolled her eyes. "*sigh* ...How could you ever trust us with this hardware?"

"Well, i figured that if those high schoolers in _Red Dawn_ could learn to use stuff like that, then why couldn't a bunch of kids from Beacon do it?" He replied, before everyone just stared at him confusingly.

That made the man shrug his arms, as he felt like it was some sort of joke, and Gage actually got it… but the awkward silence just killed it completely. "*sigh* ...I nevermind. I just trust you kids,

Alright?"

He then moved over towards the side bay door, and pressed a button so it would begin to open up, and reveal a large plane of grass that was covered in darkness.

And once the cold breeze from outside was let in, Neptune immediately hopped out of the bulkhead, and just turned to face everyone else inside,

"Come onnn... Let's just get going before the sun comes up…"

Yang and Weiss both turned and glared at him, and Gage felt the need to… but he didn't as he was yearning to leave, and set out for the prison

"Yeah… let's just grab our stuff and go." Ruby said, as she began to walk over towards the weapon crate. "It's going to be a long walk there and back already…

The ghost nodded, and just walked over to the crate as Weiss, Sun, and Blake exited the ship, so only Ruby and Yang would remain next to him.

His lover then reached in, and pulled out a few bricks of C4 as Ruby did the same, but weirdly… took out a large two handed military-grade wire cutter, and just turned to her sister's boyfriend, looking a little confused.

"Hey wait, Gage… what would we need this for?"

"The prison fence, in case the main gate is closed, and we need a way to get out."

"Oh…"

Yang just picked up another explosive brick, and suddenly noticed that there… was also a large half open case of grenades under the collection of C4, and she began to look weirded out as well, since she didn't think they'd be needing those.

"And… there's grenades in here too!" She half yelled as she began to pull out the case.

Gage squinted his eyes at his girlfriend, and approached her as she set the case down. Once she did that, he got on one knee, and took one of them out and held it before he just turned to Em, with… a tiny grin.

"Whoops… wonder how those got in there…" Emile said, as he looked away with a smirk.

The couple both turned to look at him too, and were about to speak, but the collector just chose to walk away, and back into the cockpit as he just chuckled again, "Anyway, just grab as much as you think you'll need, and get going you three. Alright?"

"Uh… sure. Thanks again Em!" Yang thanked him.

"Don't mention it, 'spitfire'."

Gage laughed at the name, and was nudged by his girlfriend as he took a few frags out of the case… but then, Ruby turned towards the seats where her and her friends were sitting earlier, and ran towards them, "Oh wait Gage, put them in this!"

She then reached under the seats, and pulled out… Gage's own dark green single strap bag, or knapsack… that had actually brought, but forgot about.

The small reaper took it, and just held it out for her sister's boyfriend, and he just smiled and put the grenades, and wire cutters inside the bag before he took it, zipped it up, and flung it around his back,

"Thanks Ruby. Now come on, let's go."

The two shifted over towards the ship's open side bay door, and as she took one more C4 block out of the weapon crate, Yang closed it, and followed after Ruby and Gage as they exited the ship, stepped down onto the grassy plain that the bulkhead had landed on.

The blonde laughed one more time, and followed them as they regrouped with Sun, Blake, Neptune, and Weiss, and started off towards the distant treeline. "Haha, let's get this raid started!"

Everyone smiled, and began to walk… but as the bulkhead's door began to close again, Gage turned back around as he took Mistletoe off of his back, and just raised it as Emile watched him leave,

"...' _Wolverines_!'."

…

 **Meanwhile… Inside The Prison...**

…

The Doctor, Orville Cordelia, was standing outside the prison's main cell block, which he had actually made to be his home and work center since he went into hiding, and was taking a walk in the main courtyard, with two armed White Fang guards of course.

He was marching out, and had his hands behind his back as he looked up at the shatter moon that was raised high in the sky, and sighed before he just spoke to himself deeply in a German accent,

"...Such a quiet night… *sigh* ...If only it could remain that way."

"Sir, just because we know that they're coming doesn't mean that they'll come tonight..." One of his guards mumbled as he followed him from behind.

The man just glanced at him, but made sure to keep his eyes focused on the large treeline that was outside of the prison, and surrounded it. "Then why does it feel like I'm being watched?"

"...Because you're a paranoid schizophrenic?"

"...Hmph… you're not wrong…."

However, he still turned away, and sighed as he tried to think about where he was right now. And who was to be coming after him because of his betrayal to the Atlesian Army all those years ago. "But how could I have known that the ghost would follow? Undoubtedly this is for his own vengeance…" The Doctor whispered, to himself.

"...If only I could have taken care of him in the days after Gaigus's demise… maybe we wouldn't be leaning closer towards the losing side of this war…"

The other guard lowered his weapon, and glanced at his superior before he just rubbed the back of his head, "Well… couldn't you have sent someone after him at that time?"

"That's what I did!" The doctor yelled, as he threw his arms up in anger at his own past mistake."But he, a mere child was one step ahead of us! Now he has come back here to finish… what I started."

"*sigh* ...Look sir, it's midnight, so why don't you head inside?" One of the guards sighed, right as the other one started to speak as well. "We'll lock down the gates, and make sure the guards are at their posts, I promise you."

"Very well… but I will arm myself if there is to be any sounds of gunfire."

They both then nodded, and regained their posture as he turned back towards the main cell block, and the two guards followed behind.

"Yes my liege, now please let us head back to safety."

Doctor Cordelia huffed, and began to stomp as he ignored them, and just closed his eyes as he… thought about Gage. What he thought his reason behind fighting the White Fang was, and how long he's been waiting for this night… despite what was really being kept from him...

"...If only the child knew..."

...

 **Thirty Minutes Later…**

…

Gage, and the rest of his friends were walking down an old overgrown train track that Emile had instructed them to follow earlier, even though the night sky made it nearly pitch black for them.

The path was outlined with shrubbery and other trees, making it well hidden to any White Fang soldiers on patrol, and any Grimm, thanks to them feeling more anxious rather than scared to find the prison.

Yang was hugging herself, and was following Gage as he just held Mistletoe in case anything was to jump out at them, while Ruby was doing the same with Crescent Rose, "Rrrgh… it's so cold…" the brawler whined.

Weiss was standing next to Blake, on the other side of the track, and just looked over at the blonde. "Aren't you the one with the fiery aura Yang?"

"It's only warm when i'm happy… and i can still get cold either way…"

The heiress watched her move closer to Gage, and nearly lean against his shoulder as he looked to be trying to zone their conversation out. So… the heiress just smirked and continued,

"Hmm, well in that case, i don't think that outfit of yours is going to help either…"

Yang then blushed, and looked down at herself, as she was wearing her Hunter outfit, and she just turned away from her teammate as Gage just sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, to calm her. "...Yang."

HIs girlfriend of course growled, but closed her eyes as she just kept walking, and let out a loud sigh as she gave up on trying to fight back. "*sigh* ...Whatever. At least i can pull it off… a-and, i have the same amount of skin covered as you Wiess!"

Weiss blushed now too, as she was wearing her Snowpea outfit as well, and just looked away sternly with a glare, that she wish could be directed towards her teammate.

But then, Neptune, who was in the back of the group walking along with Sun, just groaned at them. "Ugh, is this really all that we can talk about right now?" He asked them all.

Blake exhaled, and just continued to walk with the rest of them as Gage started to speed up, but Yang and Ruby still kept up with him as the faunus and Weiss did the same, "As much as i don't like there to be bickering among us… it's a really good distraction from our current situation."

"Hehe, and it is pretty funny when you two argue Yang... Well, over little things!" Ruby added, with a smile as Yang puffed her cheeks, feeling a little irritated.

Gage smiled, but only a tiny a bit before he notice a hole in the shrubbery on the left side of the train track… and… saw a little red flag planted on the ground in front of the opening,

"Hmm… well, sorry, but fun time's over." He said, as he pointed towards the open brush, and began to walk towards it. "Because i think we're here…"

Everyone tensed up once he said that, and watched as he, Ruby, and Yang all walked to the opening, and stood behind him as he knelt down on one knee, and… laid his eyes upon the prison.

He saw the front of it, the main gate, which was closed and locked, but had two destroyed watch towers on both sides of it, which were also pieces incorporated within the giant fence-wall that surrounded their base.

It looked a lot more rugged and old then he'd thought, but it could have just been his eyes playing tricks on him due to the darkness of the night, so he just turned to Ruby, as she took out Crescent Rose and used her sniper scope to get a better look.

"Ruby, do you see anything?" Gage asked her.

She mumbled to herself, and activated her scope's night vision feature, and it finally allowed her to see what was in front of them, "Yeah… one sec!"

The small reaper could see the front of the tall prison fence, and noted that it wasn't as close as they would want it to be, so she looked for what area was the closest.

That was the wall to the left side of the fence, and to get there, they would have to jump down from where they were, which was just like a three foot drop to be honest, and cross a small embankment, which had been made to help someone walk across the small tall grass filled moat that was in front of them, and surrounded the penitentiary.

After that, they would have to climb up the tiny hill that was on the other side, and then they would be at the fence, but she then noticed a guard standing on the other side, and he was… holding a lantern.

"The path looks clear… and it should be pretty easy to cross, because it looks like those guards only have lanterns to see…"

Weiss crossed her arms, and squinted at the light in the distance with difficulty, "They probably turned off their power so then they wouldn't be as noticeable at night. Otherwise they'd most likely have some spotlights..." She suggested, as Blake nodded in agreement.

"They aren't known to roam these parts, so that'd be believable."

Gage smirked, and just stood up as he shifted his Model 1887's stock upwards, and the two limbs of it's crossbow mode showed, creating it's secondary weapon form, "That makes this a whole lot more easier then…"

"Then what's the plan Care-bear?" Yang asked the ghost, as him and Ruby both stood up.

"The guard probably can't see us cross from where he is, so we'll rush across that moat, up the hill, and to the wall." Then, he took his bag off of his back again, took out the wire cutters, and gestured towards the main wall again with them in his metal hand. "After that, i'll use my semblance and go through the fenc with Blake, make an opening in the fence for the rest of you guys, and we'll figure out the rest from there.

The feline faunus nodded, and approached him as he put the cutters on his belt, and she just stood next to him, "That sounds good to me."

Gage just smiled, and reached into his bag one more time to pull out… a pistol silencer, that he had used for Javix a long time ago when he use to try and tape it to the barrel. He smiled, and handed it to her before he zipped up his knapsack, and put it on his back again.

"Here Blake. I can't really suppress a revolver, and Gambol Shroud was the only other pistol i could think of…"

"Oh… thanks."

She took it, turned her weapon into it's pistol form, and twisted on the attachment as Yang smiled, and turned to everyone else with her hands on her hips, while both of Ember Celica's gauntlets began to form, "So… everyone else ready?" She asked them all.

Sun only responded by taking out Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, and Neptune did the same with his Fusion Rifle while Ruby held Crescent Rose again, and Weiss just put one hand on Myrtenaster's hilt.

The couple both smiled, and Gage just got to the edge of the small opening in the shrubbery. "Hehe, I'll take that as a yes." And then, he crouched down, and whispered as he lowered himself onto the swampy and wet ground below them,

"Now let's get to that fence!"

...

After all of them crept down onto the small shore that was at one end of the small land bridge that went over the moat, Gage stood there, and kept his head barely above the tall grass so he could watch the guard behind the fence.

Everyone else made sure to crouch down, and the ghost waited until he could only see the lantern move away from where it had been staying for the last five minutes.

But once it finally did, and moved to the right, behind one of the two destroyed watchtowers, Gage looked back at his friends, and stepped out with Crossbow-form Mistletoe in one hand as he pointed at the gate, and stepped out of hiding,

"Okay… go!"

They all then stood up, and followed him as fast as they could across the bridge, without making too much of a ruckus, trying their best not to accidentally fall into the swampy moat either as they tried to rush to the fence.

He was aiming down the sights of his crossbow the whole time though, and kept looking over at the main gate once he crossed the bridge, and got off of it so he could wait for everyone else.

Ruby did the same with Crescent Rose once she made it, and when she stepped off of it, she tapped Gage on the shoulder, and he took that as an initiative to begin to slowly walk up the tiny hill, and to the giant fence.

He held his breath, and just listened to the sounds of the night as he did this, to calm himself before the storm. Which included the creaking of the prison's main gate, the calls of a nearby Loon, the howling of Grimm in the distance, and lastly the steps of his friends as they followed, and stayed on him.

The ghost still kept his guard up, and remained with his Crossbow aimed forwards until he reach the top, saw the gate, but could clearly see that there were a collection of vehicles on the other side of it, parked in where the basketball courts would be.

He then turned around, and pointed towards them as Sun and Blake both walked to the top, and the rested made their way up as well. "I think your 'distraction' might be on the other side." He whispered to them.

However, Sun just chuckled once he said that, and Blake just got closer to the fence so she could look through it. 'How are you going to make _your_ distraction Gage?"

"We'll figure it out. But first we have to get inside."

Ruby and Yang both finally walked up with Weiss and Neptune, and had their guard up as Gage and Blake both stood next to each other.

"Alright, enough chit chat!" Weiss silently growled, before pointing at the ghost and the stray. "Just take care of those guards and open the thing up for us, if you would."

He sighed, and Blake simply rolled her eyes as he put his hand on her shoulder, and she nervously wrapped her arm around his metal arm as he activated the second half of his semblance, and it rendered them to be partially transparent.

Then, Gage and the feline faunus both took a few steps forwards, and walked through the gate, as Blake just kept looking down nervously at her feet, to make sure they weren't going through the ground or something.

The ghost snickered though, and nodded towards the fence as he began to let go of her, "Heh, make sure your foot's not stuck in the wall! ...Made that mistake once, and it scared the crap out of me." He chuckled, half heartedly.

"...How'd you get out of it?" She asked him.

"I just used my semblance again." Gage admitted, before he deactivated his semblance, and took the wire cutters off of his belt, and sighed while Ruby was secretly trying not to laugh. "And that's how I figured out that using my semblance more than once in a day could kill me…"

Weiss then growled again, and walked over so she was in front of them, but still remained on the other side of the metal fence, "...Can you please just let us in already?!"

"Alright alright! Just lower your voice…"

She groaned even more, and took a step back as he put the link of the fence that was right above the heiress in the teeth of the cutter, and made them close down on it until it snapped.

After that, he made more cuts on the other links that outlined her body, and looked over to his right as Blake tried to look out towards the main gate, and see if anyone else was coming.

Once the ghost felt safe enough to let them all in, he smiled, and clipped the last link near Weiss's feet before he stood up with the wire cutter in his hand, and tried to pull the piece he cut out away.

"Rip that off and get everyone in here!

Yang tried to leaned her head to the side to get a better look while Sun just kicked the part he cut out, which made it break free from the rest of the fence.

So, Gage threw it to the side, and looked past the main gate. And towards the other watch tower while everyone else just started to crawl through the opening he made for them.

The ladies went first, with all of them going through easily, and then the guys went, and nearly had to crawl through it thanks to their height and stature.

But after they made it all in, they stood up with their weapons drawn, and that was when Sun asked the obvious question that everyone else was thinking, "So, what next?"

The ghost sighed, and decide that the best idea was to start with him and Blake, since they already had a plan, but he also decided to make a last minute change to it too…

"Well, you and Blake can just cut through this next fence here, and get into their garage. Then, just find something that'll explode. Like I said before."

Him and Blake both nodded, but then Yang tugged on Gage's hood with a smile as he turned to face her. "What about the rest of us?" She asked her boyfriend.

He smiled nervously then, and just rubbed the back of his head,not because he didn't have an idea… but mostly because what he had in mind might not exactly go down well with Weiss and Neptune…

...So, he turned to face them of course, and chose to only look at Weiss, who looked prepared to already give him a death stare, in return.

"I was thinking that maybe Weiss and Neptune could stay here…. While me, you, and Ruby go to right, and find out another way to distract the rest of the guards?"

Her icy eyes of course grew a little bigger once the ghost said that, and her mouth opened a little, but then Gage actively turned and mouthed the word, 'Sorry' to her… and that made her think.

Out of all the people that were left, it was her, Yang, and Ruby. Her and Yang already had something against Neptune… but the blonde was a lot better in close quarters combat, and could assist Gage a lot better than she ever could, and… maybe he didn't want Ruby to be around the blue haired boy.

Because like he said the day prior, the man is nearly unpredictable now so… Weiss could see that Ruby being alone with him for an extended period of time would be a big no no. So, she sucked it up, and just unsheathed Myrtenaster,

"*sigh* ...Sounds like a plan, I guess."

Yang shared the same expression of grief for the heiress and just waved at her as her lover just sighed too, with relief, and relaxed his shoulders. "Alright then, Sun, Blake, you're up-"

"HEY!"

They all suddenly heard someone scream at them from behind, and that was when the ghost turned to see that the guard from earlier was behind them, on the other side of the gate in front of the second watchtower, and he was already was raining his electric rifle at them.

However, Blake saw him first, and immediately jumped into action, as she put one hand on Gage's shoulder, and pushed him back as she raised Silenced Gambol Shroud up, and fired twice at the guard.

The first bullet hit him in the shoulder, and the second one nearly knocked him out as it hit his chest plate, and made him fall backwards onto the ground hard, and groan quietly in pain.

The ghost, and everyone else just turned and looked at the feline faunus as she exhaled, and patted her partner's boyfriend on the shoulder before she turned back around, and began to walk back to Sun,

"*exhale* ...Alright, _now_ let's get a move on…"

Sun began to laugh at Gage, and he just blushed as Yang shook her head, and tugged on his arm so she would follow him over to the path to their right where the guard had came from, as Ruby followed, and turned to everyone else one last time.

"Good luck everyone!"

Weiss waved back along with Blake and Sun as they began to cut open a hole in the second fence, and Neptune just watched as the two sisters ran over to the almost unconscious guard.

Gage followed them too, and before they left, he just slammed the butt of Mistletoe's stock into the White Fang guard's face before they pulled him into the shadows with them, and him, Yang, and Ruby all disappeared into the night.

...

Once Sun and Blake got the gate open with Gambol Shroud's blade form, they crawled through it, and silently walked over to a nearby armored car, and took cover behind it.

She then tapped his shoulder, and whispered to him as she turned her beloved weapon back into it's pistol form once again, "Did you get the rest of the charges from Yang?"

Sun nodded, and just opened up his shirt so he could show her that the three bricks were stuffed inside the waistband of his jeans, inconspicuously, "Yep, Hehe!" He chuckled.

Then, as she looked under the car to see if there were any other soldiers on the other side of it, the monkey faunus looked over the hood, and towards a nearby building, which looked to be a small military garage of some sort.

"Hey, if we're going to die tonight, then at least we got to blow something up together, right?" He asked his girlfriend, sarcastically.

She looked up from the car, and back up at him as he turned back to face her, and… he saw that the comment obviously made her look displeased, but… she didn't feel that way at all.

Because then almost out of nowhere, Blake pulled on Sun's arm so he would become crouched again, and out of the blue, she grabbed onto one of his shoulders… and kissed him. On the lips.

She felt her grip on him and Gambol Shroud tighten as Sun fidgeted and flinched due to her action, and kept his eyes open the whole time as she let out a tiny gasp, and eventually pulled away from him with a smile,

"...Yes. And... _that_ was for good luck, so don't tarnish it Sun."

"Y...Yes ma'am…"

Then, with a blush, Sun stood up from behind the vehicle, and looked over it to see that there was an open loading bay door, that appeared to open to an even bigger room that was inside of the garage,

"So uh… did you see anyone else around here?" He asked Blake, as she stood up let go of him, and gripped her pistol even more as she too looked over at the large open door. "Cuz I think our, 'distraction' might be in there…"

"I don't think anyone is on this side at the moment. So let's go for it." Blake answered, as they both stepped out of hiding, and started to walk towards the door, as she began to smile again as well, "Oh and Sun? ...Please don't blow yourself up."

"Yeah, I got it…"

He smiled at her too, and walked towards the open door with haste as he raised both Ruyi and Jingu bang while Blake walked inside with Gambol Shroud offensively raised as well.

That was when they noticed that there was a ramp that went down to a lower level, so they went down that as well, and was greeted with the sight of eight gun trucks, four parked to both their left and right, and four fuel trucks as well, that were parked in front of the two with their rears facing them.

Sun nearly bursted out laughing, and took put one of the charged as Blake sighed with relief, and followed after him. "Haha, looks like that kiss of yours is working for us so far!"

Now Blake began to blush, and just leaned against one of the fuel trucks while Sun took one of the C4 charges out from his waistband and began to try and plant it under the car… but then something quickly caught them off guard.

"*SLAM!*"

The door they came through suddenly slammed shut, and they both jumped as they began to hear footsteps afterwards, that were now coming down the ramp, and towards them.

The feline faunus almost instantly face palmed, and tried to take a few steps back as she saw about eight soldiers come down with their weapons drawn… but the only difference, was that these weren't regular White Fang troops.

No… these ones wore the armor of the ones back at Bolin Peak… so Blake gasped, as she now knew that these men… were apart of the White Wolves, and they for sure had their scent!

"By the trucks, I smell that of a monkey and a Cat!"

The jig was up now, and since they was no way to hide where they were, or to make their scent in a split second, Blake stood out from the shadows of the vehicles and aimed Gambol Shroud at them, as Sun did the same with his gunchucks… but nervously, and with a tiny wave,

"E-Ehehe… h-hi there!"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Gage, Yang, and Ruby had just cut through the right inner fence, and spotted a small containment hut, which appeared to be a large ammunition bunker that probably wasn't made as part of the prison, so it looked important.

They thought this, because it had a vault-esque door, which had a wheel on it that had to be turned the right way to open. At least that's how Yang thought it would open.

Now, the three were crouched a few feet away from it, down in a small ditch that was right in front of the hole they cut in the fence, and they were trying to remain quiet because of all the voices they heard on the other side of the bunker, along with the engine of a truck.

"So… how long do you think it's going to take for Blake and Sun to do their thing Gage?" Ruby asked him, quietly.

Gage shrugged, and just sat there cross crossed while Yang just sat down right next to him, "I dunno. Five minutes. Why?"

"Well… then maybe we can look in that hut thing. You know, for something we can use as a diversion."

Yang then interjected, as she raised a finger and tried her best to whisper. "Yeah, but what about those guys on the other side?" And after that, she raised her head up above the ditch and tried to see if anyone was near them.

Ruby already knew that there wasn't anyone close to them at the moment, so she just sat up and pointed at the bunker once more.

"I don't think the door to that place could be _that_ loud Yang."

"Well, you never know!"

In fear them having a silent shouting match, Gage stood up, and just put his arms in between the two as he too looked over at the bunker door, and hushed the two sisters. "Shhh. If anything, you two could just hold onto me and I'll just use my semblance again to make us disappear." He told them both with closed eyes.

Yang then puffed her cheeks, and just sat back down, and scooted away from her boyfriend a little bit afterwards. "Hmph, well either way, I'd wait until things get a little more louder…"

And instead of replying to him or her sister, Ruby just raised her finger a bit, and bent it as she looked over at Gage… and noticed something peculiar about... well, just how he was right now. "Uh… hey Gage?"

He could see that she was looking at Jim weirdly, so he turned to her and crouched down on one knee again. "Yeah?"

"...Shouldn't your nose be bleeding or something by now?" She asked him, as Yang now began to look at him, and noticed the same exact thing too. "Oh yeah… you did use your full semblance earlier."

Gage's eyebrows narrowed after their questions, and it urged him to rub his nostrils, only to find that there wasn't any sign of it bleeding at the moment. And his stomach and breathing pattern seemed to be normal too.

There was nothing out of the ordinary to him or the two sisters and he was both worried about it, and thankful at the same time. For Yang's sake…

"Huh… It should but… maybe it's delayed because I'm stressed or something? I really don't know. And… now it's weird."

The blonde then remembered the so called 'theory' that Nurse Shayna came up with after her lover's bloody episode almost two weeks ago, and snapped her fingers once she made a connection. "Maybe your body's finally adapting to it! You know… since it was like the first time you used it with your prosthetic."

Ruby started looking at his left arm after that, and just hummed, but started to get up once she deduced that he was alright, and that Yang was feeling secure about his safety. "Hmm… well, you look fine to me. Now let's get in that bunker thing!" She said, as she grabbed onto Gage's arm and pulled on it.

Yang tried to pull him back down, but for once he disagreed with her, and stood up with her little sister as he picked his crossbow off the ground, and smirked as he did it, "Sorry Yang. It's two against one."

"But…"

"We'll be fineeee. If anything, you're suppose to be the loud one, remember Taiyo-Chan?"

She just grumbled to herself, and stood up too as Gage and Ruby started to climb over the ditch, and the blonde climbed out after them, as she dusted the dead grass off of her stockings.

He and the small reaper simply walked over towards the metal door causally, and she looked around it's left corner as Yang caught up with them, and watched as Gage put his hands on the wheel, and turned it to the left as quietly as he could.

His girlfriend stood there, and looked out for him of course, but with her arms crossed, as the door suddenly popped open, and the ghost just turned towards her as he opened it slowly, "Yang, take a look inside!"

Immediately, she could tell that the small bunker was empty, and dark, so Yang nodded, and approached the entrance as Gage let go of the door, and went in behind her while Ruby kept her guard up outside.

The first thing she noticed off the bat… was that the bunker's size was apparently deceiving, because it was about the size of a prison cell, ironically.

The second thing the couple realized… was that it was full of red barrels. Like those ones you would typically see in FPS games, but they were all marked with a brand that said, 'highly flammable'.

Gage of course took a step back once he saw that, but squinted again as he approached one of the barrels that was close to him, and tipped it on it's side so he could read the whole label/brand oni it's metal shell. So, he decided to read it aloud,

"...'Highly flammable… Napalm'?" He asked himself, as he turned to Yang and set it down with a confused look on his face. "What the hell… why would they need this when they could just steal some fire dust?"

Yang sighed, and chose to stare and look around at the rest of the barrels with a raging glare… since she knew it wasn't that hard to actually craft the substance. "Rrrgh… Maybe it just doesn't do the job right…" She growled, as her lover shared her sour expression.

"Well either way, we have our own diversion now…"

The blonde took a step back, and watched as the ghost gently tipped the barrel on it's side, and suddenly dig into the thing with his metal fingers until it's contents began to leak out, and he pulled his hand away, shaking it so hopefully the rest would come off.

After that, he shook it one more time, and started to walk out with the blonde while the liquid began to spill out all over the floor… and as she suddenly pulled one of their grenades off of her belt, and showed it to her lover, with her back facing him,

"You just pull the pin and throw, right?" Yang asked him.

He just reassured her with a, "Mmhm!" And smiled as he brushed the top of her head, and exited the bunker to see that Ruby was just sitting down next to the door with Crescent Rose in her arms once again.

So once Yang put the frag away, her and Gage both sighed and sat down next to Ruby, but the blonde brawler hummed tiredly, and rested her head on the ghost's shoulder,

"So… Napalm?" Ruby asked the couple.

"Yup…"

"Well, that's ought to be loud!"

His lover nuzzled into his shoulder more while the sounds of the night began to become the only music to their ears again, and once he heard them, Gage just put his arm around Yang, and looked up at the moon again.

"Yeah, and now we just wait for Sun and Blake. Hopefully they don't take much longer." He replied, with half-opened eyes.

Yang then hugged his waist, and raised her head up just enough so she could kiss her Care-Bear on the cheek, and close her eyes along with him before she whispered to him softly one last time,

"*smooch* ...Just enjoy the silence while it lasts Care-Bear… for me?"

"Okay Yang, for you…"

She hugged him harder, and giggled while he tried to use her embrace and warmth to sort of meditate before it could be rudely interrupted by anything else… but, he still let out a small chuckle, as a way to thank Yang for making him take in the silence of the night with her once more. "Hehe…"

And as soon as they tightened their embrace, Ruby mentally cooed at them, before she turned towards the opposite direction, and began to worry about how Blake and Sun were doing at the moment...

"...Come on you two!"

…

"HYAAAH!"

Blake grunted as she sent a slash wave towards the line of Wolves that were in front of her with Gambol Shroud's bladed form, and she took her bladed sheath off her back as well, and just charged at them all with the two blades.

Meanwhile, Sun fumbled with his gunchucks as he stood up, and nearly dodged a bullet as one of the faunus shot right above his head, and planted a hole in the oil tanker that was right in front of him!

That caused a leak of gasoline to shoot out the open hole, and it hit the monkey faunus in the face as he just dropped the rest of the C4 charges, and turned to yell at the eight Wolf faunus, "Bleh! Egh, a-are you trying to get us all killed?!" He shouted at them.

The man didn't reply, as Blake's wave pushed him and another soldier onto their backs hard, so the other six just aimed towards Sun, so the raven haired girl turned, and yelled for him to get out of the way. "Sun, get down!"

"No!"

But he couldn't do that. If they missed him, they'd hit the leaking fuel tanker and send them all to hell in a fiery blaze… so… the blonde faunus decided to come up with something… as he took out the detonator to the explosives he had just set.

"..Aha! Feast your _feral_ eyes on this you bunch of puppies!"

That made all of the wolves stop dead, and take a few steps back towards the door that they came through, as Sun suddenly smirked, walked towards them with it raised above his head, and flaunted it at them like it was a sports trophy… as he tried to do his best impression of Al Pacino,

"...Say hello to my little friend!"

And it caused everyone, including Blake, to turn and stare at him like he was a madman, as he put his hands over it, and began to pivot towards the door that they came through slowly.

The wolves simply growled, and continued to watch as he did so, and Blake eventually stopped and went back to him, but made sure that his body was in front of him, so he would look even more threatening to the soldiers. "I-If you get any closer, we'll take you all down with us!" She shouted at them.

"You lie!"

"Do you want to test that theory?!"

She then decided to put one of her hands on the detonator, and let out an audible hiss as her and the money faunus stepped away from them more, and made sure not turn their backs to them, in fear of them opening fire once they did.

Only a few kept their weapons raised after she said that, and once Sun saw that they looked threatened enough, he just laughed nervously and began to walk faster towards the door, and eventually up the ramp to it.

After the could see the outside, Blake just went into a full on sprint for the door, and after she did that, the steps of the frantic wolf faunus that were still down in the garage could soon be heard coming after the two.

So as soon as the feline faunus made it out of the door, Sun ran after her, and followed her as she went out the door, and turned to the right, right into the middle of the collection of basketball courts that the White Fang were using to hold all their other vehicles.

"Crap, Blake where do we run to after we set it off?!" Sun yelled.

Blake internally groaned, as she didn't really think about that, and the fact that they were running in the opposite direction of where their friends would be.

But, it wasn't like they couldn't improvise and beat the crap out of some White Fang along the way to find their friends, so she just turned, and pointed at the detonator in Sun's hands,

"It won't matter! We have to fight anyway, so just blow it now!"

He physically braced himself once he heard that, and nervously looked down at the green-blinking detonator, and saw that it was ready to be activated. "U-Uh… you sure Blake?!"

"Yes! JUST… DO IT!"

Then, Blake tried to cover her regular ears, and cat ears as the monkey faunus whimpered on the inside, and just looked down at the remote one last time before he blinked, whimpered a little externally… and finally squeezed the detonator!

After he did that, he nearly dropped it due to his shaky hands, and just covered his two ears at the same time while he continued to run, and he felt the shock of the blast nearly knock him and his girlfriend off of their feet, and face first into the concrete as the garage suddenly exploded into a large blast of fire and concrete!

"*BOOM!*"

…

"*BOOM!*"

On the other side of the base, Gage and Yang almost instantly stood up with Ruby, and the blonde brawler already had the grenade in her hand, so she ran over to the bunker door and waited for her lover's signal.

He had jumped up, picked up Mistle-bow (I thought it was a clever pun), and ran over to the corner of the bunker with Ruby, to try and see if the soldiers had already began to move.

"Gage, just say when!" Yang whispered.

"Alright! Give me a sec!"

He then went around the corner of the bunker while the small reaper shifted Crescent Rose into it's sniper form again, and tried to cover him. Then, Gage walked towards the edge of the bunker to try and get a glimpse around it…

...But as soon as he got close, two White Fang soldiers came around the same corner and came face to face with them, as about ten ran straight past him, and towards the other end of the base where the blast came from.

However, as soon as those two stopped in front of him, Gage raised his crossbow to warn them, and… it apparently became so intimidating in that situation that the two nearly yelped, and turned back around in a sprint.

"...Hehe!"

The ghost smiled out of shock, and just decided to chase after them, since he thought that the rest of their team was the squad that just ran past and completely ignored him.

So he turned the corner in pursuit… and learned right then and there that was _definitely_ not the case, as he turned to see _THIRTEEN_ other troopers all turn around towards him with their energy rifles raised, along with the other two he was chasing, bringing the total to around fifteen.

...And they were all just aiming at him now…

"A-AAH!"

The first thing Gage did, was scream at them in utter shock, and raised Mistle-bow afterwards before he blindly shot an arrow into one of the faunus's shoulders, and turned to run back where he had just came from, and the rest of the soldiers also began to chase after him!

He ran back down to the side of the bunker he and Ruby were looking around moments ago, and shouted at her with a wave of his hand, which he did to signal her to move back behind the corner with Yang.

And luckily for him, she saw the White Fang members chasing after him, so she gasped and looked over to her older sister, and screamed at her, "YANG, DO THE THING!"

"WHA?!" The blonde asked, as she accidentally pulled the pin of the grenade, due to her nervousness.

Both of the sister's eyes grew right then, and Ruby turned back around to see Gage come around the corner and scream, "YANG, THROW THE THING!" Before he ran past the two of them, and headed for the ditch they were hiding in earlier.

Ruby followed suit afterwards, and Yang fumbled with the frag before she jumped forwards, threw the thing into the Napalm filled bunker, and ran with her little sister before they both dived down next to Gage, and he just covered them both with his own body as he heard a weird… single ticking sound.

Then, as he braced himself, another explosion could be heard, and the shouting of more of the Fang members echoed out as the blast grew and screeched through the dark night while the three sighed with relief, and felt the heat of the napalm send a tiny shock wave, and warmed them from the evening's cold winds…

"*pant* ...Man that feels hot…"

Ruby was the first to lift her head up, and look over to where the bunker use to be. Now, it was partially destroyed, and had a raging flame coming from inside of it, and it's smoke and cinders were slowly being sucked upwards into the sky, along with the flames of the other explosion that Blake and Sun had caused.

"Gage, Yang… it's clear."

"Yeah… but I think that's gonna change pretty quick…" Yang mumbled, as she just began to climb out again.

Gage looked up and got out too, but once he did that, all three of them could hear yelling coming all the way from where the cellblock entrance was, which wasn't exactly close.

This caused the ghost to sigh, and grip Mistletoe tightly as he, his girlfriend, and the small reaper all jogged over to the left of where the destroyed bunker, into the middle of the path that lead to the main gate.

Then, as they were going to try to cross it, Ruby stopped, and aimed Crescent Rose towards the end of it, as three soot and dirt covered White Fang troopers limped and lazily walk out from a path that came from their garage, and into the middle of the path as they aim their rifles at them all.

They could see more coming out of from near the main cellblock building, which caused Gage and Yang to turn and aim their own weapons at them again, but before any shots could fired, a loud and familiar voice was heard, as Sun suddenly jumped out of nowhere, and send a flying kick into the face of one of the three men that were in front of them.

His kick sent the member flying into the other two, and soon Blake came out from the trail that the three came from, and ran towards Gage, Yang, and Ruby while the monkey faunus looked ahead at the squad in front of them, and sighed,

"Great… just traded one fight for another!"

Blake panted as she reunited with her partner and her little sister, and tried to take in a few breaths as Yang smiled because of Sun's comment, and just patted her partner's back with a slight giggle, "Hehe, good work Blake! My ears are still ringing!"

She panted again, and grinned at the blonde while Gage smiled too, "That's probably because you just set off another boom Yang…"

"Oh… well… at least we had some fun while it lasted, right?" Yang snickered, as she shrugged her arms, and Blake decided to step in the apparent line the three had created, choosing to stand next to her small Team leader. "*pant* ...Yeah, that... *pant* ...Was kind of fun..."

"You need a minute?" Gage asked her with a half smirk.

Once she wiped the sweat off of her brow, Sun came over to the now four, and stood next to his girlfriend, making it five as he just smiled, and dusted off his own shoulders with another smile,

"She may have fallen on her face after that first blast, so… maybe about thirty more seconds?" He answered the ghost sarcastically, as the Raven haired girl blushed and looked away from him. "That's probably enough time before those psychos over there start to charge us."

Now both Gage and Yang laughed a little, and tried to look over at the enemies in front of them to try and forget, while Ruby sighed with a grin,

"*sigh* ...So we got this far pretty easily. But, what are we going to do now?" She asked everyone.

The ghost then shifted his crossbow's stock back to normal, and Mistletoe returned to it's normal scoped Model 1887 shotgun form again, as he just flip cocked it, and looked over at all the White Fang soldiers that were staring down at them.

"It's simple Ruby... We fight."

He stated this with confidence, and put Mistletoe on his back while Ruby turned Crescent Rose into it's Scythe form, and Gage took Javix out of it's holster with his metal hand, and activated his dual bladed gauntlet Cynica, before he looked over at the enemy once again.

They all knew that this regiment of soldiers were in fact blocking them from their objective, which was the main cell block that was behind them all, and Gage and his friends were bent on getting past their human blockade.

So, everyone else prepared themselves. Blake just held Gambol Shroud in its dual bladed form, Sun combined Ruyi and Jingu Bang into it's staff form, and Yang just slammed both of Ember Celica's gauntlets into each other, and caused her aura to spark.

Her eyes turned red, her aura glowed a bright golden yellow, and the ends of her hair looked like it had caught on fire as she took one step ahead of everyone else, and clenched her hot fists tightly.

Gage could already tell that she was anticipated to get the battle started, so he took a step forwards as well with her, and shifted Javix into it's kukri form as he turned to look, and smile at her.

"Do you want to start it?"

"No…" She answered, right before she grasped her lover's metal wrist, and smirked at him with her red eyes, like a hot maniac in his eyes. "I want me and you to. The both of us, together!"

"Hehe… alright then." He chuckled, as her request seemed to trigger the more battle-hungry part of him on the inside.

And once he made his mind up, and glanced over at Ruby as he too dawned a smirk that mirrored his woman's. "Ruby, would you like to do the honor. With the name and all?"

"Y-Yes! Oooh, i've been waiting for this! *sigh* ...Okay, whenever you're ready you two!"

The couple now smiled together, and Yang let go of his wrist before they both looked over at their opponent's attack force, and the ghost just whispered to his lover, "Like we practiced the other day?"

She nodded, and prepared herself to get some dust and other tiny debris in her beautiful blonde locks, but she just welcomed it, with the vision of victory gleaming within her blood red eyes

"Yeah… let's do this Gage!"

Almost as soon as she said that, every one of the enemy faunus growled loudly at them, and began to run towards the five, so Ruby saw that as her cue, and looked at the couple as they started to charge back at the troopers. Just the two of them!

"...KINDLE!" The Rose yelled.

Gage then slowed his speed, and let Yang pass him as he turned invisible, and she just growled without a care for her volume as her aura created a fiery cloud of energy that surrounded her, and she went into a full on sprint towards the soldiers.

They all took a step back as she violently approached them, and started to fire their electric rifles while she cracked ground that was under her feet, and Gage stayed hidden to them all, but remained close to her.

Only a few of their their stun rounds managed to hit her, but that caused her to become even more riled up, and fuel her fiery aura so much that the pure heat of it made the electrical rounds disintegrate, and just dissipate into smoke trails, and that, was the last straw.

Because right as the men lowered their weapons and just went in to try and overpower the blonde, she smiled, and roared as she slammed her two fists onto the ground, and caused the concrete in front of her to raise up and out of the ground with little sparks and fire here and there, making some of the men fly back and fall over due to the impact.

Then, for the few that tried to stand back up, an unseen force went from man to man, just slashing and knocking them back down onto the floor with an incredible amount of speed, and once Yang saw that, the rest of the regiment started to come in, and she just taunted them.

"Come on! Just try and scratch up this pretty face! I DARE YOU!"

And she cracked her knuckles to top off her threat, which seemed to do nothing to the ten other men that ran past and over the debris that came from her first attack, and towards her before they yelled, and launched themselves at her.

However, the unseen force striked once again, and deflected nearly all of their attempts to maim the blonde. All ten of them, just received one quick blow or slash to the shoulder or chest before the same action would be taken upon the person to their left and right.

"Damn it, HIT HER! OR AT LEAST SOMETHING!" One of them shouted.

If one was to even try and attempt to take a step forwards, they would be pushed back with just another blow, and a select few of the faunus tried to strike the apparent phantom, but that resulted only in the attacker to send one large slash, that spread out between the ten of them, and knock all but one member away.

"AAAAGH!"

That remaining troop stood there and wobbled a bit, which just allowed Yang to smile, and strut towards him before she picked him up by his collar, and push him back fiercely.

"I guess I'll give you back to your buddies… Hehe, Gage catch!"

She then sent her fiery fist towards his face, and made him reel back in pain, only for her other one to plant itself deep into his stomach, causing the soldier to keep stepping back with each of her blows, so the brawler started to completely wear him down with a quick, ember-filled flurry of punches!

"Grrraaagh!"

A Jab to their face, then to their side, stomach, chest, jaw, and so on. All going by so quickly that the man may had already been knocked out, and she was possibly just punching an unconscious shell of one of her attackers.

So with that, she put the majority of her strength into one last punch, and rammed it into the man's nose once again, launching him back over to where he came from.

But before he came down, Gage reappeared right on the spot where he was suppose to fall to, turned his metal arm to the left as the soldier was about to hit the ground, and struck him so far that he flew even farther, and eventually collided into the floor right in front of the eighteen remaining White Fang members.

He landed with a loud crash, and caused the faunus to just run past him, and towards Gage, who just readied his two blades in anticipation for his own turn at some action. "Just this last wave, then I can finally get inside!" He told himself.

This was it. It all came down to this, and nothing was more important now. The only thing standing between him, and the truth was eighteen faunus extremists, a few yards of concrete, and a metal door. So, he decided to go all out, thinking that this was the finale.

Nevertheless, it all came to a shock to him as out of the blue, a large white, glowing, spinning circle with the Schnee logo on it appeared under all of the remaining White Fang fighters, which blinded them all.

"W… Weiss?" Gage thought to himself.

Then, every single one of the troopers were shot by a large electrical blast, and frozen to the ground thanks to the white circle as a white blur whizzed past Gage, and all of the soldiers, making all of them groan in pain as one large slash formed across their everyone one of their upper bodies.

And once the blur came to a stop, behind all of them, Weiss's petite and snow colored figure could been seen, as she let out a breath, and turned back around with her rapier at the ready, making Gage internally gasp, and chuckle at her actions,

"Damn! Almost forgot about you there Weiss!"

The heiress blushed at the ghost, and watched Neptune reload his fusion rifle as he walked up to the rest of their friends before she growled at Gage, and angrily gestured for him to move up,

"Don't just stand there you airhead, get to that cellblock before more of them show up! The rest of us will cover you!"

He jumped once her serious tone kicked in, and started to sprint towards the building as he nodded… but Yang decided to him for some reason. "I'll help you with the door!"

Gage figured that the large door was probably locked, so he didn't question it, and soon ran past Weiss with his lover as they headed towards the building behind her, the hopeful Archive that they came here for in the first place.

After they ran past… was when the rest of their friends surrounded the men that had their feet frozen to her glyph, and closed off their escape as they tried to break free.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Sun, and Neptune all created a large circle around them, and grinned a bit before they simply readied their weapons one last time, and let out a scream before they rushed the men as a group, in one final effort to show their strength, and to try and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Now the sounds of battle could be heard from behind the couple as they reached the metal double door, stopped right in front of it, and the ghost soon let out a tiny laugh as he grabbed onto the handle of the right door.

"It's all come down to this… after eight months…"

Yang returned his expression with more of a general happiness just for him as she also grabbed onto the handle, but on the left door, and held up her other fist with angst, "Then let's not delay it any further!"

The ghost gripped the door, and let his smile fade, as he nodded at his lover, and patted the door once as he turned Javix back into it's revolver form, and looked over at her one last time. "Okay… on three."

"One…"

"Two…"

"...Three!"

Gage shouted the final number, and the couple pulled the two doors back with every fiber in their being before they aimed their weapons inside… and were greeted with the sight of a room that was filled with darkness.

The entrance seemed to just be a dark void of nothingness, and Yang took a step back once she saw it, and clenched her fists tighter while he decided to take a single step inside, and call out to the doctor blindly out of desperation for this to end,

"Doc, we have you surrounded. Come out now, and we'll make sure no harm will come to you."

The ghost raised his revolver as he entered, and he was about to try to gesture for Yang to follow him… until a loud mechanical voice shouted at them from within the blackness,

"Adam was right young ghost... you are too kind to us! Hahahaha!"

Then, and loud mechanical whirr was heard, and it sounded like something was powering up for battle. Which caused Gage to retract the step forwards he took before he stopped dead in his tracks, and saw two. Big. Red. Patternized eyes glow, and blind him.

And that evil laughter, was also that of Doctor Cordelia!

Then as Yang gasped and finally noticed the red colors, a large mechanical fist shot out of the blackness, and smashed into Gage's body like a car crashing into a deer that was staring into it's headlights.

Yang instantly turned and screamed as she watched her boyfriend be launched backwards onto the hard concrete with a loud crash, that made him groan in pain and agony as he landed on his back, and his lover just called out to him.

"GAGE!"

His body skidded, and created cracks in the ground until he finally stopped, and finally laid flat with his eyes closed as the front of the cell block nearly exploded into a large mess of concrete and debris right when Yang dove away from the building's entrance, and looked up in horror as a large Atlesian Paladin broke through the front of the cell block, and towered over her.

A loud maniacal laugh came from the mech as it's red frontal panels turned off, it looked down at the injured ghost on the floor… and took a step towards him, with its robotic foot crushing the ground beneath it.

The blonde looked over at her lover, and stood up once she saw the Paladin begin to make it's way towards him, as her Team, and Sun and Neptune all stopped, and turned to face the large robotic shell with fear in their eyes.

"H… Holy shit…" Sun mumbled.

Gage heard the giant's footsteps, and it snapped him back to consciousness before he turned on his side, and started to get back up. Once he regained his footing, he saw a large stream of blood run down from the side of his forehead, and down the peripheral vision of his right eye.

This, only startled him, as he heard the mech's left leg raise up one last time… and looked up to see that the bottom of it's foot was right above him,

Ruby was the first to scream, and she was so close to dashing to her friend so she could push him out of the way, but Blake wrapped her arms around her, and stopped her. "GAGE, NO!"

But… someone else did fulfill her wish, as Yang ran to and shoulder charged her boyfriend out of the way, only to fall to her side, and roll onto her back as the Paladin's foot stomped downwards, and Gage was pushed away, closer towards the rest of their friends.

Ruby screamed even more then once Yang took his place , but the older sister didn't weep. No. She stayed strong, and raised her hands up as all of the weight of that metal leg was pushed down onto her two arms… and she managed to hold the foot in place, thanks to her massive amount of strength!

"RAAAGH!"

The blonde brawler screamed, and cringed with pain while the force of the Paladin's stomp pushed her deeper into the ground even more with the fear of being flattened and mangled to death now overwhelming her mind, but she still didn't let up.

Her lover leaned up, and his eyes and mouth grew wide as he just watched as Cordelia's mech had it's arms crossed, and looked down at all of them while he chuckled, and thought it would be fun to toy with him by going easy on Yang.

"Hmm… good, this is better than i had hoped!"

Then, a six man squad of The White Wolve's foot soldiers walked out of the now partially destroyed cellblock, and aimed at Gage, Sun, Blake, Ruby, Weiss, and Neptune… right as our heroes realized they were now caught in a trap.

But, Gage didn't pay attention to them of course. He was still staring at Yang while she still remained and struggled to hold up the mech's metal foot from crushing her body completely…

"Y… Yang…"

"G… Gage, i'll be okay! I j-j… just have to wait for the right moment!"

Her words caused him to just look up at the head of The Doctor's Paladin with his now red, and teary eyes as the older faunus just laughed at him again, "Now no crying. Hahaha, that comes later!"

The ghost just gritted his teeth, and yelled up at the man with pure rage and anger now consuming him, "Let her go! I should be in her place! I'm the one that Adam wants dead, remember?!"

"Very much so, but this… will destroy you before the fact. And that is what he will want to see the most…"

"A… AAAH!"

He growled that back at Gage, and began to put more force on Yang, and she screamed once again, which made the ghost take a step forwards, and caused his dark green aura to begin to glow out of hatred for that action, "If you hurt her any more… t… then i'm going to-"

"What, kill me? ...Hehe." Cordelia chuckled loudly, while his men moved up right behind his two gigantic metal legs. "It'd be impressive, but I can't assure you that _this one_ won't be a puddle of mush and blood, if you do try to."

"...But there is one thing i can reassure you of…"

That threatening tone made the ghost's mental state and confidence internally implode, with the sight of the Wolves that were surrounding them, the giant Paladin that stood before him, his friends looking beyond scared straight, and lastly the image of his Taiyo-Chan stuck underneath that metal foot, screaming and begging for the strength to lift it up.

This resulted in him to gain a one thousand yard stare as he looked up at Cordelia, and just… begged for someone, or anyone, to guide him through the rest of his night… but the funny thing about that, was that a certain mystical someone… was willing to answer his plea…

"...I will personally make sure that today will be your Last Day On Remnant… 'Mr. Sim'..."


	30. The Ghost of Remnant: Part Two

" _ **...I have a rendezvous with Death… At some disputed barricade. It may be he shall take my hand, and lead me into his dark land, and I shall close my eyes... and quench my breath...**_ _ **I have a rendezvous with Death.**_ _**And I to my pledged word am true… I shall not fail that rendezvous…"**_

 _ **-Alan Seeger**_

 **Song:** Battle Cry by Imagine Dragons.

…...

 **...Midseason Finale Song:**

At A Glance By Message to Bears

…...

Gage's breathing intensified tenfold as he kept his eyes planted on his two hands as he held them out in front of himself, and tried to only pay attention to the blank noise of the cold night, as they shook violently in fear for his friends...

His right hand was the more erratic and aggressive, while his metal one was more still, and felt as cold as ice. But… he soon felt Ruby grip his prosthetic wrist, as her hand was also wobbly and her voice quivered a bit.

"G… Gage…"

She irked his wrist down, and he responded by lowering his two hands, and looking upwards at the Atlesian Paladin that was towering above him, and then down at Yang… who was trying to keep her own breaths as steady and calm at the same time he was.

Everyone else just stayed idle, and as quiet as a mouse while the six wolf faunus kept their weapon trained on them. And after a long awkward silence, Doctor Cordelia chose to speak to them again,

"Now, i'm going to say ask you what you asked of the men you retrieved this location from, and to kindly… ' _Put your guns on the floor, and kneel'._ And i suggest you all do. For the blonde's sake."

A loud breath escaped from the ghost's lips, and he went to take Mistletoe off of his back, but Yang immediately turned, and painfully shouted at him,

"N-No! ...G… Gage we out number them, so don't give in! P… Please- AAAH!"

But that outburst was not to be tolerated, as the doctor pressed his mech's foot down even more, and caused the concrete around her to crack, and some of the vertebrae in Yang's back to ache, making her scream, and cry out in pain.

That made Gage rush to throw Mistletoe onto the ground, and drop Javix as well while everyone else did the same with the rest of their weapons before they all hastily got onto their knees… but he chose not to.

"You still remain vigilant for this woman? Hmm… well i'll let it slide. You are 'The Conquering Hero' after all…"

"*pant* ...Exactly… it's just me that you want." Gage replied, and then turned back to look at a teary eyed Ruby and Blake, before he decided to go on. "They had nothing to do with this. They just wanted to help me, and for that, they should all be considered innocent. All of them!"

However… that made the doctor chuckle lowly, and soon turned it into a loud laughter as his mech grasped his stomach, and he continued to laugh at his statement.

Not because it was just petty… but… because he had already done his research on Blake, and what she was apart of before her departure from the White Fang.

"Ahahahaha! Do you honestly believe that?! Boy, you are just a pawn in someone else's game, being played over, and over, and over again by a shadow that has been looming behind you all of this time!"

Blake instantly whimpered a bit, and let go of Ruby before she looked up at the head of the mech, with pleading eyes as Sun crawled over to her, and tried to stay close to her for comfort… but that didn't help at all, as Cordelia then turned towards the feline faunus, and chuckled once more.

"Isn't that right… Ms. Belladonna?"

That caused Gage to clench his fists, and take a step forwards with gritted teeth while his aura glowed even more. "What are you talking about? We already know that she was with you psychopaths before!" He growled, as she felt her heart drop deep down into her stomach.

The raven haired girl panted a bit, and shook her head at the Paladin desperately as more tears began to form, which just made the doctor sigh with delightfulness, and laugh at her. "Oh my dear… you really didn't tell him? After all of this time?"

"Blake… What is he talking about?" Weiss asked her, as everyone else turned and stared at her as well, and Gage looked completely confused as to what was being suggested. "...There's more?"

"Heh… Adam was right, Fräulein. You really _are_ weak…"

Blake didn't respond, and simply looked down at the ground whilst her breaths escalated, and her friends continued to stare at her like she had just been shot through the heart.

That utterly destroyed her, and whatever confidence she had in being able to tell Gage the truth was diminished, and the doctor could see it as clear as day. So he pressed onwards, and did it with an unseen smirk. "So… shall I tell them, or will you?~"

"...I… I'm not… n… not…-."

"All of you will be dead in five minutes… so I think it would be best to tell your ghost the truth before he reunites with his father… and he is your, 'friend', isn't he?"

Even Yang tried her best to look over at her partner, despite the pain in her body and muscles as she held the robotic foot up, and Gage took a step towards Blake with delicacy. "...Blake?"

But no word was spoken by the feline faunus, as she looked like she was now frozen in a catatonic state while Sun made sure to put himself in front of her, and in between his girlfriend and the ghost.

She internally crumpled, and hid behind Sun as Cordelia sighed, and regained their attention one last time… before he looked down at Gage... and felt that enough chances had been giving for her to explain herself.

So now… he felt no remorse towards her anymore, and shook his head inside the mech as he just smiled, and... finally felt obligated to let the truth be told.

"Well, that is disappointing. But either way, i believe the man should receive some sort of reward for managing to get this far…" He then chuckled again, and started to ease up on the force he was using to crush Yang under his mechanical foot. "...So… i suppose i have no other choice but to tell you the truth about your father's other killer myself, Mr. Sim…"

"...You see, you and your father Gagius really are similar. You both are intelligent, daring, courageous… and very clueless all at the same time. You both managed to befriend and trust someone who was not who they seemed, which managed to be your one mistake."

"Your father's… was to trust a traitor like me with so much valuable information… and yours… was to believe that the rogue behind you, Your friend, your ally… and your betrayer, Ms. Blake Belladonna, was not responsible for Gagius's death at all."

"...What?" Gage asked.

Cordelia continued to laugh at him, and Sun put his arm around his girlfriend as she audibly gasped with helplessness, "Hmhm, She was _**there**_ Gage. On that same dust train all those years ago. Working and serving under her old friend… and mentor, Adam Taurus."

That, made everyone's mouths to hit the floor… except for Gage, who looked at Blake not with anger, not yet… but without any emotion at all, right as his red glowing eyes became visible for everyone to see.

"Now, i know it may be hard for you to believe that… but, i know your friends are more open to the suggestion. Unlike you, and they have experienced first hand what she is capable of. How she would lie, cheat… and run. Like she did from us."

"But now i realize that… all this fighting on your part, all this bloodshed… was because of her. " He then raised his mech's right hand, and pointed at the faunus while his voice grew quieter and quieter. "She is responsible for _everything_ that has happened to you…"

And since he knew the ghost's history, he had to pour some salt into the partially open wound of course."...Even the loss your arm… and the mental scars your lover had most likely received afterwards…"

"...All because she, was afraid to tell you the truth."

Gage let out a soft breath, which caused a misty cloud of air to escape from his lips due to the cold air, and he just felt like someone had just impaled him with a blade that was sleek, and sharp… as Blake looked right back into his red eyes.

Her face said it all. There was no sign of rejection towards the accusation, or any sort of rebuttal, no nothing. Blake… had the expression of someone who had just lost a loved one, and it consumed her entire body as he was still looking down on her, while she remained on her knees.

That face, those tears of hers, and her quiet gasps gave him the defining answer. That this, all of this possible bullshit, was in fact the truth. The real truth. Not some… web of lies that was spun by someone else.

This… was what he was looking for. An Answer. And, after two years of searching... He finally got it. It was all so clear to him now… but… then he thought about his arm, and this entire night in general, and he saw that the Doctor was completely right.

Everything bad that's happened to him since has been because of her. The loss of his arm, the desensitization of death to him, Yang, and Ruby, his own death and resurrection, his father's death, and even his act of Desertion.

The thought, that she was the kicker to this-h-his entire story! -Was so awestrucking, that once it soaked in, Gage's jaw twitched with anger as he turned away from her, and he soon fell to his knees afterwards, before he looked and stared at Yang blankly.

"Let it overwhelm you, Mr. Sim. Let it control you, and embrace it! Embrace the fact that you've finally won after all this time! Take _pride_ in the fact that you finally know that it was truly Adam Taurus... and Blake Belladonna, who killed your father…"

The ghost looked down after that… and subsequent shuddered along with his black haired betrayer, who was being held back by Sun still, but her efforts would be wasted either way.

He didn't see it, but a few raindrops fell a little bit as well, and it only made his heart crack more and more as thunder could be heard off in the distance, droning out the monologue the doctor was currently giving to all of them.

Although, Gage couldn't even hear the sounds of the coming storm after those few brief seconds, as it seemed the world decided to produce the sound of white noise for only him to hear, and no one else.

That was when he just… stopped working.

He didn't feel a thing throughout his body, and the shock officially began to take a toll on himself. And now… he could tell that his mind was somewhere else, and not in the time of the real world anymore.

However, after a few long moments of being still… his eyes changed color once again, but to their shade of silver, like Ruby's were by default. But the weird thing about it… was that he could feel them change right then and there, when he hasn't been able to before.

Gage could feel the spaces around his eyes became cold and dead, almost like his pupils were emitting a brisk invisible misr themselves, and it made him look up… only to see something indescribable.

There was a raindrop, that was right in front of him… which was frozen. Frozen in time rather, as he saw it remain in mid air, and just… float there in front of his own two eyes.

But then, he looked up even further, and could see that Yang's mouth was open, like she was trying to say something to him, but she too appeared to be stuck in time, along Cordelia's Atlesian Paladin as well, and the rest of his friends too, as he glanced back at them slowly.

When he turned back around, he could see that time had… stopped, and it felt as if the world simply stopped spinning around him… and it made him just look down at his own two hands again while they shook.

"...What's happening to me?"

…

" _It's my awakening, Gage. Can't you feel it_?~"

…

Gage suddenly raised his head up yet again once he heard the familiar feminine voice speak out to him, but before he could ask who the person was, something… astonishing occurred.

In one split second, the world around him blasted his eyes with a bright light, and blinded him as he felt a burning pain in his chest, and tried to scream in pain at whatever it was, but he couldn't hear anything, not even himself.

So, he tried to get up… and could feel some sort of peeling, and sensation of separation, and could feel his body detach from something that felt like a thick web.

After he broke away, tripped, and beared the pain and blinding light, his knees made contact with the ground again and he bent over, placing his hands on the concrete floor again while he opened his eyes, and panted.

The light faded away, and he was able to regain his vision… but it wasn't right. Because as he stared down at the ground… he saw that it was the color red, and that it was glowing.

"*pant* … *pant* … *pant* …"

The vision of his hand on the ground finally came through to him, and he immediately lifted himself up, and looked down at his hands again to see that both of his arms were glowing white.

The skin on his right hand of flesh was as pale as ever along with the fingerless glove that was over it, and the sleeves of his suede jackets were white now too, and his metal hand as well, which just made him stand up completely in confusion,

"...What the hell?"

Gage asked himself this, and only managed to look down at himself for a few more seconds before he decided to take a double take of the world around him, and… thought that it was not the one he was just in.

He looked like he was in main yard of the prison, right where he was before on his knees, but everything was a different color, so he finally looked around, and almost began to pant in fear again on the spot.

This… was because Remnant was a different color. Everything was a different color.

The ground around him was red, along with all the buildings and structures, the sky was a blank white, the moon was a dark blackish-red color… and all of the people that had just been there with him were there, but their entire bodies appeared to be made from one single color.

He noticed this, because he looked in front of himself, and towards Yang, Doctor Cordelia's Paladin, and the six White Wolve soldiers. Yang was still there, trying to keep the mech's leg from crushing her, but… her body was just the color yellow. Or gold.

"Y… Yang?"

She had her features, her clothes, and her same expression, but she was just… that one color, along with the doctor, and the faunus soldiers, whose bodies were made from the color black.

After she didn't respond, and remained frozen in time, he panted and turned back around to see everyone else, in the exact same state as they too remained still, and on their knees.

Ruby was a pinkish-red color, Weiss was a whitish blue, Sun was a yellowish orange as he held onto Blake, who was a greyish charcoal color, and Neptune was a bland dark navy blue.

But the thing that baffled him, was the fact that Ruby was holding onto his own arm. But not… the Gage that was seeing this.

She was holding onto another Gage, that was dark green or sage, who was in the same position the second Gage was before he entered this realm.

It didn't take long for the apparent spirit Gage to see that his aura was glowing the color white, and that made him realize that his other body that was on their knees, and letting Ruby hold onto him, was his real self. His actual body.

The spirit, or Gage's consciousness obviously was stunned, and at a loss of words as he stared down at himself, and tried the grasp the concept of this realm, or world, or whatever the hell this place was.

"Hmhm, It's nice to see you again Gage."

He then glanced to the right, and turned to see that… the gentle woman in white, Summer Rose, was standing next to him, with the hood of her cloak barely hiding her short blackish red hair from him,

"You know, i really wish we could meet during more… peaceful situations."

Gage flinched a bit… but… once he saw her, and remembered that his aura was glowing white… he sighed, and looked down at his own body that was on it's knees in front of him. "*sigh* ...What. Did i die from shock or something..." He asked her, as he felt completely desolate of any positive emotions.

Her smile then went away and she frowned as her eyes drooped, "No. I just pulled you into my very own consciousness. ." Then she just took a step towards her own daughter, while Gage watched her blankly.

"It's almost like you expect me to understand how you did that…"

Summer's eyes sunk after he said that, and she placed a hand atop Ruby's head as she brushed her hair, and looked at the ghost's own body with a glare. "...It's almost like i have to explain something first for you to understand it." She mumbled, mockingly.

Gage took a step towards himself and Ruby, but didn't pay attention to them, as he watched Summer try to run her hand against the younger rose's head, only for it to go through her, and into her head,

"Gage… do you remember what i said to you, all that time ago in your dreams, while you were still in the hospital?"

"...Yeah. That… there's two of us in here now." He replied, as he put his finger against the side of his head, and lowered it back down slowly. "'Two minds, to save them all'?"

He could see how focused she was on her own child, and he felt… an alarmingly large amount of grief for her, as she moved her hand back down to her side, and also glanced back over at Yang, with a somber frown before she stood up, and focused her attention back onto spirit Gage,

"Yes... And that also means that we share our thoughts, some memories, and now our emotions. We're… simply fused now." She revealed, as she now began to pace back and forth in front of him, with her silver eyes shining equal to his own, "That means that I know what you're thinking about that Blake girl, and about what that man just told you."

"You saw her. What her eyes were telling us. She was speechless, and she didn't even try to deny it!"

He growled that at her, and the ghost soon glared over at the idle Blake, as she just stood there with black-colored tears flowing down from her eyes while he pointed them out. "And those tears don't help her case either…"

"Maybe she didn't do it…" Summer suggested, as she too looked at the stray pitifully. "...Or if she actually _was_ there, then maybe it didn't happen in a way she intended…"

"Okay, Summer, can you tell me what you're trying to get at?" He asked her, and tried not to sound too frustrated.

The phantom sighed, and just pointed up at Doctor Cordelia's glowing black Atlesian Paladin, "Your friend Emile promised you evidence. Not an explanation from someone corrupted like him." And she tried to remind Gage of what was promised by the doctor's presence, "Physical proof, from that cellblock building you're all facing right now."

Gage just covered his face with his hand, and turned back towards his trapped lover, as she still remained frozen in time. "How am i supposed to get in there without myself, or anyone else getting hurt?" He asked Yang's stepmother.

"With my help." She replied, with a smile as she walked back towards spirit Gage, and put a hand on his shoulder, but it caused him to turn towards her with incertitude. "All you have to do is just… 'let me in'."

"...What the hell is that suppose to mean? And how can you even help me in a fight? You're, 'dead'."

She smiled because of the obvious, and looked away from him again… as she looked down at one of her hands, and watched it as it began to glow. "There has been a… recent development in my abilities…" She said ominously, with a tiny grin.

And since she could tell her vagueness would piss him off more, she decided to get to the point, even if he couldn't understand it in the end either way. "It's something that i became aware of since after the night we first met, something that i feared would happen."

Gage's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at her with half open eyes once he heard the word 'fear'. "One of those, 'ever lasting consequences'?"

"Yes… it was. It turns out, that after i linked my remaining aura to yours so it could bring you back, it instead decided to merge with yours. And… they fused together."

But then she suddenly turned towards spirit Gage, and took small subtle steps until she was right in front of him, and was able to put her hand against his cheek, making him just look down into her red eyes as she spoke,

"So now… I am you, and you are me. In a way…"

He felt cold, and the color faded from his skin once he heard that, and his eyes reasonably remained their silver color, which only jade Summer giggle at his reaction.

"Hehe… you're afraid. Your eyes show it."

"Summer, Just… tell me how I can get us and everyone else through this… with _your_ help..."

He had asked her that with a frown, seemingly without any interest in the subject, probably because of what she had just dropped on him, which she decided to go on with, since his gaze had yet to leave her eyes.

So, she lowered her hand from his face, and instead ran it down his left shoulder until she was able to grasp his metal hand, and hold it tightly… like she's been wanting to do, "Very well Gage, but you should know… i'm not exactly familiar with this form and its powers as much as it appears."

"Well, is there at least something important that i should know? You know… since i guess i'm sharing this body now."

Summer frowned once she heard that, and shook her head because of how sinister that idea sounded to her. "I won't make it be like that, i promise." And she soon smiled again, once Gage didn't look as worried. "And there is one thing i recently noticed that… might be a benefit."

"After our auras attached to one another, the remains of mine did strengthen yours a bit... but once some time passed… i noticed that it regenerated fully, along with yours. After eleven years…"

He looked down at his own two hands, and noticed the glowing white aura that had surrounded his own spirit, and now he wondered… if it they were one… could her own life force be used by him?

"So… my aura strength could be doubled?"

"Possibly. And it could come along with… a few other little things..." She answered, as she too looked at the white energy, and put a hand on his heart softly, trying to get a feel for its amount of strength. "But about the aura, If it's doubled, then it could also double the amount of stress that is put on your body when it's used, and it's energy could be drained faster too."

Her reply made him smile nervously, and turned away with a weird look as he stared down at his metal hand… and saw that white energy pulsate in his palm, along with his heartbeat. "That sounds... intense..."

"Yes, and… that amount of tension could drive a person mad, especially since… my emotions would have to be passed onto you as well."

However… That didn't sound good to him at all, because obviously Summer would have A LOT more of a feeling of over protectiveness, since you know, her daughters are in the vicinity.

And of course, the effect of her statement made spirit Gage stutter with a fake half-smile, as he tried to think of what type of things could possibly be released because of her. "I-It would have to be?"

"If you were capable of using two auras at one time, then you'd have the energy of two souls becoming conflicted with one another at once."

Gage nodded half-mindedly, so Summer just pointed at his hand as hers suddenly began to glow with a red aura, just as her eyes changed to that color as well, and she smirked at him. "And tell me Gage… what is a soul with emotion?" She asked him.

"Nothing… i guess." He shrugged, and put gud hand down, but still didn't look exactly comfortable with what was being explained to him, "But still, that sounds like a lot for me to handle. Even if you have some control over it…"

"It may be difficult, but the good thing is that your heart has _some_ good in it, so just remember, whatever happens could have always been a lot worse."

The red fiery energy from her hand then faded, while her eyes remained red, and soon she looked over at the ghost with a smile… but he still looked unsure.

"So… will you do it?"

She asked him this, and he immediately hung his head down low, and raised it back up, only to look up into Summer's eyes. But only barely as he sighed, and shut his own eyes.

"*sigh* ...Summer. How can I know what you're saying is the truth?"

"You can't Gage. But, I can trust for you to get through whatever happens for Yang and Ruby. Even if you don't trust me… their own mother."

"Well then… hopefully your faith in me can hold up." He replied, as he looked down at the glowing red ground, and turned his metal hand into a tight fist. "...At least until the sun comes rising over that horizon..."

She laughed, and just patted his shoulder gently as he smiled back… and she felt the need to finally get this meeting of theirs over with, as to not waste anymore precious time in her own realm.

"Hehe, so… Is that a yes?" She asked the ghost.

Gage kinda smirked at her sudden chuckle, and… looked back at Yang, as she was laying there, struggling to keep that looming weight of the Paladin's metal foot raised above herself so she wouldn't be squashed by it, while he and Summer was just having a talk.

So, after the feeling of possible regret passed, Gage glanced back at Summer intently with open eyes one last time before he let go of his anger… and sighed heavily as he answered,

"*sigh* ...Yeah. Fuck it, let's do it."

She then smiled once again, and lowered her hand from his shoulder, with excitement as she laughed too. "That's the spirit! Now come over to your body, so we can begin the transition back into real time." Summer said, as she pointed at the idle real Gage.

"Alright…" Spirit Gage huffed with another smile, and just looked at himself before he walked over to his body, and looked down at his own figure, still feeling confused by how he was able to do any of this. "Man this is trippy..." He thought.

She grinned again after that, since she could already hear his every thought, and she just pointed at the real Gage's chest area.

"Now… place your hand on your own heart, and just let go. Don't focus on anything, and let your mind be blank. Then, I will do the same. "

Gage crouched down on one knee as she said that, reached out to himself with his fleshy right hand as it began to glow white, and was about to make physical contact until he suddenly stopped himself,

"Wait. i still have one last question about all of this...".

The phantom tensed up a bit, and slowly walked up to him, looking both curious and worried at the same time as she soon just stood next to him, "What is it?"

Gage then lowered his hand, and looked down at his palm to see that… there was the glowing emblem of a rose burnt into his skin. And… that was when he noticed that it was in fact Ruby's rose symbol, but it was colored a pure White instead of dark Red.

"...I could have gotten killed twice within in the last two months. Why couldn't you have helped me like this back then?"

She sighed, and… strangely decided to run one if her hands through his hair, and it actually didn't go through him! Which, kinda made him jump a bit.

"It's because i had to get a feel for you as a person first. Your body, your attitude, your semblance, your aura… and lastly… your emotions."

But afterwards, she poked the side of his head, and ran that finger down to his cheek, soon his neck, and lastly to his shoulder, where she stopped, and poked that, looking very distracted as she did it.

"I had to experience _ALL_ of your emotions. Happiness, anger, embarrassment… lust much to my dismay, and last but not least, fear. And now that i've experienced all of them through you, our connection to each other should be more… stable."

He let out a small pant, and squinted at her again, as he just realized something… since this apparent 'bond' was focused on sharing. "But wait… won't i have to feel yours?" He asked the phantom.

Summer… just shrugged, and crouched down next to him with innocent little smirk across her face… reminiscent of one Ruby would occasionally dawn...

"I guess we'll just have to find out. Won't we?"

"*sigh*...Just don't get me killed." Gage sighed.

The ghost followed up with that as he sighed once more, placed his glowing white hand on top of his body's heart, and tried to relax like he was told, as Summer's hand glowed with that red energy from before, and she grasped his wrist reassuringly,

"I'll try my best not to. Now come on, Gage. We've got a fight to win. Together."

He felt her grip on his tighten, just as their combined energy sparked and began to glow brightly, so much that it blinded them, and nearly blocked out the colors of the world around them.

But as he knew that this was the only way back to the real world, so he threw his caution to wind as he took in one last breath… and closed his eyes once more,

"...Do it."

…

…

…

Once that flash ended, Gage's vision cleared, and he stayed completely still as he was on his knees again, and figured that he was indeed back inside of his own body again.

He assumed this because almost immediately, he saw that the world was back to it's normal color again, and time slowly began to start up again too, as he stared at Yang, and Ruby just grabbed onto his metal arm tightly.

The ghost felt everything return to normal, and it all hit him at once as Doctor Cordelia's Paladin looked down at him, and another laugh came from it,

"It must be very demeaning for someone to find out their struggle could have been solved all because of one person… but now, it looks like it's too late."

Gage's stature just folded as he looked down and tried to block everything else out, as the memories and thoughts of what just happened with Summer resurfaced, and caused what felt like a fire in his heart to be set ablaze.

"So… If you would like me to kill you… then just say the word. There'll be no shame in it. Because in the end… i'll be giving an honorable death, to an honorable man."

The odd thing about it though… was that the so called fire began to get warmer… and warmer, along with his eyes strangely enough.

And soon enough, he looked down at his body, and pulled open his suede jacket… to see a glowing white light shine through the black shirt that was under it, and he saw that it was also shining from the area where his heart would be.

Ruby saw it too, and looked over his shoulder a bit to see what the light was… but that was until he saw his clear, and glowing bright silver eyes that mirrored her own… and she tugged onto his metal arm so hard, that it caused him to face her slowly.

She looked completely baffled by the change of his eyes from their normal turquoise color, so much that she gasped quietly, and pointed at him cautiously.

"G… G-Gage… w-why are your eyes like mine?!"

Her question didn't visibly affect or seem to register to him at all. Gage simply continued to stare into her silver orbs as she sniffled, and opened her mouth to speak again as she shook him… but he still did nothing.

The ghost just remained frozen, with his mouth agape as she continued to try and get him to speak… but nothing happened… until she put both of her hands on top of his shoulders, and made direct eye contact with him… before his chest lit up even more, and made her jump.

Her gaze being upon him triggered something inside of him. Inside of his heart, and once that eye contact was broken… Gage gasped loudly, and turned away from her as it felt like his heart was beating so hard against his upper chest, that it was going to burst out of him.

Hell, even Ruby thought she could see it pumping. That one internal outward push coming from his chest cavity, making him gasp and heave as the reaper scooted away from him a bit.

The main reason she did that though… was because she soon saw dark blood begin to seep out of his tear ducts, and watched the small droplets slowly while they traveled down his cheeks, and he just bent over in pain, so he could slam his hands down on the concrete ground to try and compensate for the physical torment.

He then let out a loud growl, that got everyone else's attention. Even Yang, who soon looked over at him, and screamed at him once he raised his head just enough so she was able to see his now bleeding eyes…

"G-GAGE!"

Her cry echoed through his ears… and it only fueled him more, by causing him to lift his body up, and look down at the floor while the small blood drops fell from his face, and softly splashes down onto the concrete below him.

"*pant* ...G ...Gghhh…"

Then, as the two sisters stared in horror at the ghost, he gritted his teeth, and openly sputtered and snarled like a rabid dog that was gagged, and was being restrained by a chain wrapped around it's neck.

Hot breaths only continued to escape from his mouth, and once they became apparent to everyone else, he clenched his right hand, and pounded it against the concrete again, as he heard Summer's voice speak to him from inside of his own head,

" _Don't fight it Gage! Just let go… for them! It's the only way!"_

Once his one and only real hand was smashed against the ground one more time, Gage externally cried out, and balled that fist so hard, that his nails dug through the fabric of his brown fingerless glove, and even the skin of his palm, so much that it began to bleed.

"G… Grrrgh!"

But once that red essence ran down from the edges of his fist, and gently flowed down onto the black concrete while the redness in his vision ceased… Gage huffed one last time, and… peered upwards, back towards the giant metal machine that was on top of his lover.

And as his eyes darted past her, he could see how wobbly her arms were, and how close she was to just breaking down at the sight of him being like that again. "Gage! N-No! Not now, please!" The blonde begged him.

He glanced at Yang only once, still with his narrowed brow only for a few more seconds until he spat what felt like acid to him, before he continued to look up at the doctor, and... started to stand up again.

The weird thing about him though, despite all the blood and the sudden crazed behavior… was that as soon as he turned away from Ruby… his aura began to glow.

Like it would when he was being struck by something, or when he was using his semblance… but the strange thing, was that it's color wasn't the normal bright green anymore. It was now… pure white, and was also pulsating to match his heartbeat.

"G-Grrragh! I'm... I'm going to… FINISH THIS!" Gage snarled, as his voice also cracked halfway through the threat.

Weiss, and Ruby both collectively gasped and let their mouths hang open as they watched him stand back up, shocked by the fact that his aura kept flashing during what seemed like it was just a struggle to stand up.

The brightness of the light made a few of the Wolves retreat a little, and even Cordelia was hesitant to move the foot that wasn't trying to crush Yang back as he put his mech's metal hands up in defense, but still audibly panted in fear of the new development. "W… What are you doing?!"

Cordelia looked and sounded appalled, and that was enough for Gage and Summer to realize that their enemies were on their toes, and were close to panicking.

So, his phantom cheered, and screamed at the ghost once she noticed that Yang was now slowly pushing the mech's foot upwards off of herself, thanks to the how intimidating the ghost looked to be in that moment,

" _That's it Gage! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"_

His eyes shot open because of her encouragement, and the light resonated and shined off of his body incredibly before it became still, and no longer flickered as all the pain suddenly stopped, and he felt an abrupt moment of clarity embrace him.

During this small instant, Gage felt normal again, but… it was strange. Almost like nothing mattered to him, or he had no care in the world about… himself. His mind, his body, his capabilities, his sense of judgement, all of it meant nothing to him.

The only thing that he seemed to care about then… were his friends. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Sun, and even Neptune. All of them were the only thing he felt was worth a damn… and it fueled him… with anger.

And now, of course, this feeling was intensified, as Summer felt the exact same way about all of them, and how there should be a price to pay if someone was to mess with them!

That made Gage's aura change to the color white, and it finally stabilized, along with his eyes, as they now shifted into their bright red color, and purified, and synchronized with their fueling rage, right as all that pressure, all of that friction, and all of that sense of power was expressed through one last glare of pure hatred that was aimed towards his enemies.

"G…. Grrghhh…"

Then, after the ghost's body became idle, and the sound of silence returned for a few quick seconds… Gage, snarled one last time, before he exploded into a fiery rage, and his aura's white waves of light ran up from his feet and to his head.

It then suddenly crossed, and formed an x shape and wrapped. around himself before all that energy combined to form a bright orb of white, with an outline of the color red, that consumed, and devoured him as he roared for everyone to hear!

"...G... GRAAAAAAH!"

It's light blinded everyone to the point they had to look away, and cower in fear as the sound of thunder exploding from the clouds above resonated throughout the prison and the nearby hills of outer Vale, along with his cry of anger as the orb that surrounded Gage only became even brighter.

"W… What the hell is happening?!" The doctor yelled, as one of his Wolves from below trembled in fear, "D… D-Did his aura just change color?!"

Similar questions were thought and asked, while Yang and Ruby both tried to look away from the bright orb… but before they could close their eyes… the light dimmed, and started to cease from glowing.

Yang gasped as it did, and only felt more strength in her arms thanks to the adrenaline that suddenly refilled her, as the light finally faded, and she laid her eyes on Gage again. However, he looked... _very_ different… kind of.

As the brightness stabilized once again, the ghost could be seen as he turned away from his enemies and was picking up Javix from the ground with his right hand before he stared at his blade with a smirk, and stood back up to face Yang and Cordelia.

That was when they saw how different he was as he just stood there… and smiled as he lowered his kukri to his side, and let his figure become visible to everyone that was there, and outlined by the bright light of the shattered moon that was in the sky above them.

Gage's aura was mirroring that same white light, and he still had a shield of redness outlining his body. But the weird thing about this new manifestation, was that the color of his clothes, and most of his other features had been… changed.

All of his clothes were changed to the color white with a small shade of red, with the whiteness being painted or colored over the darker colors of his Spectre outfit, while the red placed the lighter colors of it.

And for his physical features… it varied. The ghost's hair and facial hair/scruff remained it's normal auburn/light brownish color, but the rest had been altered. His skin was now a pale white, the scar on his lip wasn't faded anymore… and for his turquoise eyes? ...Now, they were a glorious shining color of bright crimson red…

"...I'm just as surprised about all of this as you are. So, how about we figure out the rest of this… Together?"

He asked this with an almost inconceivable amount of cockiness that was usually out of character for him, but that wasn't what made the faunus soldiers become enfeebled. In reality, it was the fact that Gage's voice… echoed, but in a strange way.

It was almost like when he spoke, that someone else was trying to dub over his own voice, (which seemed more grittier and grainy in that moment) and they instead seemed to be speaking at the same time, but this other voice… was more familiar feminine one of course...

Nonetheless, his aura quickly spread to Javix, and engulfed the blade in a bright field of energy that made the blade become white, and the dark-green hilt became red, as the ghost only continued to stare forwards towards the rest of the remaining White Fang.

Doctor Cordelia's mech looked like it was close to shaking, along with the other six of his men, who fumbled with their weapons a bit, as they watched the ghost soon begin to approach them all with a grin, that only made the doctor stutter,

"W… W… Who are you? No… what the hell are you?!" He asked Gage, as he made his mech point it's metal fingers at him in horror.

He snickered at that, and did a quick twirl with his blade before he simply stared back at the doctor, wiped his smirk off of his face… and gave him an answer… that instead came from _both_ of the inhabitants inside of the Sim's body…

"...I am The Ghost Of Remnant!"

Then, of nowhere, Yang pushed the mech foot up even further with a yell that soon caught the ghost's attention, as a full on red eyed glare was aimed towards their giant enemy, and the ghost took a step towards the giant Paladin with a slight growl.

With his declaration and intimidation tactic succeeding in giving the doctor a sense of weakness, it allowed for Yang to then pull a swift move, and throw the robot's foot upwards into the air as she gasped, quickly rolled out of the way, and let it smash back down onto the ground right next to her.

"R… RRRAAGH!"

Gage immediately turned and watched as she rolled onto her chest, and panted as she got onto her feet again, and stared at him, just as the Atlesian Paladin stumbled back into balance and signaled for his men to attack!

"R… Rrrrgh! KILL THEM!"

The rest of Team RWBY, and Sun and Neptune all stood up right as the White Wolves raised their weapons raised, and were about to fire at them… until a sudden shot from Ember Celica hit the mechanical shell of the Paladin's cockpit, and it caused the mech to nearly step on Its own allies.

It stumbled backwards again, and once it did, the blonde brawler painfully tried to lift her body off of the ground as she turned towards her apparently possessed lover, and yelled at him. "WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING TO DO GAGE, DO IT FAST!"

She nearly screamed this at him, as Ruby, Weiss, Neptune, and Sun all ran past him, and started to charge towards the six wolves, where only four of them decided to rush towards them in defense.

This all happened as the Atlesian Paladin finally regained it's composure once again, and Cordelia could be heard going as the sounds of fighting started up again… but once he looked back down at Gage… he saw that he was staring right up at him, "G-Go ahead! Take your best shot Sim!" He snarled, as he held his mechanical arms out in a 'come at me bro' type of style.

" _You heard him. Let me take this one…"_

The ghost took that as an appropriate opening for his attempt to make his first move, and just chuckled as his white aura began to shine again like it was doing earlier, "…Glady."

Then, as he took one step towards the mech, small little branches or limbs of whiteness, (about five or six of them) suddenly stretched from his nearly flaming snowy-colored aura before they detached themselves.

The small streaks of white light quickly traveled across the gap that had been made between the two men, grew brighter, and hovered gently towards the chest plate of the mech before it made contact… and just dissipated.

"W... Wuh?!"

But not even ten seconds after they made contact, the Paladin suddenly reeled backwards, like it had just been punched in the stomach by another mech, and a massive dent formed all across it's chest armor as Cordelia gasped, and staggered in disbelief as to what just happened.

"Aaghhh! ...H… HOW DID YOU-"

After that seemingly single blow was dished out to the Doctor, Gage just growled quietly, and watched as the colors of the world around him turn to just black and white, except for his red eyes, and he held his metal fist near his chest as it began to glow white.

And after he felt that his opening to strike was about to end, the ghost raised his head up, and yelled with his fist extended outwards as it seemed his body was launched towards the mech and… white rose petals began form, and soon fluttered away from him, and towards his friends.

"HRRRAAAH!"

The speed was breathtaking and unpredictable, as it seemed close to the amount of velocity that Ruby could travel at thanks to her semblance… and Yang noticed this as she got onto her knees, and coughed. "*cough* ...No, really… how the hell is he even doing that?" She asked herself, as she felt someone grab onto her shoulder from behind.

Weiss then whispered into her blonde teammate's ear, and tried to pull her onto her feet again. "Yang, are you okay?!" She asked her, as Yang slung her right arm around the heiress's shoulder.

"I don't know Weiss… *cough* ...I… I'm hurting all over..."

They both looked back at their friends, and could clearly see that they were all combating at least one faunus soldier… except for Blake, who was still on her knees, looking completely traumatized and broken.

But… Yang didn't say anything, and her eyes started to dilate as she felt that Weiss was beginning to move away, and towards the frozen stray, much to the blonde's protests. "W… Wait, Weiss where are you going?!"

"I'm getting you out of the crossfire!"

She told her this right as her boyfriend's glowing metal hand collided against the cold hard shell of the Atlesian Paladin, and launched it tumbling backwards into the Cell block building with a loud crash.

However… as Yang glanced back and watched this… she could see that there was some weird resemblance to her own strength… and her semblance as well.

So much in fact, that the blow that Gage had just given reminded her both of the night she first met Junior inside of his nightclub… and that night that her and the rest of Team RWBY thought against Roman Torchwick, when he was in a hijacked Atlesian Paladin himself.

That was when she remembered back to when it looked he was using Ruby's speed, and that made some sort of connection in Yang's mind, and soon an odd assumption was formed…

...Did he just use both hers, and her little sister's semblance? Back to Back?

She asked herself this as Cordelia's Paladin landed hard on it's side, and crashed through the already destroyed entrance of the Cellblock as the giant mech started to come apart, and soon the Doctor was thrown from the wreckage, and inside the building.

Meanwhile, the possessed Gage just stood there in front of the where the Paladin use to stand, and just watched as the remaining two White Wolve troopers ran at him, with two red and black swords.

They charged at him with snarls coming through from both of their sets of clenched fangs, and were about to slash at him in an x formation that combined their two blades… but he predicted it.

And as they went to cut at him, the ghost ducked under the first blade as it missed him, and used his metal arm to elbow the first wolf faunus in the face as the other tried to slash Gage while he wasn't looking.

But lucky for Gage, he managed to react quickly and block the second sword with Javix while it was in his other hand, and right then, as the first soldier staggered backwards from the elbow blow… the ghost activated the mechanical nails of his prosthetic, and looked back at the second soldier deviously…

"All you had to do was get out of the way..."

He then stabbed the metal nails into the man's stomach, and let it rest in belly for a few seconds before he continued to cut to the right until his gut just ripped open, and blood came pouring out over his waist, and he screamed in horror as he collapsed, clutching his open stomach as the ghost pulled his metal hand out.

That lackey fell to his knees, and just laid on his side as more blood began to seep out of him, and his other fellow wolf cried out at the ghost as he turned back around and ran towards him… but he was prepared for that too.

As the final guard went into try and land a blow, he raised his sword high above his head, and it gave Gage the perfect opportunity to finish this quickly…

So, Gage rushed down low towards his foe, and waited until he was close enough to raise himself back up, and slash the soldier's throat as quickly as he could before he just watched him fall onto the ground with blood oozing down his neck.

Then, the ghost panted, turned towards the open hole that was the entrance of the Cellblock, and just began to fast walk towards it, without looking back to check on his friends or girlfriend at all.

However, the only one to notice his separation from the group… was Blake, who was watching him from afar as she finally stood back up, and seemed to be coming back from her sudden state of shock.

The feline faunus stood up, and looked around at her friends as they fought the rest of the wolves off… and since they seemed to outnumber the rest, she quickly put her trust into them, and nearly began to go out in a full on sprint towards Gage, as his figure disappeared into the rubble of the cellblock building.

But as soon as she started to run, Sun detached himself from his fight with one of the soldiers as Neptune and Ruby continued theirs and Yang and Weiss were trying to stay away from it, and he looked over at his girlfriend with wide eyes as he yelled at her,

"NO WAIT! BLAKE!"

She heard his voice echo throughout the night, and stopped only to glance at him for one last brief moment before she simply mouthed three words to him, and turned back to run towards what seemed to be her inevitable doom…

"...I'm so sorry."

...

Gage stepped through and over the remains of the Atlesian Paladin to get through the entrance of the Cellblock, and after he got through that… he was met with a small trail of blood that went along the dark hall, and through a doorway in front of him in the distance.

He immediately deduced that this was of course the Doctor's very own trail of blood, and gripped Javix tightly as he walked towards the open and partially destroyed doorway. "I have you now, 'Doctor'…"

The run down hall was dark enough for his White aura to illuminate it, and he knew this… but… strangely, it ceased to glow as he got closer, and it caused him to look down at himself again to see the white light…. Drain from his figure.

The aura remained, but the colors of his clothes and skin returned to normal, with the exception of his eyes, which were still red, and he still had the blood trails from his tear ducts on his cheeks.

"Shit… I didn't think it'd be that short…"

Either way, he figured that the so called debuff of the power that Summer explained to him had just kicked in right then and there, which just made him sigh, and grip Javix even harder as he made it to the doorway.

" _Pfft, after making a scene like that?_ " Gage heard Summer ask him, as he put his hand against his forehead, and growled at the sudden sharp pain she seemed to have created. " _It's almost like you're trying to make this story R-rated. Or… something higher than M."_

The ghost then pounded his palm against his temple, and sounded even more frustrated by the fact it seemed like the phantom was just babbling some nonsense now. "Oh… I'll make sure to _really_ try for it in the next ten minutes…" He replied, with a glare that couldn't be aimed at anything.

He knew that she knew that he was still flustered about all this incredible amount of emotions, and not the good kind of flustered that involved love or lewdness either. It was pure sorrow… and hate.

And luckily for Gage… _ALL_ of that negativity could be aimed towards the man in the other room that was through that door in front of him…

So once he was sure he was ready for anymore combat with the White Wolves, he stepped into that next room, following the small blood trail that was on the ground, and looked at the sight that was now lying in front of him.

He was greeted with the metallic and weirdly smoke scented smell as he saw the common room of the cellblock… and looked around it questionably, but for good reason.

His weird stare was formed mostly because a bunch of the normal necessities that were included with a cellblock had been removed or just… demolished. Catwalks, stairs, everything. It was all just gone.

The room was literally just four walls and a roof, with the walls having unreachable cells thanks to the lack of something to climb, and it confused him for a few seconds… before he looked at the end of the block... and smirked.

"Hmm… two years huh? ...Hehe."

Gage chuckled uncharacteristically with his red eyes as he walked inside, and smirked too once he saw a large monitor that was surrounded by other smaller screens, and had a large desk that also had a big rectangular console built inside of it.

That was when saw that Cordelia was leaning against the desk, and was panting while he held his thigh in pain, as he looked back and gasped quietly once he saw that Gage had entered the room.

"*pant* *pant* ...No point in begging now... right?" Cordelia asked, as he just limped halfway towards the ghost.

"...No."

"Then do it. You've really won now, so just end it here... *pant*… kill me, to show Adam that you're not to be trifled with. If that is what you wish to do..."

The doctor turned to Gage as he said this, and continued to clutch his knee as he just leaned back on the desk, looking to not have a care in the world for what was happening.

Though, the ghost could easily think this as being a front to try and deceive him into making the wrong choice. "...How do I know you're not lying to me just to make me turn on her?" He asked the doc, as he now stood less than five feet from him.

"Because I have nothing to hide." Cordelia then gasped and let out a small chuckle as Gage saw his injured leg, and stared at the steel rod that was poking through his now bloody leg, "I'm either going to die tonight, or be sent to federal prison. So, there isn't anything worth lying for anymore."

The ghost didn't seem to process it as an type of mutilation although… and he himself thought it was weird to see it as anything different.

This was because in that moment, he saw it more as something that could get the man to act rather than a serious injury… and it made him feel conflicted with himself on the inside,

"You've lied before and it's gotten people killed doc… I should know. So… you're going to prove your case to me… Hopefully before I volunteer to amputate that leg for you."

However, the doctor just pounded his hand against the desk, and let out a laugh that contained both desperation, and a bit of craziness. "Hahaha! Like you would have the guts-"

But Gage was having none of it. The only thing he didn't to reply to the crazed faunus was to grab onto his shoulder with his normal hand, and slammed his knee against the metal rod that was in his leg, and pushed it in even further.

"-AAAGH!"

Cordelia screamed in pain as more blood suddenly began to leak from his wound, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground, but the ghost growled and thee him back against the desk. "Your Proof. _NOW_."

"Fuck! Fine, FINE!" He winced and inhaled sharply in pain before he turned around to put his hand onto the keyboard of the console, while he raised his other hand up in defense.

Gage sighed and continued to grip Javix as it was in Its Kukri form while his red eyes remained traced on the evil faunus as he turned all the way around, and began to slowly locate the file he thought would do the trick.

...But at the same time… Gage just felt like stabbing the man in the back, and putting him down for good due to the effects of his bond with Summer… who could feel, and openly protest against that idea.

" _Gage… don't do anything stupid. You already have enough blood on your hands as it is."_

However, he growled quietly, and shook his head with annoyance as it ached once again because of her. "Would you let him live happily in a comfy prison cell for the rest of his life if he was the one who killed you?" Gage thought, trying to see if she could pick up on his question.

"*sigh* ... _No… I wouldn't."_ She replied in a hushed tone, as the ghost felt the feeling of sadness and grief overcome him, with even more anger that… was somehow directed towards himself! " _But would you want Yang or Ruby to see another bloody sight that was caused by you? What would they think of you then?"_

"They've already seen plenty Summer, and besides… Tai told me himself that they needed to learn how the world truly is, and how it can change people…"

" _But this wouldn't be how he would want them to learn! And I know they wouldn't want that person to be you either! So stop! Now, while you still can!"_

"...It's already too late."

He thought this to himself, and hoped not to hear anymore of her voice, and even if he did, he just chose to ignore it, or try and block it out as he watched the Doctor continue to look through the files on the console, a little uncoordinated thanks to the blood he was slowly losing.

Thankfully after some time had passed, Summer grew silent inside of Gage's head, and was starting to grow a little impatient… until Cordelia panted, and signaled for him to come towards the desk,

"Come… *pant* ...Witness it for yourself."

Then, an image took up most of the space on the main computer monitor, and that was when the ghost saw that it was that same file he had gotten a while ago on his own computer… and it was a video clip that was from a CCTV security camera inside of that same dust train that his father was assigned to.

Though… this video had been cleaned up, and the camera view looked a lot more clear and fixed as it was focused on the one person he knew was there that day, Adam Taurus.

In the still shot, Adam was inside that dust train, looking at a bunch of blue shipment crates that had the Schnee company logo on it, and the faunus was placing a sticky bomb on the side of the crate… as another silhouette appeared to be entering the frame of the recorded camera shot.

"*pant* ...You know… there is still so much more that you yourself don't know about your father... *pant* ...Mr. Sim..."

"Really? Heh… like what?" Gage asked him, sarcastically.

"Why what happened to him happened… what he truly did… and why he did it…"

The ghost glanced back at him once he noticed what was on the screen, and he huffed angrily at the doctor… so angrily in fact, that he just felt more than obligated to push that piece of metal further into his leg.

This, was obviously because of the shade that was seemingly being tossed around at his father… and he thought the elder Sim had always been honest to him about… everything.

"He did it to protect me, and to try and fix the world so then i could have a better chance in it! It's something any parent would do, so i plan to follow in his footsteps and do the same... for _my own_ kids..."

He thought Gaigus was honest about everything... about his job and how it worked… his relationships, and his past… before he met Miriam, and had Gage… but… could there have been more secrets that would require him to lie to his own son?

"And now his path has led you to this… thanks to Ms. Belladonna actually." The doctor replied, with a exasperated smirk as he continued to clutch his injured calf in pain. "Because if she and Adam hadn't done what they did… then you wouldn't be here now. Or the man that you are… how ironic…"

Gage internally growled, and stared daggers at the man as he pointed Javix at him for a few seconds before he pointed the kukri at the ground behind him,

"...You know i think it would be best if you just sit the fuck down. Right there where you're standing. Capisce?"

"...Dumme Gör…" The doctor mumbled as he clenched his teeth, and painfully began to get onto his knees while Gage put Javix on the desk of the main console, and shook his head as he looked up at the giant monitor, "Please… just let this be another one of his lies…"

After that, he sighed, and hesitantly looked up at the main screen with his bright red eyes, and pressed one of the keys on the console, still wishing for this clip to be fake as it began to play itself.

It first started off with a screen of white noise while the sounds of a shotgun, and small sidearm being discharged over and over again, along with sound of blades clashing and metal being sliced before the clip eventually just started to skip forwards.

It fast forwarded a little bit, to the previous still shot of Adam hunched down next to a crate, inspecting some of the dust crates before he stood up, and looked over at the other person that was out of frame,

" _Perfect! Move to the next car. I'll set the charges…"_

That… was when it all came together, as the mysterious person finally entered the shot… and revealed herself to Gage, as his body and muscles slouched as he stood there, and looked down at his metal hand depressingly.

The figure, was indeed a woman… that wore all black and white with a bow on the top of her head… and had Gambol Shroud in her hands as she spoke to Adam, and Gage heard Blake's familiar voice come through the computer screen…

" _What about the crew members?"_

" _...What about them?"_ Adam asked her, with a smirk as he looked over at his old partner.

Blake then finally walked over next to him, and into view from the security camera… and right when that happened, Gage could feel his regular hand tremble with anger as he clenched the edge of the desk hard, and finally looked up to face the giant screen.

As he watched Adam signal her towards the next car, she slumped in posture, and looked saddened as well as she turned and went to walk away… but not before she turned back with Gambol Shroud in her hands, and looked directly into the security camera, and indirectly at him.

Gage looked into her clear hazel eyes through the screen, and he soon felt a seething rage come over him, that belonged to him. Summer added a bit of disappointment to the overall feeling, which didn't help his mind settle at all.

All he did once the clip stopped playing, and a large bang was heard as it cut out, was think about every last thing he did for Blake… and how close she was to him, and even the first time they talked alone, before he got with Yang…

He wanted to help her let go of the past and quit being self-conscious about her faunus features by asking her to try and forget about her beloved bow… and that memory fueled his white aura to burn once again in that moment.

He was willing to help her… only days after they first met. And even if she didn't know about what happened to his father then… she would find out not that long after.

And… that was when Gage finally realized that… Doctor Cordelia was still right about the rest of the supposed bullshit that he had cooked up. How she really was responsible… for _EVERYTHING_ , that's happened to him.

"...I didn't think it'd actually be true… hell, i thought it was impossible…"

"...But then you searched through your feelings, and knew it to be true. Correct?"

Obviously Gage didn't want to admit that Cordelia was right… so, he didn't reply, and just stared down at Javix's bloodstained blade… with his hidden fury being expressed through the silent red flames that were the pupils of his eyes.

But as time went on, and silence soon started to become the tune of that cellblock… the doctor grew a bit afraid of the sudden quietness, and gave the ghost a half smile as he asked him a question that they both wanted an answer to. "So… are you going to kill her?"

His question made Gage flinch and his brow twitch with anger, since he didn't even know how to comprehend the truth, but he still chose to say what was really on his mind, "...I'm not sure…"

"...But... there is one thing that i do know…"

Unknown to the faunus… the unyielding rage he was feeling soon clouded his judgement… as the color of his clothes and body sparked to their white colors once again, "...If i'm going to kill anyone else tonight… then you're going to be at the top of my list."

He threatened the older man, and turned back to face him with a conniving smirk that replaced his blank glare while he just panted nervously, and scooched back only a little, thanks to his mangled leg. "W-Why me? I-I mean… y-you have your woman right through that door back there!"

" _N-No! Gage! Stop it! Right now! You're going to regret this!"_ Summer yelled at him, from his sub conscience.

Gage's smile ceased more after that, but only to intimidate him more as he pointed back towards the door where he entered the room from… and the strange thing about it, was that the grin… had been faked.

"Sure… _she_ was the one to help kill my dad, but _you_ were the one who sent him to that trap in the first place, 'Doctor'. So… you're just as guilty."

The doctor just chuckled to himself nervously, as he tried to laugh it off as some cruel joke, and he also couldn't think of anything else to do.

"W-Wait,, but it's just like you said! Y-You're your father's son! A-And he would _never_ want to do something like this out of spite!"

None of that managed to phase the ghost though… and he didn't respond with a laugh or another smile at all. He just looked over at Javix again, and felt the horridness of the sentiments that were caused by the effects his and Summer's bond begin to take him over again,

"It's not spite. He would have a reason to if he found out that you were behind all of this, and now that _I_ know… it's as good a motive as any..."

That tone, and the shade of red his eyes were emitting instantly told Cordelia that this was no longer a joke. He had the same angry aura glowing around him when he managed to break apart their standoff… so he knew the ghost meant business!

And once he came to that epiphany, the doctor's smile turned upside down immediately while he tried to back away a bit more… as he watched the younger Sim move his right hand back onto the console desk… and towards the handle of his kukri….

"*huff* ...B… B-But when you first tried to speak with me, y-you said that 'no harm would come to me', if i gave up, like i'm doing right now! Y-You promised me that damn it! Y-You… *huff* ...You said that you would let me live!"

His pleas and desperate breaths meant nothing to Gage, as he remembered what happened afterwards… with Yang… and what he promised the older man if he was to hurt her anymore than he already was.

She screamed and cried in pain because of him just for an intimidation tactic to scare the rest of their friends… so much, that Ruby was already close to breaking out into tears just after her older sister was forced into that position… and her sniffling already made it's mark on him and Summer… though, she was regretted letting it get to her.

" _GAGE WAIT NO!"_

That didn't' get to him either sadly, despite how frantic the phantomly mother's pleads were, because, well… He had already made the man a promise...

…

 _"If you hurt her any more… t… then i'm going to-"_

"What, kill me? ...Hehe."

…

 _ **(*Inserting gore warning here*)**_

So in the end… no remorse was felt by Gage, as he suddenly grabbed Javix off of the main console, made a loud scraping sound with it while he dragged it off of the desk's surface, and turned his entire body towards his father's betrayer before he gripped his kukri's handle… and just looked down at the man with an inconceivable amount of blood lust now coursing through his veins,

"...I lied."

Then with all his strength, the red eyed ghost raised his blade over his head while a loud snarl escaped through his gritted teeth, and Cordelia let out an echoing scream of terror as the ghost brought Javix back down onto him, sealing his fate on this dark night forevermore,

"NOOOO!-"

The blade of the knife swung downwards, and eventually embedded itself deep inside of the doctor's left shoulder blade at a slanted angle, so far that the knife cut all the way through right above where his heart would be, and to his upper chest cavity before it stopped.

This blow was so hard and rough, that it took Gage more effort to pull it out of the slit he made as the man gasped and whimpered while the wound began to bleed, staining the front and back of his white lab coat, as the top arteries of his heart had been severed,

However, once the blade had been taken out of him, Cordelia started to reach over at the gaping wound with his other hand, but he was interrupted, as Javix came back down again, slicing through the same wound and even made it deeper, reaching all the way down past, and through the bottom of his right lung.

"M-M… Mmmugughhh…."

The Kukri was pulled out yet again after this, and allowed the doctor to look up at Gage one last time, with blood now slowly trailing down from his mouth, before the ghost turned the knife, and cleaved the thing into the left side of his head!

Now… the doctor stopped moving, and breathing, as the blade nearly went halfway through his left eye socket, and most likely screwed something up inside his noggin, but either way… he saw him as truly being dead now.

...He still didn't seem like he wanted to stop although, as he pulled the knife out yet again and stopped to take a short breath as the now corpse leaned to the right, and fell into it's side, as a pool of blood began to surround the dead body, and he just stared down at it.

The ghost did this not to catch his breath… but, instead, he came to a realization about an answer he had been seeking ever since the recent Battle of Bolin Peak.

He wanted the answer to the question he had asked after he forced himself to kill that other teenage faunus boy so that he could live and go on. And that question was… if it really was as easy to kill someone like that with just the pull of a trigger.

Right now, it was hard to come up with a simple answer of course because of the circumstances… but he still didn't want to answer it, since he didn't even know if the doctor was actually dead right then…

...So… it urged him to look down at the torn and lacerated corpse, and grasp Javix even harder one last time, as he raised the blade above his shoulder, and dug the edge of the blade deep into the left side of the faunus's stomach.

And as soon as it remained there and drew even more blood for a few seconds, Gage would pull it back up with his one arm of flesh before he cleaved it down once again, and repeated this process over and over unrelentlessly as the blood unknowingly began to splatter all over him.

As to why he continued to go on and on with the mutilation? ...It was because he knew that too much of these negative and murderous emotions were built up currently, and if he was going to try and regain some self control… then he had to blow off some steam, and let his anger go…

...Because he knew that one of his allies were about to come through that door in front of him….

…

Blake panted as she ran inside the cellblock building, and down the same exact hall that Gage went through earlier, as she tried to calm herself for whatever awaited her on the other side of that open doorway.

Strangely enough though… once she was only a few feet away from the end of the hall, she could hear a weird… thwacking noise, that was mixed with the sound of liquid splashing, and it kept repeating over and over again.

"...What is that? *sigh* ...Nevermind it, i have to get to Gage before Sun catches up!"

The raven haired girl thought this to herself, and shut her eyes with a personal feeling of confliction on the inside, but still sprinted towards the open door, and stopped before she took a small breath… and turned into the next room… where Gage was.

The same thwacking sound was still repeating over and over as she entered the Cellblock turned Datahive, and it remained an oddity to her… until she finally looked straight ahead, and gasped once she saw who… and what was making that disturbing sound.

In the end, the vicious tune was of course being made by her partner's boyfriend, as he was still continuously hacking, and slashing Javix downwards onto Cordelia's now bloody and mutilated corpse, while it's blood was all over him.

The doctor lied there on his side while the left side of his face had been slice through, and now… the ghost was probably only a few more cuts away from separating the man's lower torso from his stomach and upper body.

Blake's bright hazel eyes then widened, and she nearly gagged once she saw that a good majority of the corpse's insides… we're now on the outside, in a manner of speaking.

And, Gage just kept hacking away at him with his one hand that was holding Javix… until he suddenly cleaved downwards once more, let go of his large knife as it became stuck inside the carcass's open stomach… and panted as he looked up at Blake.

The feline faunus had her hand over her mouth, and was actively trying not to gasp or gag at the bloody sight, but as she saw that blood was all over his face, right hand, and clothes, she lowered it and let out one last shaky breath as he just smiled at her, pulled Javix out of Cordelia's body, and pointed it at him while he continued to pant like a dog,

"...It could have been _you._ "

Gage said this, right as he turned and faced the stray with a red eyed glare that evoked all the inner fears inside of her soul, and soon after that… he took a step towards her, and used his metal hand to wipe off some of the red essence off of his face, but still kept an eye on her.

Blake felt her heart pulse accelerate, and her mouth opened a tiny bit as she took a step back, and began to feel one of her hands shake, while she tried her best to keep them at her side and keep eye contact with him… but she couldn't.

So instead… she looked past him by accident… and saw the still shot in the video of herself and Adam standing there in the middle of the dust train. But the thing that scared her the most… was that there was a replay icon in the center of the screen…

That ruined everything that she had planned, as she was trying to catch him before hand… but now, her slow speed seemed to have kept her alive for just a little bit longer.

She internally panted, and tears immediately began to form in her eyes as she reached her hand out to Gage, and sniffled. "Gage... Please… *sniffle* ...Just let me explain."

"There's no point." He answered, as the white aura glow came back, and blood was now driving from his blade, and his bloodstained right hand as he just looked down at the eviscerated corpse that was next to his feet, "That piece of shit beat you to it, and it seemed like he did a fine job of explaining it for me..."

He then looked down at the blood on the floor, and exhaled as he looked over at Javix's bloody blade, and eventually looked back at Blake with a tiny chuckle, "And now he's dead because of you… but that shouldn't matter. A lot of this happened because of you, hasn't it?"

Now, the water droplets started to roll down her cheeks, as she kept still and struggled to keep her voice still, and un-phased as she just took a few steps towards him, and finally managed to keep eye contact with him,

"*sniffle* ...I just wanted to leave the White Fang… *sniffle* ...and that mission was my way out. I had no other choice, and i never wanted anyone to die!"

He just huffed quietly, and bowed his head while he started to walk towards her, not seeming to care at all about what she had to say as she increased her volume, and her voice finally cracked with a gasp

"You have to understand… i… i didn't want any of this! *sniffle* ...I was just afraid of what you would do to me, b-but at this point i don't even care!"

As he got closer and closer, she internally pleaded, and scolded herself for acting like a child that was about to be punished… but she couldn't fight him. That'd prove his point, in his mind… so she chose to shut her eyes, and sobbed more as she could hear the ghost's footsteps stop right in front of her,

"Gage just look at me! I'm a broken woman! *sniffle* ...The one thing i've never wanted to be! *gasp* ...I… I just wanted to be a normal teenager for once, and help people along the way, *sniffle* …To make peace with my past!-"

She then screamed, and shut her eyes as hard as she could as Gage's metal hand and fingers suddenly wrapped around her throat, and felt his palm as it started to crush her windpipe. "AAAH!"

The faunus could hear a snarl come from the ghost as he did this, and he even had the strength to lift her upwards, so her feet weren't touching the ground anymore as she grasped his metallic wrist with desperation in her eyes as she opened them for him, and he just screamed at her,

"I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Yang, Ruby, and Weiss all trusted you. And I thought I could too!" He asked her, as his voice broke with anger, turned her body, and slammed her back into the wall that was to their right. "But even then I was wrong, and instead I got punished for believing you!"

Blake gasped, and continued to quietly sob as she looked down at his metal hand, and used her other hand to caress his cheek as she tried to croak something out, "*gasp* ...I'm sorry…" She panted.

"Hmph… Yeah. You definitely look like you are now..."

The pressure he put on her neck increased even more, and she started to gasp for air, and also frantically began to try and breath through her nose, "...Do you have any idea what I went through?" Gage asked the stray.

" ...Every single day I was out there at Mountain Glenn, I would tell myself that i was dead, just to give me a reason to go out and make myself feel like i was alive. Because back then, I would try to rest in peace, even though… i was a part of the walking dead, just like everyone else that lived outside of Vale's walls! ...Like you… and even Adam."

His eyes remained deadlocked, and fixated on Blake's teary hazel colored eyes as they sparkled, and dilated more and more while he started to slowly suffocate her as she weeped silently.

Still though, it didn't phase him at all. The mix of his and Summer's emotions was too great and heavy for him to overcome, and it obscured him from feeling anything but hatred for the feline faunus. Not even pity either,

"I'd think myself as a deadman the entire time... but that was until I met you, Yang, Ruby and Weiss…" He admitted, as he tried to ignore Blake's hand as it slowly began to lower from his face, along with her eyes as they drooped slightly. "Then after i came back to Beacon with you guys, I knew that i had a chance in finding my dad's killers… but i didn't think it would be be you. Out of everyone. Not one fucking bit!"

Her vision began to become a little distorted thanks to her rapid gasps taking out all the remaining oxygen she had left inside of her lungs, and once she couldn't find the strength to keep her hand up… it fell from Gage's cheek, and she began to wheeze out her response,

"I-I just… *sniffle* ...didn't want to destroy the life i created since i came to the Academy. *sniffle* ...It's all i've ever wanted.*sniffle* ...B… But now I know that I did the wrong thing..."

"I HAD THE RIGHT TO KNOW!" The ghost yelled, as tears also began to form in his own eyes, because the impact of the reveal finally began to set in… and Summer's sorrow for the girl also affected him greatly. "He was my father! My blood! The only one left of my blood!"

Blake nodded, and her body shook and trembled as she did it unwillingly, and desperately. "*pant* ...I know… *pant* ... B-But… Gage, please… don't destroy what you've built like I did… *sniffle*" She whispered, and still continued with her struggle to breath. "...You have so much more…"

Now she could see some sort of light return to his eyes, as his glare looked to be turning to be half-forced as he continued to huff and puff… and his voice seemed to have returned to normal, along with his more easygoing tone of voice.

"You know… I really could have accepted that you were apart of his death…" This change occurred, mostly because he could feel a new feeling of pity take control of him… and he was trying to fight it, but it was too immense for him to hold back from experiencing. "...But only if you had decided to own up to it earlier."

Summer was trying so hard for him to not remember the night he lost his arm, obviously because of how traumatizing it was, even though it never seemed to have take that much of a toll on Gage…

...But that was when she realized something depressing. Because since she had been apart of him since then, she was able to feel the amount of discouragement he would feel whenever he would look down at his stump.

So now... she knew that he was truly hiding any sort of bad feeling of that memory from his friends, not just because he wanted them to think he was okay… but so then he could try and believe that own lie himself.

"...Adam drew blood." Gage continued, as he could now feel a newly formed catch in his throat. "My blood, but that only. And you saw what I did to him. You were the only one who saw the whole thing…"

"I ripped out his throat because I knew he was guilty and now, you are too. So I can't let you get away with this!"

She just smiled tearfully, and continued to gasp for air as she did so, and looked into his red eyes with a mix of both sympathy, and regret.

"Gage...y… you're smarter than this… better… I… I know you…." Now she was beginning to feel light headed, and secretly reflected on her actions in silence as she felt the ghost clamp down onto her throat with his prosthetic even more, "You're… too kind… You'll… You'll just regret this…"

"You've seen what I've done! And what I've had to go through to keep these people alive, but it's not even close to what I'm fully capable of doing! So ask yourself, do you _really_ know me?! Huh?!"

" _...N...No….. No, please don't_!" He heard Simmer whisper to him.

"I am willing to take care of a… a _traitor_ like you if it means saving everyone else! I don't care how much you've made an impact on them or me, I made a promise with myself that I would protect those i love, no matter the cost!"

He then grasped Javix with his right hand again, and moved it up to her waist so he could press the blade against Blake's belly, and looked her straight into her eyes one last time. "So… Let me tell you who I really am!"

Seeing the blade be moved to where her vital organs were, Blake gasped one more time, and began to hyperventilate as she shut her eyes in fear, and tried her best to push Gage off of herself, but it was no use.

The effect from Summer's link to his aura scrambled his mind with a broken sense of morality and resentment aimed towards the stray… but it was because of the phantom's own mental conflict with her courier.

So, that was when she consciously gasped, and did something that could lead to Blake's own disembowelment… or her own reprivence from the ghost's wrath. She chose to… let go of her her grasp on his mind, as a last gesture of hope that there was still good in him.

"...My name is GAIGUS. _FUCKING._ SIM! And I will _HAVE_. _MY_. _REVENGE!_ "

And right as he screamed at her… all of the good memories he had of Blake came flooding back into his subconscious, taking the place of the elder Rose's presence instead as he went to drive the knife into her gut.

But the one that overpowered him, and urged him to lean towards the lighter side of things… was the first one he really had of her, during the first small talk they had together… inside of his dorm room all those months ago.

That gentle warm smile she gave off, that led him to believe that she was actually really cute at the time… and the talk they had, no matter how awkward and distant she seemed during it… it held a special place in his heart.

It was the first time since that anyone, besides Yang, showed that they, the rest of Team RWBY really cared about him… and he them.

And eventually… he remembered it so vividly, that once he looked down at what he thought would be a bloody sight… Gage sighed shakily, and panted, as he could see that only the tip of his blade was inside of her, and there was only a tiny droplet of blood that was still slowly dripping down from her stomach.

Blake was holding her breath right then, trying her best to welcome the sweet embrace of death… and Gage could see it. The fear and unwillingness in her eyes, it all just drove him to want to drive his kukri into her… and to also put it down, and embrace her.

That was when he finally realized his one fatal flaw with carrying out this act of vengeance on his former friend, and in the end… it was all because of one simple fact.

...He _couldn't_ do it.

"GAGE! NO!"

Then suddenly, they both heard Sun's voice come from their right, from the Cellblock entrance, and it soon grew louder as it seemed like the monkey faunus accelerated towards Gage, and eventually jumped in the air so he could performing a flying spin kick!

The ghost gasped, and immediately pushed himself off of Blake as Sun's foot came flying past, and in between the both of them, right as Blake finally took in one massive breath… and as everyone else entered the room...

...Even Yang.

Gage turned and saw her just staring at him blankly with her mouth hung slightly open as she let go of Weiss, and he just stared back at her with a glare… that somehow gave off a sense of fulfillment.

However, then she watched her partner grasp her own throat with one hand, and hold onto her stomach with the other while she continued to sob, sniffle, and gasp for air, which she was thankful to be breathing in again.

Sun luckily managed to create a gap between the two as well, and as Gage's eyebrows narrowed again, and his scowl returned as he gripped Javix again, and went to try and go for Blake once more… until Sun grabbed him from behind, and wrapped his arms around his body, and pinned his arms to his sides,

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss all watched in horror as Neptune went to go support his best friend in detaining the raging ghost, who bent downwards, and yelled out in angst as he just banged the back of his head into Sun's face, and managed to shake him off right as the blonde's blue haired bestie ran in, and tried to take place in holding him back… but that just made Gage grit his teeth, and scream at them all,

"LET GO OF ME!

Right as Neptune got a hold of him, Yang threw herself forwards, and nearly fell as she ran towards Gage, and Nep just grabbed ahold of his waist and tried to throw him so he would fall over, but it did nothing.

He just kept standing tall, and was turned away from Yang as she wrapped her arms around his metal arm, and tried to keep speak to him, to try and calm him down as her boyfriend elbowed Neptune in the chest hard, "Aaagh!"

"GAGE STOP IT! NOW!" Yang yelled into his ear.

The ghost didn't feel her presence at all, and snarled over towards Blake as Sun, with a heavily bleeding nose, just got in front of her and tried to shield his own lover from being killed by their friend.

Gage saw both of them… and the fact that he was protecting her just made his vision turn completely red as he looked down at Javix, and was about to raise it back up with his other hand… until Yang screamed, "NO!" And grabbed onto that wrist, to try and keep it away from hurting anyone else.

To him though, her voice was muffled, and he just heard her as another obstacle that was in his way… that had to be taken care of.

So… he quickly turned, and jabbed the end of his metal arm into her already injured ribs, and struck his lover, before he broke his hand free… and he absent-mindedly swung his kukri one last time as he turned to face her.

Ruby and Weiss both screamed the blonde's name as she took a step back, and the two both used their semblances to try and dash towards the blinded ghost, as both Myrtenaster and Crescent Rose were taken out by their respective users.

Gage bellowed as he finally faced Yang all the way, and felt his arm move closer and closer towards his lover's neckline… but once he caught sight of her beautiful blonde hair, pained expression, and lilac eyes, something switched off inside of his mind… as a demonic roar from inside of the depths of his subconscious seemed to have scared him out of his rampage.

His eyes turned back to their silver color, and the white colors of his clothes, aura, and other features faded as he returned to normal, and Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all screamed… while Yang just let out a silent gasp.

The blonde brawler stood there in shock, with her large and teary lilac eyes just looking up into Gage's as his returned to their normal Turquoise color… and he stared down at where Javix's blade was…

"G…"

He finally snapped back into reality, and his mind returned to normal, with a feeling of disturbance… as he saw that his knife, his own creation, his own blade was now pressed against Yang's, the woman he loves, own neck so close… that it drew a tiny droplet of blood to flow down her precious skin.

She was panting lightly, and had a such sullen look on face that brought so much sadness unto him, that he nearly dropped the knife once he laid his eyes upon her.

Yang's shiny, and wet lilac eyes were now staring into his own while he quietly gasped as well, and shuddered with regret and sorrow once he saw some tears roll down her own cheeks, and she just gasped out his name through silent sobs,

"*gasp* ...Gage?"

She said his name once, and it was enough for him to nearly break down in front of her, while his grip on Javix loosened, his lip quivered with wiry and confusion, and he just asked himself, 'What have I done?'

*SHINK!*

Myrtenaster's tip was then shoved in front of both Yang's and Gage's vision, as Weiss just stood there shaking, but with an shaky stare as she too just wiped some water from her eyes, and yelled at the ghost as she tried to convince herself that she was okay.

"G… GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Her rapier's blade quickly shifted from in between them, and was aimed at the ghost's throat as Yang just stared at her… and Gage did the same with a another breath. But, that wasn't what drew him to tears right then as he lowered Javix.

...It was the fact that behind Weiss, was Ruby, and she had Crescent Rose aimed right at Gage's head, as she too was quietly crying, but kept her eyes wide open, as to not miss her shot if he was to suddenly attack her older sister.

"R… Ruby?" He asked, as his Kukri just hung from the palm of his right bloody hand, and soon felt the texture of the dry blood that was all over his body, which did not at all belong to him.

"G… *gasp* ...Get back Gage! *gasp*"

The reaper couldn't even contain herself anymore, and forced herself to cock Crescent Rose, preparing herself for whatever what happen, and to hopefully get Gage to back off. "...Please." She asked him, with watery eyes.

He did so, looking both stunned at his own actions, and friends as he panted, and turned to look back at Cordelia's bloody, and mangled corpse with absolutely zero recognition of executing him.

And that, caused everything to come flooding back to him like an unending deluge of remorse as he just turned back, and faced Ruby, Weiss, and Yang with his own pleading and teary turquoise eyes,

"I…. I-I didn't mean to-"

Gage stuttered, and tried to think of something to try and convince the others that this was a mistake he was sorry for… but once he laid eyes upon them all, he knew there was no going back.

Ruby and Weiss were both still aiming at him while Neptune looked up at him from the ground as he was on his knees, and Blake was just sobbing as she hugged herself, and felt Sun embrace her as he too glared at Gage, and she just sobbed into her knees loudly.

...And as for Yang? Why, she was the only one who was still had a blanket expression, and not one of hatred for the ghost. She couldn't do that, Gage was her lover, and she just couldn't look at him like that unless his side of the story wasn't justified.

Even though he was thankful for her not sharing the same face as the rest of his friends… it wasn't enough to keep him from silently breaking down in front of the people that he loved,

"P… Please… this isn't how it seems..."

His plea did nothing, but fuel their combined feeling of betrayal… and he could feel it puncture his heart, and make the catch in his throat break… right as Yang, the only voice of reason, took a step towards him, and gulped as she wiped one of her eyes with a sniffle.

"G… *sniffle* ...Gage. Go outside."

"Y… Yang-"

"NOW! ...Just go. I'll be out there with you."

He flinched when she raised her voice, and slowly looked down at the floor as he just closed his eyes, and nodded with one last shaky exhale from from him before he turned invisible… and his footsteps could be heard going past everyone else.

They eventually made it to the end of the cell block, and out the exit as Ruby let go of Crescent Rose and fell to her knees.. but not before she looked up to where Gage was… and saw the giant computer monitor that was at the end of the room.

The still shot of Blake and Adam was still there of course, and it made Ruby begin to quietly bawl as she covered her eyes with one of her hands, and the screen soon drew everyone else's attention.

...No one else had any surprised reactions though. Not because they weren't shocked, but… that they saw it as too hard to believe, (except for Sun), and that they were already too emotionally drained to be angry at both Gage and Blake.

It was simply… too conflicting for them to deal with at the moment.

So… everyone chose to instead just turn and stare at Blake as she only cried louder, collapsed, and curled up into a tiny ball on the floor while Sun let her rest her head on his lap.

Then, after she saw it and her partner's reaction… Yang… only shook her head in disbelief one last time, wiped her eyes clean, and started to walk towards the doorway from where she and the rest of her friends came from, so she could go and rejoin her lover outside, like she said she would…

…

…

…

The blonde exited the building, and immediately saw Gage as she came out, standing where he was before when he and the rest of his friends were being held hostage by the dead doctor.

Yang looked up and down his figure, and sighed with relief once she saw that Javix had been put away back into it's holster… but she soon sped up her walking pace once she saw him look down at Mistletoe, which was on the ground from earlier.

He reached out and grasped his shotgun's stock and body with a trembling hand while he crouched down to do such, and felt Yang's hand as she sighed too to let him know of her presence, and he just stared down at the blood that was on his clothes

"I can't believe it… Blake... It was her, after all of this time?" She asked, not so much as a real question.

"...Yeah. It was her." He answered, and chose to stand up with Mistletoe being held in his right hand as he tried his best not to face his lover, because of what had almost happened to her. "Cordelia was right…"

And then, as Yang started to slowly move closer to him, Gage clenched his shotgun's stock as hard as he could, growled the last part of his statement. "Every single thing he said… he was right!"

"Gage…" She could feel that same mad voice from before take over the ghost again, so she quickly just reached out, and grasped his right hand from behind him slowly. "I saw the body... And the blood… and the way you were acting. So i need to know…

"... _Were_ you going to kill her?"

The ghost turned his body so he was only able to look at Yang with one of his eyes, and eventually exhaled, and had a dead expression as he… hesitated to give her his full truthful response,

"...There was a lot of things i wanted to do to her. Hug her because she was crying, stab her because she was lying, a mix between the two at first… i just couldn't figure out what i wanted, and i didn't know why at first... But then after you guys came inside... i wanted it all over. I wanted her dead… i just couldn't do it."

Now, she forcibly turned Gage towards herself, and made sure that he was able to watch her as she sniffled, and pressed her own body against his as she just hugged him.

But even though he could feel the blonde pull him into a warm embrace as she wrapped her arms around him… the ghost didn't feel like he deserved it, and bowed his head as tried to… let go of his beloved.

"W… What's happening to me?" He asked himself angrily, with gritted teeth.

"J… Just stop Gage… *sniffle* ...Don't beat yourself up… it was all just a mistake on our part. But… but it's okay now. It okay…"

His question and tone caused Yang to just move her head back up as she brushed the side of Gage's cheek delicately, went in to just kiss him on the lips… In an attempt to try and console him of course.

"No…. No it's not- Mmm!"

Yang simply shook her head and whined as she planted her lips against his own, and shut her eyes as hard as she could while he did the same and moaned... but he couldn't kiss her back.

That image of his knife being pressed against her neck was too traumatizing for him to accept, let alone for her to not question at all… and now that they were kissing, it just pissed him off, and caused him to try and pull away from her.

She then heard him grumble in disapproval of her actions, and felt their lips part as he gasped, and pulled away while her hands moved up to his shoulders, "-N-No Yang! This isn't right! I almost could have killed you and now we're just kissing?!" He asked her, furiously as she looked completely dazed.

"...I'm the one with the mood based semblance, so I can tell when someone's just blinded by their anger-"

"You saw me when I was out here!" Gage yelled, and caused her to stare at him with caution for his well being as he put his free hand on her shoulder and gazed back at her with madness in his eyes. "The blood coming from my eyes, how my aura changed color! How do explain that by just saying it was rage?!"

"I… I don't know, okay?!" Yang became alarmed once the grip on her shoulder increased even more, and she tried to shake his hand off as she shuddered in fear of his hot headedness. "W-Why are you yelling at me?!"

"BECAUSE THAT WASN'T _ME!_ "

The blonde took a step back from him, and started to pant a tiny bit, but since he of course could see how scared she looked, Gage decided to let go of her, and tried to keep himself at bay. "...Something's controlling me, not my body but just my sense of control… or something!"

The ghost couldn't help himself from letting that slip, even though he was still unconvinced that this whole deal of his and Summer's wasn't some psychotic series of random episodes that his mind had fabricated for him.

"A... And i'm sure that whatever it was, made itself known during the night we came back from Bolin Peak… but… now, it's gotten even stronger. Strong enough to do whatever _that_ was..."

Yang… processed it, but obviously not the whole grasp of how urgent it was, and just exhaled as she grasped her own forehead and made a pleading gesture with her hand as she replied,

"Then we'll just figure out whatever it is, and help you battle it! Me, Ruby, Weiss, all of us!"

"Not anymore…" Gage huffed, as he tried not to think too much about what happened back inside that Cell block."You saw them all… how they were looking at me. They don't trust me anymore…"

She shook her head in disagreement, and honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Gage… you can't just assume that."

He knew that she was less than willing to see her sister in that sort of light though, and he kicked himself for doing the same, but was more than glad that Ruby seemed less… prepared than Weiss.

"It doesn't matter, because if I was able to lose control… and come that close to accidentally killing you... then no one is safe."

"Gage... *sniffle* ...Listen, w… we…" The blonde closed her eyes, and internally groaned as she remembered the feeling of his cold blade being held against her throat, and began to choke up again. "...We just have to get you back to somewhere that's calmer like... our room... It's safe, and private, *sniffle* ...the two of us can talk, alone, and in peace… together."

She just wanted to go home at this point and forget this day while she lied in bed with her lover, and give her body and heart a break. However, Gage… couldn't shake the thought of what would have happened if he hadn't stopped himself from slicing Yang's throat.

Would she had been able to disarm and block his attack herself, or… would she had been killed by him, her boyfriend. By his own hand and blade…

These thoughts ran through his head and convinced himself… that maybe now, after all of this time… she was no longer safe when she was in his company.

This realization made an impact on him, and whether the hated the fact or not… he had to do whatever it took to keep her alive like he promised himself he would. So… Gage remained silent for a few moments, sighed, and turned away from her as he put Mistletoe on his back again… and said something he never thought he would utter,

"...I don't think i'm coming back with you this time."

Yang's eyes then open as wide as they could possibly be, and she nearly started to hyperventilate on the spot. "...What?" She asked her lover.

"If i go back with you to Beacon, and this… _thing_ happens again… then i'll be expelled. And it's all i have left besides you."

"Cardin, Neptune, Cinder's crew… it feels like any interaction with them could cause something. Hell… maybe even just like one of our own stupid fights could… who would know? And if you have to stay positive, happy, and just kind to me all the time... Then, what's the point in calling it a normal and healthy relationship?"

He then put his right hand on Javix as it was holstered in it's revolver form, and looked up at the moon for a brief second, but not before he used his left hand to wipe something away from one of his eyes,

"I know that we both want to keep things the way they are right now… but i think that the only way we can keep each other safe now, is if i go and get a better understanding of this thing… without you."

 _If_ he came back to Beacon? If _he_ left to get a better understanding? Yang's mind memorized these keywords, and could tell by the ominous tone and vibe he was giving off that he was trying to tell her something important.

Thus came the keywords she picked up on… and with them, she had one clear idea of what he was trying to say, "N… No. That's not…*sniffle* N-No! We're staying together! That's final!"

Gage gulped, and didn't let his heart control what his brain thought was right for the both of them, as he just his lover again… and took a step back from her,

"...I'm sorry… but, i've already made up my mind…"

Yang's mouth hung partially opened as she approached him, and went to grab onto his right shoulder, but… he shook off her hand as it made contact with his forearm as she sniffled, and watched him take yet another step away from her.

She stifled a sob after that, and tried again to grab onto him, which resulted in him staring at her with pity as he dodged her second attempt, and made her other hand barely miss his left jacket sleeve as her eyes turned red, and tears began to stream down her face,

"*gasp* ...No, Gage- *sniffle* -No!"

The blonde then growled, and let her eyes flare their crimson color as she just gave out one last cry, and lunged towards Gage… but he responded by doing something she would have never seen coming, at least with her.

As she launched herself towards him and could see her hand move closer and closer towards the collar of his black suede jacket, Yang felt a single teardrop fall from her cheek, and onto the cold concrete ground below her feet as the ghost suddenly activated his semblance, and her hand went right through him!

This one unbelievable action on his part stunned her so much that the blonde brawler gasped as he took two more steps back, and she fell forwards, placing her hands out in front of her herself so she wouldn't have face planted.

Once her hands hit the floor, Yang whimpered and let her eyes droop while she watched her tears slowly fall onto the hard ground one after another as she started to sob quietly, and eventually looked back up at Gage with her wet red eyes,

"I don't want to do this just as much as you don't want me to, but I have to." He said, as he eventually moved back over, and stood in front of Yang again. "For your sake, and everyone else's… i have to leave."

"I'm only doing it because i love you... And a long time ago, i made you a promise… That we would take care of each other. So... i'm sorry... but this is something that i have to do…"

"Please… *gasp* ...Don't go!" Yang crumbled, and gasped loudly as she got onto her knees, and bowed her head, feeling helpless in being able to stop him from going away. "...You're all i want in this world. So I… *gasp* ...I need you!"

She gasped, and sobbed uncontrollably as she begged him… but, then she suddenly felt Gage's hand as he put it ontop of her head, and she opened her eyes again to see that he was now in front of her, on one knee.

The ghost had just about the same amount of tears in his eyes as she did, but the only difference was that… he was smiling at her, to try and convince himself that this was the right thing to do.

It was hard though… so, he forced himself to just look down at the necklace that Yang was wearing, the one he gave her for Christmas that had his own symbol on it, and booped it's leaf shaped pendant with one of his metal fingers as he looked up into his lover's glowing and teary red eyes,

"...You'll always have me."

He followed up to this with one final, but quick kiss on the lips before he let out a shaky breath, stood up again… and began to take a few small steps away from her, but while he kept eye contact with her the entire time.

The steps eventually grew bigger as he walked backwards away from her, and towards the front gate of the penitentiary, which caused Yang to stare at Gage, and ask him to stop. One last time…

"*sniffle* ...Wait!"

But… her last attempt did nothing to change him. The only thing he did, as his closing gesture of thanks for her wanting to be with, and love him these last amazing eight months, was to give her one last tiny smile, as he pulled himself together… and gave her his final farewell. The one thing he never thought he would do…

"...Goodbye, Yang..."

The ghost then closed his eyes, and became silent as his activated his semblance, and turned invisible while she gasped one last time as she watched, and froze in place.

Yang just… stopped, and kneeled there as she heard his steps grow quieter, and quieter until they were nonexistent… and she couldn't even fathom what just happened.

She didn't wail in disbelief, or try and foolishly chase after him in an attempt that she knew would be futile… the blonde just wallowed there in silence, and soon started to sob to herself before she covered her eyes, fell onto her side, and curled up into a sad ball of shattered emotions and heartbreak.

...It began to settle in a little bit after almost a minute, and that was when her sobbing became louder, and she cried as hard as she ever had up to that point in her life… because she knew she had just lost the love of her life.

And the thing that utterly destroyed her heart? Was that she lost him not to death, nor a bullet, blade, or just another person's wrath… none of those harmful things. No...

He was gone now… because of how much he loved her…

…

 **...Epilogue**

…

...Time passed, and Gage eventually found himself in the middle of a field of tall grass as he began his uncharted walk into the unknown, and it led to a cliffside, where he was standing now, as he looked up at the shattered moon.

All he could hear were the howling winds of the outer Kingdom of Vale's mountainside, with a mix of the undead howls of the Creatures of Grimm that were not far away, but not too close for comfort, and eventually… he heard Summer's voice speak to him once again.

" _This… wasn't how i expected this day to end_."

He couldn't see her, but he could feel that the phantom as her physical form was now visible once again, but this time the world didn't stop or change color.

Her pale skin, silver eyes, blackish red hair, were all clear as day to his senses… and it made him continue to look away and face the moon. "Yeah… you and me both..."

" _So… what now?_ " She asked him, with eyes that seemingly gave off both disappointment, and pity. " _...Or do you not know what to do next?_ "

Gage shook his head and growled as he could feel her own frustration towards himself form, and it made him shut his eyes with a sneer that she knew was aimed at her,

"...We're going to do what i told Yang, and to try and get a grip on this whole thing by ourselves."

" _And how are we going to do that?_ "

He just shrugged, and looked down at the dried blood that was all over his prosthetic hand before he lowered it, and opened his eyes yet again.

Deep down now, he could feel the remaining anger from his instance with Blake and Cordelia... And he realized that while his fury was strong rather than being weak and a residue of what it was before, then that conflicting aura would have more control over him,

"That white spark of mine is fueled by anger…" And then… he thought about those two faunus that had wronged him, and came up with a suggestion that was quite macabre,"And now, the sight of the White Fang is enough to make me blow a fuse so…. I think we should go and find our match..."

Summer rolled her eyes at first, but… his thoughts, and intentions were picked up immediately by her, and she became distressed.

This was because… he had the desire to go after the cult, and hunt down every single one of those evil faunus that he could get his hands on, including Blake and Adam if he had the chance. " _W… W-Wait, Gage… you can't!_ "

"...A sad soul can kill quicker than any germ or gun, and after that whole ordeal… i think i'm capable of doing just that."

She knew he wasn't holding a grudge against the faunus race as a whole, but just the thought of him going out purposely on a slaughter because of his hatred, vexed her beyond belief. " _...Yang wouldn't want this Gage, you know that_."

"...That's why she's not here right now." He replied, coldly.

" _Gage… do you even think you could_ _really go through with doing this_?"

The ghost laughed silently to himself because of the fact that she didn't seem to be actually trying to stop him from even thinking about doing it, which just made him snicker, but only deviously.

"...Summer…"

He said her name, and grinned again as it seemed like he was trying not to just burst out into some wicked cackle... But his voiced settle not that long after. Gage then sighed, and thought about the hatred he felt toward Adam, and now Blake, as his tone shifted back towards a more somber one while his smile faded as well.

"...I'm going to find..."

He could feel the power of that aura, their combined aura, tempt and bait him into choosing the wrong immoral path that was associated with the darkness of this world, and he didn't mind it at all now.

But, then he thought about what Taiyang had told him three months ago back at Patch. That, 'Ain't nobody's hands are clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same'. And Summer internally screamed at the memory of her old husband's corruption-filled words.

"...And I'm going to kill…"

That didn't matter anymore though… Because he knew it was already too late to bring him back. He was Too Far Gone now… and only had his own future actions to worry about.

So… Summer knew that eventually, further down the road, he would do something he would regret if this whole self-banishment thing wasn't the first even he would be remorseful for. And with that… the phantom decided to just cross her arms, and relax her brow as she could feel his misguidedness consume him.

Now… Gage felt the droplets of blood as they made their way out of his tear ducts, and stained the skin of his cheeks in red lines, just as his turquoise eyes changed, which he will find out later to be temporarily, to their bright red shade of color yet again

And then, as he gritted his teeth and glared at seemingly nothing, the ghost turned to face Summer with his crimson colored eyes shining and staring at her glowing figure as he finally finished his psychotic vow, and she began to feel fearful, and also desirous for the days of their future... together...

"...Every. Last. One of them."

 **(*Sudden Black Screen*)**


	31. The Day Will Come When You Won't be

**Author's Note:** Hey I'm back! And i am now proud to announce that we are OFFICIALLY halfway through Desertion: Part Two, and that we are thirty chapters away from me having to confirm a Desertion Part THREE! ...WHICH... i am not confirming as of this time, obviously cuz of school stuff.

Speaking of which, i would also like to let you all know that i will be trying to take it easy for the next couple of months, to try and start off the new semester cleanly, so i will be trying not to make chapters long like i said before, but don't fret, because I am still rewarding you all, as this next story arc will be the _BIGGEST ONE_ I have done to date! So uh... relish in that fact, and get hyyyped!

Now… before we finish off this long note, I just want to say that now, it's honestly hard to believe that it's been two years now since Monty Oum passed away. Kinda late for this I know, but two years, that i probably won't ever forget, because since then, a lot of things have happened here in the RWBY community.

We've gotten Two Volumes, a game, a Japanese dub, a brand new RWBY community amino app, (which I'd recommend for all of you to check out. Hell I may even give out my own profile username XD.), A crap ton of newcomers to our community, and we've achieve a vast amount of growth from being just a web series.

And I know that our fourth Volume is now over, but I can see that we still have a much more adventurous road ahead of us and it's all because of Monty, Miles, Kerry, and ourselves. Because without us… I don't think this show would have grown as much as it has already.

*sigh* ...Alright, I think that's enough of my rambles for today. So, get down there, and go see what Gage and Summer have in store with you. And a fair warning, there will definitely be blood! Mwahahaha! (Btw, that last chapter was 20K words. HOLY SHIT!)

And lastly, if you guys want to get a feel of what's to come next and up to the Part Two finale, then I ask for you all to listen to the Part Two: Second Half theme I picked out.

The lyrics don't really mean anything, but the acoustics and just the song beat should give you some ideas! Hehehe. Oh and I hope those with a love life had a great Valentine's Day! Cuz god knows Gage won't be having one...

 **Song:** Who Will Save You Now? By Les Friction

…

 **Part Two: Second Half Theme:**

Brennisteinn by Sigur Ros

…

 **(*Darkness fades out*)**

" _Gage...… what happened?_ "

…It was night, and the sky was dark, only to be lightened by shattered moon that was looking down at Remnant, and also at the dark forest… that our ghost was wandering inside of.

Gage was sitting on the ground, in the middle of a long and what looked to be never ending road with his legs in front of him while his knees were bent, and he had his two hands resting on top of his kneecaps… his two shaking, red, and bloodstained flesh, and metal hands.

He didn't speak, and was resting against the side of a truck at the moment, with his back pressed against it, and he was just… staring straight ahead, at nothing while his hands continued to shake along with his body, and his head as he looked down at himself, but only softly.

The miserable looking thousand yard stare, and blank-eyed scowl he had dawned fully described how lost he was, but not in a physical sense of direction of course… it was more of a fall from grace type of thing to him now.

His neck, along with the right side of his brow and that mirroring his cheek also had a few faded patches of blood… and all of it, every single drop… did not belong to him at all. He had bled that night though… but it had since dried, and instead fueled him.

The ghost was now simply trying to find a way to simplify his actions for what had just happened… and why it had, even though he knew it was wrong. But… he remembered what Emile had told him way back when at Bolin Peak. That if he could smell the gunpowder, see the blood… and feel that adrenaline, then it meant he was alive.

And he felt it. Every last savory second of it.

However, that was until he let his mind go blank as the heat of his red eyes reminded him of whatever the hell he was now… and he hated it, but… then the voices started to reassure him that.. everything would be alright. Somewhat...

…

" _...Who are you?"_

" _Hehe, you don't scare easy… do you?"_

" _Christ, lighten up kid. At least cry a little!"_

" _We don't get to be upset, because this is who we are… but you still can be. Because you're not Too Far Gone like the rest of us."_

" _You know, I get why you sucked it up... why you took all of that. You were thinking about someone else… that girl."_

" _Who is she?"_

" _...Her name was Yang."_

" _Yang, you've told me that you can't let your search control you. I'm just giving you the same advice you gave to me!"_

" _This search is going to kill you at this rate!"_

" _I AM NOT LETTING SOMEONE ELSE I LOVE WALK AWAY FROM ME!"_

" _SIS!"_

" _Sun… I… I-I…"_

" _I had someone i loved once, two of em. And people would always say that out here, that shit is only good for one thing... Getting you killed. But i don't care. And i doubt you do either son. Am i right?"_

" _Yes sir. Hehe."_

" _...Fuck Destiny."_

" _If you're going to have a good, long lasting life in this world, then you need to stop thinking about just yourself!"_

" _Well then what people do you have left to think about now? Hmm?"_

" _Good luck Dumbass!"_

" _I'm sorry about… her."_

" _Now, i'm going to ask you one last time… Who are you?"_

" _...I'm Gage."_

"… _The New World's going to need Gage Sim."_

" _Yang, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry._

" _You, Team RWBY, are the unofficial story. Your mission is to find him, and end this. Now go, and do such."_

" _...Let's hunt him down."_

…

 **Earlier...**

…

It's been… awhile since Gage left Yang and the others behind. Not too long, but he knew it's been around eight moons since then, not counting the one that was out there for him that night.

He didn't know where he was, how far he was from the City of Vale, or even if anyone else was looking for him… but, to him, that didn't matter anymore. All he knew now, was that he was lying on his back, in the middle of a forest.

He was panting, and bleeding from his eyes again, and his chest as well… as he had just made first contact with a squad of White Fang soldiers he had been tracking for the last day... and yes, he was the one who shot first…

The ghost just stared up at the night sky and tried to look past the treeline and at the shattered moon that was above him, right as he heard some more random voices speak from inside himself, and he continuously tried to block them out…

This was a tactic that Summer thought would sort of handicap him, since his head would ache whenever she would speak… but all it did was anger Gage even more, even though he was trying to restrain himself from feeling that way.

Now, he continued to look up at the night sky, and heard the sounds of whispers, forest critters, and his own exasperated breaths… along with a large amount of footsteps, that belonged to the squad, who were now trying to hunt him.

And they were literally right on top of him, as the ghost suddenly turned his head to the left, and watched as a boot stepped down right in front of him, making him silence himself.

There was a male trooper standing right next to him, along with five others that were around both him and Gage. So, the ghost surveyed his hunters, and deduced that there were three men, and two girls… one of which seemed a lot more spooked than the rest.

She was standing right next to his feet, with another male while the other man and the second woman were standing to his left, and all of them had their weapons raised as well. "Spread out! He couldn't have gotten far!" Their leader commanded the rest.

The man closest to Gage spoke, and sounded a lot more than just angry at the ghost. "I'm gonna find his ass. Ghost or not, I will. That fucker tore Harris apart back there!" He huffed, remembering the death of one of the other soldiers.

Gage thanked his semblance for being able to hide and camouflage his body so convincingly, and he tried not to think about the other man that he killed in their squad… despite how satisfying it felt back there.

However, he couldn't just continue to lay down in that small grassy clearing and wait for the six of them to leave, no… he didn't want them to. He wanted to go and do what he thought what his duty now…

...So, with one last silent sigh escaping from his lips, he watched as the mist from his breath ascended into the cold night sky to calm his nerves… before he just put two of his metal fingers against his temple, and closed his eyes as he whispered to himself,

"I already made them all a promise..."

Gage then reached down towards Javix, and turned towards the man that was closest to him again as he jumped, and could now feel his presence, since he thought he heard his small statement. "W… What the hell was that?!" The leader asked his men.

The scraping shink of his Kukri being unsheathed immediately alarmed everyone around him of his presence, and all of them jumped as Gage exited his camouflaged form, and shouted at them as he turned, and slashed the achilles heel of the man that was standing right next to his head.

The apparent squad leader cried out in pain, and took a step forwards before he tried to turn around completely… and saw that the ghost was now standing right in front of him.

"S… S… Stay back! Stay-AGH!"

Everyone gasped, and fixed to aim their weapons towards him… but as soon as they could even raise them, Gage stabbed the squad leader in the gut with Javix so hard, that blood immediately spewed out of his mouth as he just pulled him closer, and let the first few rifle shots be taken by the faunus soldier.

A collective of frightened yells, and a scream that came from the more spooked female soldier, were heard as they watched their leader scream, and cry out in pain as Javix was pushed in, deeper, and deeper inside of his gutt.

"AAAGH! GAAAH!"

Squelching sounds, and the sound of liquid splashing and rippling shook the rest of the squad, that they couldn't even bear to fire anymore rounds, let alone put the man out of his misery.

But this didn't matter either way, as Gage eventually pulled the knife out, and looked right through his first victim, towards the other five remaining White Fang troopers while their chieftain gurgled and slowly crumpled down onto the rough forest floor.

The ghost now stared at them blankly, and allowed for the sight of the blood that was dripping down from the metal hand that was clutching Javix, and his shining red eyes do all the talking, but not before he just said two words to them… in a hushed, deep, and nearly animalistic tone.

"...Hi there."

The sudden surprise made the five jolt, and it caused the more mentally weakened girl to scream and run off, leaving the rest of her team behind, to face his wrath.

Her cries and sniffles stunned them to the point of freezing up like a deer that was caught in a pair of headlights, and… this managed to work to Gage's advantage.

He could see that the second man that was in front of him was at this point hyperventilating, but had a deep snarl come from him soon after, as he went to charge at the ghost with everything he had…

...But that only lead to his demise, as Gage lunged at him too, with his Kukri raised above his head before he roared, and threw it down, right on top of the male's head.

"Rrrragh!"

Javix's blade was then embedded into the head of the faunus soldier, right in between his eyes as his head was cleaved in two, and blood drizzled all over Gage's hands as more just ran down from the forehead of the man, who now just had a blank brain dead stare.

"NO!"

The dead faunus only mumbled something as his head was slowly torn more and more in half by Gage's blade, before he just decided to kick him in the knee, and freed Javix from the inside of his skull as he held the knife against his side again, and looked at the remaining two faunus.

Or, one rather, as the last male soldier turned and started to run into the dark brush soon after, and it only caused for his teammate to curse at herself, and let out a bloodcurdling cry of animosity as she rushed towards him with a rifle, that was equipped with a bayonet.

She screeched, and went to stab him in the stomach with the attached blade… and he stood completely still as she got closer and closer… to the point that she could clearly see the whites in his red eyes.

...However, right as she thrusted the thing forwards, Gage just smirked, and activated his semblance as the bayonet was about to pierce his lower body, and the woman went right through his figure with a loud gasp!

She took a few steps forwards, and was about to turn back around with another snarl… but as she tried, she was struck in the face with the hilt of Javix, as it started to shift into it's revolver form.

That impact caused her to turn her head back away from him again, and the female soldier was in a position that would have caused her to dive forward and fall onto her face… but that didn't matter. Because as she began to take that fall… Gage just pulled the hammer back on Javix right as it was ready to be fired.

The woman jumped and was only able to stutter out one last final shriek of terror…. Before the ghost just pulled the trigger, and caused the bullet to go through the back of her head, and made her nose explode into little chunks of flesh and bone as it exited her skull.

"A-A-AAAAH!-"

"*BANG!*"

Her body immediately hit the floor after the shot rung out, and she had no further movement, so Gage presumed that her life was no more, and just let out a stifled huff as he grasped the left side of his chest cavity in pain. "Ssst… fuck.."

He then shook his head, and remembered that had been cut there earlier by the first soldier he killed, and exhaled sharply as he moved his hand away and growled at the sight of his own fresh blood.

And Gage of course was alarmed by it at first… but then he remembered the two that had ran off. "...I don't have time for this, I have to catch one of them… and figure out why they're still out here…" He said to himself in a hushed tone of voice.

" _Hmph, time for what?_ " Summer subconsciously asked him.

"...Time to bleed."

So, with that, the ghost tried to remember how many bullets he had left for Javix to use, which was around eight now, and he just turned towards the brush before he turned invisible, in pursuit of the two faunus deserters.

…

The remaining faunus girl was panting heavily, trying to hold back whatever tears and screams she had left inside of her that needed to get out, and she was trying really hard to stay quiet… but the image of all her dead friends haunted her beyond belief.

Now, the girl had already dropped her weapon not that far back, and she was trying to run through the brush, and past all of the dark trees until she could find some sort of path or road that lead back to Vale... but she was too deep in already.

She ran and panted so much, that she came to the point where she was so distressed that she had to take off her Grimm mask, and reveal her light blond hair… and gazelle-type antlers.

"*pant* *pant* *pant*"

The girl just closed her eyes and ran as fast as her legs could carry her… but soon, they began to tremble, as a loud, ominous, and creepy whistling soon echoed throughout the dark forest.

It was a low and repetitive tune, that filled her ears and withered down whatever sense of safety she had left to believe in, and she began to silently weep to herself out of fear,

"~OOOOOO-oooooo-OOOOoooo…~"

She began to shudder, and she just whimpered as she covered her ears, and took cover behind one of the trees that were in front of her.

The girl got behind it, and pressed her back against it before she glanced to her left, and behind her so she could look to see if anyone was following her.

But… then the same hymn from earlier sounded out, but from the opposite end of the direction it had came from earlier, and it caused the girl to clasp her hands over her own mouth so she couldn't scream,

"~...OOOOOO-oooooo-OOOOoooo…~"

She did this as she stood up, and she slowly began to move back as she scanned every single direction she could while she was on the verge of a mental breakdown… and before she knew it, the girl accidentally backed into someone!

"MMPH!" She screamed through her covered mouth.

The female soldier then jumped, turned to see who it was… and nearly let out a scream and wail of just utter helplessness, as that person, was her other remaining teammate… who was far from being alive.

"*sniffle* ...No!"

She sniffled, and cried even more… because her friend... was dead. He was standing with his back against a tree, while an arrow was embedded deep into his left socket, and it went all the way through his Grimm mask, and skull, basically pinning him to the tree.

His hand was still limply holding onto his rifle, and both of his arms were at his side while his body slouch and his mouth hung open, while the lone female survivor gasped, and took a step back from him.

She automatically assumed that this was the work of The Ghost of Remnant, a name that had now grown infamous throughout the White Fang's own chain of command, with Adam now sneering at the mention of it.

The girl had heard what the ghost had done to her faunus brothers and sisters… and how bad they looked afterwards, so she only felt lost and alone, waiting for her hunter to leap out and get her, like the boogeyman she believed him to be.

"*crack*"

A random twig crunched in the unclear brush behind her, and the girl's body instantly decided to clench and tighten up as the noise… and since she had zero fight off flight skill left in her, she decided to swallow her fears… and turn back towards the sound.

"Hah… *sniffle* …Nnnnnn…" The girl whined… because once she turned her head, she could see a clear pair of glowing red eyes nearly blinded her by how close they were… and that was when she realized, that _HE_ was standing right in front of her.

"...Boo."

Gage then uncloaked right in front of her, and lunged at her with a snarl while she screamed, and he soon grabbed her by the throat so quickly, that she didn't even have time to scream as he finally got a good grip on her neck, raised her off of her feet, and slammed her into a different nearby tree.

The blonde girl gasped and wrapped her hands around his metal wrist, and she just closed her eyes in fear of what was about to happen to her… but... strangely, he was using a lot of force to choke her, like he did with Blake,

"Hugh! *sniffle* ...Please don't kill me!-"

"Shhh…"

He then silenced her, as he used Javix and lifted her shirt up so he could placed his Kukri's blade against her belly, as he now was staring deep into her soul with his glowing red eyes while his fingers remained clasped around her throat.

The girl just gasped, and choked up as she felt his cold blade move and sear slowly across her stomach so gently that she didn't even notice that it had started to bleed lightly.

That was when she looked at Gage with pleading beady eyes, and held her breath… feeling that he was only seconds away from either eviscerating… or violating her body. "M...Mmm! *sniffle*"

Her pants and stifled whimpers made the ghost just glare, and stare at her even more as he leaned in closer to the gazelle faunus, and decided to speak to her, softly as he gave up his grip on her,

"You know who i am… don't you?" He asked her this, and she nodded afterwards, thankfully choosing to reply as quickly as she could to her hunter., "Y... Yes! Y… Y-You're the… The ghost…"

Her knowledge of him and the clear terror that he had inflicted in her eyes brought… a bizarre sense of power to him, that he was even surprised to be feeling.

"...You're goddamn right."

The ghost then paused for a moment as he was about to smirk at the girl… until the rational side of him remembered why he had kept her alive, and he brushed off that last comment of his.

So with that, Gage pressed her further against the trunk of that dark tree, and he scowled at her while he kept the knife close to her belly, and asked the one question that he himself was wondering…

"Now, tell me… why are you people still out here? All of these squads couldn't just be for little old me…"

"N-No, *pant* ...they're not." She answered, as he lowered her back down so she could actually stand on her own two feet. "I… It's for someone else."

"Who?"

The faunus's lip quivered, and she turned away from Gage as she did this, which just earned a small growl from him before he hissed at her, and poked her skin with Javix again, hard, "WHO?!"

She squeaked with fright in her lungs, and shut her eyes once again as she just blurted out her answer, and hoped he would see it as the truth, "I-I don't know his name! None of us did!"

"He was one of our prisoners, a really really important one… and he escaped his execution…" She added, nervously as she pressed her head back against the tree, and expected some sort of shout to come from the ghost.

But… it was the exact opposite, and Gage honestly looked more relieved, despite the knowledge of the prisoner that he had gained back at Bolin Peak which seemingly escaped from his mind during that instance.

"*sigh* ...Well, better him than me." He sighed.

The girl then gulped, and stuttered as she tried to speak, mostly because he was now just staring at her once he looked around to make sure that his surroundings were still safe. "Um… I... I-Is there anything else that you want to ask m-me?"

"Not at the moment…"

"S-So…. What n-now?"

"I don't know… it honestly depends on your next move." She immediately regretted that decision of asking him that, as the ghost looked down at his blade casually, and soon raised it back up until it met the skin of her throat,

That one action caused her to just stare into his red orbs again, as she felt his other hand finally ease up on her neck, but she was still alarmed by his actions. "You already killed all of my friends, and I-I answered your questions for you! N-Now please just let me go!"

She seemed a lot more confident than before, even though Javix was being pressed against a more vital place of hers… and the act just reminded Gage of… Yang of course, and that took him aback a bit once he noticed the girl's blonde hair…

At first, after seeing that, the thought of killing her did cross his mind… but then again, she looked too weak to hurt anyone, hell she was the first to run, and she didn't even raise her weapon or even keep it. She dropped it awhile back.

And, that convinced him that the blonde girl had no intention of fighting anymore, and he trusted his own instincts in that regard as he chose to smile back at her. "...You're lucky i have a soft spot for blondes…"

So with that, the ghost lowered his kukri from her, and took a step back before he just grabbed onto her shoulder, and threw her to the side as he turned around, and watched as she fell onto her knees in front of him.

His smile faded as quickly as it appeared, and she became the focus of Gage's red eyed glare once again as she just gasped, and looked back at him as she wiped her eyes clean… and smiled as he basically threatened her,

"Now... you get the hell out of here and you don't ever come back. To the White Fang, To Vale, or even Patch. Do you understand? Just fucking run."

The girl started to pant, and she let out a tiny laugh of relief as she stood up, and looked at The Ghost of Remnant strangely with… both empathy, and sweetness, out of all things. "Yes, i will… t-thank you. M... Mr. Ghost."

Gage droned for a second in awe… and soon blushed by accident, but then yelled at her one last time as he gripped Javix, and pointed the tip of his blade towards the trees in front of the faunus girl with rage and embarrassment,

"G-GO!"

"O-Oh!" She gasped, and jumped from how loud he shouted at her, and she instantly turned and dipped out, panting as she nearly tripped, and started to run into the unknown darkness of the forest.

He simply observed her while she eventually disappeared into the night, and he just covered his head with his hand so he could rub the side of his face and make his blush go away.

But, that wasn't before Summer could catch him on it, " _*sigh* ...Well that's good. At least you still have a heart…"_ She sighed, sarcastically as Gage shook his head in frustration.

"I wasn't kidding with the soft spot thing! *sigh* ...now come on, let's just get back to the main road…"

" _Go right ahead. You're the one with the legs._ "

The ghost's aura flared one last time in its white color, and he started off in the opposite direction of the girl, hopefully towards the main road so he could start off down it again and find somewhere to bunker down for the night…

…

 **Now…**

…

It was still night, and the sky was dark, only to be lightened by shattered moon that was looking down at Remnant, and also at the dark forest… that our ghost was wandering inside of earlier.

Gage was now sitting on the ground, in the middle of a long and what looked to be never ending road with his legs in front of him while his knees were bent, and he had his two hands resting on top of/off the top of his kneecaps… his two shaking, red, and bloodstained flesh, and metal hands.

He didn't actually notice any of the blood on him until a few minutes after his departure of the faunus girl that he spared, but once he did see it… his mind returned to the same mentality he had before, one of angst and loneliness, along with regret...

He was resting against the side of the armored truck that the White Fang squad were in earlier at the moment, with his back pressed against it. And he was just staring straight ahead, at nothing while his hands continued to shake along with his body... and his head as he looked down at himself but only softly.

The miserable thousand yard stare, and blank-eyed scowl he had dawned fully described how lost he was, but not in a physical sense of direction of course… it was more of a fall from grace type of thing to him now.

His neck, along with the right side of his brow and that mirroring his cheek also had a few faded patches of blood… and all of it, every single drop… did not belong to him at all. He had bled that night though… but it had since dried, and instead fueled him.

The ghost was now simply trying to find a way to simplify his actions for what had just happened… and why it had, even though he knew it was wrong. But… he remembered what Emile had told him way back when at Bolin Peak. That if he could smell the gunpowder, see the blood… and feel that adrenaline, then it meant he was alive.

And he felt it. Every last savory second of it.

However, that was until he let his mind go blank as the heat of his red eyes reminded him of whatever the hell he was now… and he hated it, but… then Summer started to reassure him that this had a reason behind it, and that everything would be alright... Somewhat…

" _You're scared... Aren't you?"_

"No I'm-... I'm… just… startled... That's it…"

Summer then suddenly poofed into existence, as her mystic glowing white physical form suddenly appeared right next to her courier.

She was lying down partially on her side as she had her hand in between her and Gage, while she had her head against the side of the truck as well as she sighed, " _Gage, they're synonyms_ -"

And he responded with a guttural growl, that he managed to stop himself from carrying out halfway through it, "SHUT- *huff* ...Shut up."

" _Damn it, look at yourself_!" The phantom yelled, as she leaned up, and got on her knees in front of the ghost, " _Do you like that metallic smell of blood? The feeling of the way you're shaking_? _How conflicted our emotions are_?"

But, he still kept looking ahead for a few more seconds, before he looked down in between his legs, and at the bloodied blade of Javix for a brief moment until Summer eventually crawled her way in front of him, and put one of her hands on the kukri,

"... _Do you_?" She asked him, as she pulled down her white hood to reveal herself to him.

"...No. I don't." He answered, as he finally broke his stare, and looked up into her eyes and pressed his head against the back of the truck gently, "...But… that doesn't mean that i can't live with it."

" _You're going to kill yourself if you do! Maybe not… your consciousness, or your body, but who you are, and who you're going to be… the man that_ _she_ _loved… may not be the same one she fell in love with when you get back to her_. If you even do..."

That, caused him to shut his eyes quickly, as he lowered his hands so they were in his lap, and he flattened his legs at the same time he shook his head, and Summer finished off her statement with something… vile to utter to him.

" _Gage… you're becoming your own worst enemy_."

Images of the dark outline and red lights of Adam Taurus's red Grimm mask became apparent to the ghost as he looked away from the motherly entity, and out into the dark night as he heard the bull's distorted wheezing mechanical laughter taunt and antagonize his mental state even further.

It made him grimace, and scowl at the moon as he chose to finally sit up, and look back up at Summer as the images ceased, and he simply reached for his knife that was on the ground once again,

"I only have one of those, and i won't soon enough. Because i'm going to kill him… and every single person who stands in my way."

"... _And if he kills you? Kills, us_?"

"Then he'll have RWBY to worry about."

"... _If they even remained together after what happened that last night_."

Gage stopped right there, and squinted his eyes at Summer with his mouth slightly open, simply in disbelief that she would say such a thing, that even he wouldn't like to think of.

But, instead of choosing to question her about it, he shook his head and rolled his eyes as he looked down at his weapon once more, and she tried to explain her own logic,

" _You saw them. They were in disarray. Ruby was frightened, Weiss was hesitant, Yang was lost… and Blake… Blake was_ -"

"Hmph… what about her?" He asked the phantom, as he took his Kukri, turned it back into it's revolver form, and put it back into it's holster again as she glared at him angrily.

" _*sigh* ...Gage, you can't just assume she was fully in the wrong. Even though she did go through with it, it doesn't mean that she's an equal to Adam in all of this. She's been friends with her team for so long and i'm positive-_ "

" _I_ don't care. She killed my dad..." He said this with haste, and soon found the sudden strength to cease the shaking of his hands, and chose to clench them tightly as the white aura slowly began to reflect off of his right hand, " _Well, what do you plan to do about it_? _Hmm_?" Summer asked him.

Gage shut one of his eyes then, and stretched his arms a bit as he exhaled, and began to feel like his eyelids had a weight placed on top of them,

"It's simple… I'm going for him first, then the Syndicate… and I'll leave Blake for last. It'll be respectful that way..."

" _And hopefully you'll see her in a brighter shade of light by then_ …"

He shrugged in response, and looked over to his left to see that Mistletoe was placed on it's side, so it's body and stock was resting upright against the car.

"She may not be the main priority on my kill list… but she's still on it. So yeah… hopefully."

Then, he simply rubbed his hands on his pant legs, and straightened out the wool collar of his black suede jacket before reached over to his beloved weapon, and picked it up with one hand.

After that, the ghost stretched his neck a bit and began to walk towards the driver's door of the armored truck as Summer just sighed once again, " _So… what now_?"

Her question made him chuckle, as he soon reached into his back pocket with his hand of flesh, and took out a small set of car keys, making sure the key ring went around his finger so he could spin it in a teasing manner.

It was a set that he had picked off of one of the dead White Fang soldiers he had killed earlier on his way back to the road. And yes, he could actually drive their truck, since he did know how. He just never received his license.

Anyway, Gage smiled as he unlocked the door and opened it slowly, and finally answered Summer's question as he did so with a grin,

"Now, we're going to take this truck, find a good place to hide it out of plain sight, and get some rest. Then once the sun comes up, we'll find some food, head off down the road, and see where it takes us."

"... _Alright. Just make sure you clean yourself up the next time we find a stream, because you look like an escaped mental patient at this point_." Summer replied, barely with enough sarcasm to pass it off a just a joke

Her maybe sort of joke made him roll his eyes yet again to that statement, and went to go ahead and sit down in the driver's seat. "*sigh* ...Yeah, i'll get right on that 'mom'..."

" _Don't do tha_ -"

And then… another random sound of the night made it's way through the brush and towards Gage's eardrums… however, this wasn't a random sound at all to him… because he had just whistled this same tune not that long ago...

"~...OOOOOO-oooooo-OOOOoooo…~"

The sound made the ghost put his foot back down onto the blacktop of the road, and he slowly turned his head to look at the forest as he felt chills run up his spine, and his phantom made it even worse for him,

" _Gage… isn't that your whistle_?"

"Yeah… it was. Too deep to be that girl though…" He answered her, as he threw the car keys next to the gas pedal of the car, before he closed the car door and readied Mistletoe once again.

" _Who else would be out here? If there were anymore faunus then i'm sure that search party would have been bigger… so… maybe that gunshot of yours attracted someone else…_ "

Gage nodded, and let his glare return to him yet again as he just sighed, cocked Mistletoe, raised it one last time as he turned towards where he thought the sound was now coming from, and began to walk back into the forest of trees to his left, the opposite direction of where he was before.

Though, he didn't think of letting this new presence walk away like he had done for the faunus girl. No… anyone to mock, or think little of him was to be shown no remorse from him.

"Either way, i'm not letting some bandit make my one act of mercy tonight mean nothing, because after today, it's sure as hell going to be my last one for a very long time…"

Not anymore, or ever again…

...

"~...OOOOOO-oooooo-OOOOoooo…~"

The same whistle kept repeating over and over again in tunes of different pitches, and it seemed like the person wasn't even stopping to take a breath either… almost like they wanted to be heard.

Gage thought it was strange at first, but eventually that thought went away, as he soon noticed the bright light of a flame off in the distance after a few minutes of walking deeper into that dark forest… seemingly that of a camp fire.

"Guy's just asking to be found… this isn't good…" He whispered, as he slowly creeped through the treeline, and got closer and closer towards the light of the flames.

" _Yeah, but don't let the advantage of your stealth get to your head. Your aura still hasn't regenerated from earlier..."_

Gage just nodded and leaned it a little bit down as to not show any open spaces for their enemy to potentially shoot at, and he let out a breath through his nose as he turned Mistletoe into it's crossbow form.

Once he slowly and expertly pivoted his way towards the fire, he was able to see that the camp or whatever the fire was coming from was in the middle of a small circular clearing in between the trees, and… there was also a foul smell that began to fill his nostrils.

And to top off the creep factor, it was the one foul scent that was usually associated with death… and it made the ghost's skin crawl with uneasiness. "The hell…"

As he got nearly ten feet away from the clearing, Gage got into a crouched position and got a closer look at the sight laid before him through those trees, and it utterly baffled him to say the least.

In the clearing, was indeed a large campfire of course… but there was also a man standing there… whistling, as he was holding some blunt object to his side as he stared into the flame, and had his back turned.

But the one thing that made the scene even worse… was that there were five dead bodies spread out around him, and they were all dressed in bloodied and beaten White Fang armor.

Two were lying down on the other end of the fire in front of him, one with a hole for its nose, and the other had it's head split into two while another pair was to his left, one having a massive stab wound to his gut, and the second having a slit in his throat that went from ear to ear.

Gage's grip on Mistletoe then tightened, as he saw the final body lying on it's back, right next to the man that was dressed in black… and it was the one that had the arrow go through his eye.

That made him instantly bunch up from fear… because he put all the pieces together just then, and figured out that those bodies were of the men and single woman that he had killed not that long ago. "W… What the fuck?!" He whispered to himself.

" _I could say the same thing._ "

"Alright, that's it. No more games tonight!"

The ghost's index finger began to press itself further and further against his crossbows trigger, and he had no problem with pulling it and ending the man's life… but Summer did. "Wait! Gage don't!"

"Agh!" Her objection caused Gage's ears to ring, and he just winced and screwed up his aim as he put one of his hands against the side of his temple, and he whispered to her with annoyance. "*sigh* ...What?!"

" _Gage, he set this all up for a reason. It's a trap and you're about to take the bait. I think it'd be best if we just move off while we still can!_ "

What he heard stunned him for a few seconds, and he donned an expression that said he was conflicted in whether to leave or test this person's bluff, and it made him angry to the point where he just chose to raise Mistle-bow and aim it at him again,

"... _We've seen enough bloodshed for one night, haven't we_? _And i know that you're not that far from being fatigued… so… please just take this opportunity not just for me, but for us both."_

"...What if this comes back to bite us in the ass? What then Summer?" He asked, as the man continued to whistle, and now began to walk slowly around the campfire, and the bodies they were spread out around the clearing.

"... _Then we'll handle it, and we'll survive. Just like you always do._ " Summer replied, which managed to appease her courier into loosening up his stance a bit as she went on. " _But… if we leave now, and walk away, then we will NEVER cross paths with this person again. I promise you_."

The fact that she was now seeming to be begging him to walk away from this basically jabbed his more sensitive side into action again, and her own emotions of stress or anxiety began to take him over, and lead him to relax his stance even further.

" _Gage_ … _Please_ …"

So, much to his displeasure, Gage eventually gave in, and just let out one last exhale as he cursed to himself, and finally lowered his shotgun completely. " *sigh* ...alright, fine. You win..." He sighed, as the color of his red eyes seemed to have settled a bit.

"...Fuck this guy." He mumbled. The ghost then gave the defiler one last glare, and tuned out his whistling as he just pulled on his collar, and started to slowly take a few steps back.

After he backed out of the wild brush he was hiding in, he took his eyes off of the whistler, and was about to turn around to start back towards the main road… until he heard a twig snap behind him… along with the cocking of a weapon.

"*click*"

That made him froze entirely, and it unknowingly saved him, as soon the barrel of a large firearm was pressed against the right side of his back, right as the voice of an unfamiliar girl whispered into his ear, rather playfully,

"...Hey there.~"

Fear instantly overcame him, and his red eyes grew large as he just stared straight ahead, and held his breath, still feeling the cold barrel of her weapon digging into his shoulder blade.

He panted after standing there in silence for nearly a minute, and eventually tilted his head towards her, which caused the girl to move her gun's barrel back a bit.

Once that weight lifted off of him, Gage felt that it was a que for him to turn himself completely around now to face her, so he took that chance, and did so… but was only able to get a glimpse of the girl.

She had pale skin, brown eyes, and short messy dirty-blonde colored hair, and wore an auburn colored sweatshirt, black fingerless gloves, black short shorts, a black thigh high sock on her left leg, a black stocking on her left that connected to her shorts, and lastly, black combat boots.

The one thing that pretty much made him become frozen in shock though, was the fact that she looked like she had been through hell, had a very wide smirk on her face… and the weapon she was aiming at him... was an incredibly heavy looking white and bronze colored M249 light machine gun!

And once Gage stopped, and hesitantly looked up into her eyes, the reason i said he caught a ' _glimpse'_ finally came full circle, as the girl suddenly pulled the trigger, and fired at the ghost nearly point blank!

"*BANG!*"

The singular round broke through his neon green aura like a shattering window, and hit somewhere near the right side of his upper chest, and caused blood to quickly spray out of him, and lightly coat the right side of his neck in his own red essence as he closed his eyes, and was pushed back due to the impact.

The ghost didn't make a sound, or anything. Hell, the mix of the blood, impact, and formation of the bullet hole looked like something straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie...

Gage just fell onto his back, and looked straight up into the sky as he began to hyperventilate, and felt the stinging pain pulsate throughout his entire body while his blood began to flow out of his wound, and down his chest.

Mistletoe was of course dropped onto the grass and leaf covered ground, and was stepped on by the mystery girl as she soon moved over Gage, and hovered above him as she lowered her weapon, and watched his eyes close.

Then, everything went black for him, and the only thing he was able to see before his vision faded away was that same girl… as her smile disappeared, and she just looked down at him with pity while she tried to ease him into drifting away with the sounds of the night…

"...You'll be alright… probably..."


	32. Not Too Late to Look Back

**Author's Note (IMPORTANT):** Back again, and first off i just want to apologize to you all about my recent inconsistency when it comes to uploading, since we only had one chapter come out during the whole month of February… which is another reason why I'm going for shorter chapters.

But besides that… guess what? The Desertion: _Part Two_ one year anniversary was six days ago! So i just have to thank you for all the feedback from before and recently, especially after what has happened plot wise! It helps me out alot, and… I think I'm actually going to make something special for you guys. Perhaps… a one or two shot, **that is canon to Desertion.** AND NO. It is not like some threesome smut thing… i swear that was the first thing one of my other friends thought of, but nevermind that

I won't go too far into it right now. I'll talk about it in the next chapter, since I still need time to plan. Now, finally, prepare yourself, and go read the new chapter! Oh, and just know that there may be a few… different perspectives from now on. But don't worry! I'll make sure not to switch between them too much.

(Also, for those who have the RWBY amino app, I just wanted to tell u guys that I changed my account name to the same one as my username here on the site, DatRtfantho! So follow, and pm me if you want, hell you can ask me questions about the story if you really want to, I don't mind at all! And also, who knows… maybe I'll just have to start posting sneak peeks of future chapters there. Huehuehue!)

 **Song:** In The House, In A Heartbeat by John Murphy

…

" _Wait… what about our prisoner?"_

" _...Kill him."_

" _...Why are you people still out here? All of these squads couldn't just be for little old me…"_

" _I… It's for someone else."_

" _WHO?!"_

 _"I-I don't know his name! None of us did!"_

"He was one of our prisoners, a really really important one… and he escaped his execution…"

 _"*sigh* ...Well, better him than me."_

…

 **Before That Night…**

…

Not that long after Gage's departure from his friends, Adam was told of Doctor Cordelia's demise along with the Wolves that were sent to guard him, and the fact that the ghost… and Blake both escaped with their lives was a surprise to him, but it was nothing to see as honorable.

He was still residing in the newest White Fang outpost on the opposite end of the Vacuo-Vale border than that of Bolin Peak, since him and his forces had to relocate after the Collectors took control of that base.

And now, the bull was walking through the makeshift cell block his men had constructed not that long before they had arrived, and he was determined to speak with their prisoner one last time… before he had to kill him, per Cinder's orders.

Adam was simply walking along down the block, and towards the prisoner's holding cell along with the White Fang lieutenant as the bull was trying to regulate his breathing through his respirator mask, "...So. How is our old friend?" He asked his beefed up lackey.

"He's still kicking If that's what you're asking, but barely. It's even beginning to look like he's asking for death." He replied.

"Hmm. *cough* ...Well then, this will be easier than I thought."

"Sir, what do you plan to do with him?"

Adam just ran his hand through his hair, and hacked a breath out by accident as they both reached the end of the hall they were walking down. "We're cutting him loose..." He replied, sarcastically.

The lieutenant hummed in confusion, and stopped walking as he tilted his head for the same reason, and just watched as his handler stopped in front of the prisoner's holding cell, "Y… You're not serious? Are you?! He already knows too much!-"

And of course, the faunus leader rolled his eyes and shook his head before he looled over at the large man, and coughed angrily,

"It was sarcasm you imbecile! *cough* …*wheeze*... If anything, i'm going to cut _his head_ loose from _his body_! Now open the door."

His automated and almost robotic voice made the lieutenant flinch with self stupidity, and he simply chose to stay quiet after that as he walked over to the cell door, and took his key ring off of his belt, "*sigh* ...Yes. Sorry sir…"

He then inserted the main key for the door, unlocked it, and took a step back as Adam pushed the door open while his hand remained on the hilt of Wilt and Blush.

The door creaked slightly open, until it was wide enough to allow the bull to lay his eyes upon his treasured captive.

He was sitting on the ground, wearing tattered and faded brown pants, and only another patch of fresh bandages that were wrapped around his face, only revealing his mouth, nose, green eyes, and a few strands of his hair, which was either a shade of brown or black, but it was too greasy to tell.

He looked to be barely alive, and limp as his right hand was handcuffed to a pipe that was on the wall but that was until the door opened completely, and he chose to look up at the bull with a tired grin.

"*huff* ...Long time… no see... " The man croaked.

Adam scoffed, and looked to his left to see that there was a small desk and chair, where a fellow White Fang member was sitting, just smoking a cigarette and fondling with his lighter as he leaned back in his seat and nodded at his leader,

"What's the order this time?"

"Leave, and go get something edible for our 'friend'. Perhaps some steak…"

"U… Um, can i ask why?" The guard asked him.

The prisoner then chuckled himself, and leaned his head back so he could look up at the ceiling while he closed his eyes at the same time. "Hah… *huff* ….Lemme guess… Last meal?" He guessed, seemingly trying to get a laugh out of them.

"You really are our brightest captive…" Adam replied.

The bull then gestured towards the human with his thumb, and nodded, which earned a sigh from the guard as he set his lighter down onto the desk, and got up before he walked out of the cell, and down the block hall in silence.

The lieutenant chose to chuckle because of the circumstances, and the prisoner also did the same, but weakly as he looked down at his weak legs. "Finally… and here i thought- *exhale* ...You were going to let me starve to death."

The bull shrugged to that, and leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed… but not without gripping his sword's hilt even more as he looked down at his captive. "I may hate humans, but you've shown an honorable amount of vigilance, so consider it a pitiful act from yours truly... *wheeze* ...However, i am still going to behead you."

"I mean…i'm only conscious for thirty seconds after separation so… least it won't be on an empty stomach, right? ...Hehe..."

He then pushed himself off of the structure of the doorway, and grumbled to himself as the man closed his eyes and looked like he was trying to rest… and for the first moment in a long time… he felt bad for the old man. It was more of a pitiful feeling although...

Soon after that was buried deep down inside of himself, the bull just turned and faced the lieutenant again so he could signal for him to move out of the doorway,and walk halfway out of the room as he continued to stare down at his prisoner like he was a starving animal.

"An hour and a half. That's how long you have to live. Take that time to reflect on your life if that's what you wish."

"*pant* ...Don't need to tell me twice, Taurus…"

And with that, the bull walked out, and closed the door… but not enough to engage lock, though he didn't think it mattered since his captive was still restrained. "It's a shame you outlived your usefulness…"

The White Fang lieutenant didn't bother about it either since the guard shifts were about to change, and with that, he followed Adam back down the hell, and put his key ring away.

"Shall i alert Torchwick and the small human girl of his fate?" He asked, as the bull's respirator mask exhaled, and let out a small gust of visible mist or steam while he nodded, "Yes, since i'm sure Neo would like to say goodbye to her little play thing…"

"Yes sir…"

…

After about ten minutes of silence inside of the cell, the same White Fang guard came back with a plate of some burnt-looking steak, some silverware, and a water bottle as he had a massive glared aimed towards the prisoner, mostly because it's been months since he's eaten something that good looking.

Anyway, he walked in, and lightly tossed the plate onto the ground before he did the same with the water, and turned back around so he could walk back outside into the hall, but not without speaking to the detained man briefly,

"Don't get any funny ideas… second guard is already on his way."

The prisoner just leaned forward, and gasped while he grabbed onto the water bottle like a beggar that was desperate for change as the first guard left again, and left the door wide open.

His free left hand was missing it's ring finger though, so he nearly tore the top half of the bottle open as he took off the cap, and took a big swig from it, with a little bit of the water dripping down from his lips by accident.

It tasted fresh, and cold, something he hadn't felt in his drinks for the couple of years… so he savored it, and began to pant as he just lowered it back onto the ground, and smiled down at his steak with another tiny chuckle,

"Hah… hah… *gulp* ...Jesus. Hehe…"

He grabbed the piece of meat and felt it up a bit before he latched down onto it with his aching teeth, and could barely tear off a piece of it without feeling some sort of pain in his mouth, but he didn't care.

The man dug into that piece of steak like an animal, and didn't care about any manners as he stuffed his face and eventually had to take a break, putting the steak back down onto it's plate with another huff…

...But then, as he did that, and wiped his lips clean… he saw something peculiar on his plate. It was the aforementioned silverware, which included a regular fork… and also… a steak knife.

"...What the?" The sight of it dazed him beyond belief, so he picked it up and held it in front of himself with a baffled expression as he questioned who the hell was dumb enough to give this to him as apart of his final meal. "Those dumbasses really think that one handcuff can restrain me..."

Random thoughts began to cross his mind just then. '...How long did he say until he would come back? ...How sharp is this knife? ...Is the door still not closed? ...Would the next guard have the keys to my handcuffs? And ….How long would I have to run'?

These questions were about… escaping from this place. Something he hadn't thought about in a long time. And now… it was his last chance to plan and get out, or at least die trying.

He'd rather have that than to just bend over and take whatever the Fang had planned for him… and besides… he knew that there was at least maybe a few people left on Remnant that he wanted to see before he died… that is, if they are still alive.

However, in the end… that feeling eventually reassured him that he had to at least try, because without that determination, then there was no point in caring at all if he was to just welcome death eloquently.

So with that… the prisoner stared down at the steak knife blankly for a few seconds before he just sighed, and put the thing into his back pocket as a part of his plan, and a backup began to form in his head.

The twist though… was that he knew he had to have a massive amount of both luck and energy to pull it off successfully, and that was something he had been lacking for a very long time. But… this could be his Last Day on Remnant, so he couldn't give in to his pessimistic thinking.

And after a few minutes of contemplation, the man leaned his head back against the wall of his cell, and began to switch between eating his remaining steak, and drinking his water slowly… in hope that he would gain at least some energy to run.

But, that could only happen… if the newly forming plan inside of his head could prevail within the next half hour…

…

After repeating his plan over and over inside of his head for so long that the time seemed to accelerate, the prisoner heard footsteps come down the hall, and eventually the new guard to take the shift entered, and sighed as he glanced at the man.

The first thing the man did, was smile at him, despite the guard's disgusted look, and he just asked, "Hey… what time is it?" While he was still trying to look weakened.

"It's eleven A.M." He replied,as he went to go sit down at the desk, and he continued to stare at the prisoner. "Why do you want to know? It's not like it matters to you anymore."

"...Just wanted to say good morning… that's all."

"Hmph…" The guard then huffed, and leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms and looked around the room in utter boredom… but soon, his attention turned to something else, that was on the desk.

It was the lighter, that the previous guard had left behind… and once the prisoner noticed that the man's gaze was fixated on it, he chuckled on the inside, and looked down at the floor again as he moved his free hand towards the back wall, and near his back pocket.

While he did this, the faunus stopped staring at the thing, and shook his head before he took a walkie talkie off of his belt, and turned it on so he could report back to the nerve center they had set up in another building on their compound.

"This is number seven checking in, captive is still passive, but seems more lively."

"*bloop*"

" _Roger seven, check back in ten mikes, homebase, out._ " A voice replied from the other end of the guard chat frequency.

The radio blooped again, and stopped letting out static as the man put it on top of the desk, and went to grab the lighter… and that was when the prisoner decided it was his time to finally strike.

He let out one last silent exhale, and turned to the guard with a fake exhausted looking stare as he waved his handcuffed hand at him, and easily got his attention. "Hey... You there..."

"*sigh* ...What do you want?" He asked him, looking rather pissed that he had been interrupted by the captive.

The man simply coughed, and tore off a bit of the bandages that were on his face, (on the right side), and let some of the scars on his skin become visible, as he stared dead into the guard's eyes with the last bit of helplessness he could still feel inside of himself,

"...I just want a smoke before I die. And you wouldn't happen to have one, would you?"

That made the faunus just sneer at the captive, who in turn just smiled, and tilted his head slightly in amusement as he watched the guard take the thing off of the desk. "And why should I give you one?"

"Wouldn't you want one before you had to go?" The prisoner asked in return, while he slouched and relaxed his body to make it seem like he was physically weak. "And it's just a small request anyway. My last one."

The younger soldier scoffed, and eventually grumbled as he took a cigarette box out of his pocket, and took one of them out as the lighter was launched into the air by him.

"Hmph…" Once it came back down and he caught it in his palm, the guard slowly stepped over to the captive, but made sure to keep a steady eye on him as he knelt down in front of him. "Well… yeah, I suppose I would want one too..."

Right as the prisoner took that knee, and opened his mouth to let the guard place the cig in between his lips, he also let his hand brush against the handle of the steak knife, and he looked straight up into the eyes of the faunus with a grin as he opened up the zippo lighter, and tried to turn on its flame.

When it finally began to emit the fire, the faunus huffed internally, and lit the end of the cigarette before he just put his hand down, and continued to look down at the man as he inhaled the smoke.

And finally, after letting it all out in a very long exhale, the captive sighed again after that… and stared into his captor's eyes one last time as the older man smiled, and leaned forwards, up off of the wall that he was laying against. "Hey kid…"

"*sigh* ...Yeah?"

"...Thank you."

Then, in an act that was so swift that it was nearly impossible to see coming, the prisoner grunted, and jammed the knife into the side of the guard's neck once he took it out of his back pocket, and he soon just pushed the blade forward along his neck.

The initial reaction the faunus was to drop the cigarette pack he was holding in his hand, and lunge at the man he was trying to look after… but he soon regretted it afterwards, as the knife moved across his throat, and created a cut that almost went from ear to ear. "AGGH!"

The blade soon reached the left end of the younger man's neck, causing blood began to flood out of the large incision, and down his neck like a waterfall as the prisoner just let go of the knife, and wrapped his free arm around the back of the faunus's head.

He pulled him close, and pressed his face against his chest as he felt the blood cover and run down his body, and the guard just gurgled, and panted more and more until he couldn't any longer, and he slowly stopped moving while the man continued to smother him.

"I'm sorry!" This struggle went on for a good two minutes, but it eventually stopped along with the captor, as he soon let out one raspy breath… and finally became limp, dead at the hands of the person he was suppose to be looking after. "...I'm sorry…"

When the knowledge of his death became clear, the older men exhaled loudly, and let go of the corpse, allowing it to slowly turn and fall on its side so it was now resting right beside him as he slouched a bit in exhaustion, and covered his eyes with his now blood-covered arm.

"*pant* *pant* *pant*"

The impact of his action immediately took it's toll on him to the point where he already started to stifle and hold back any tears, but now wasn't the time for that.

"*huff* ...fuck that…. *huff*" He shook his head once again, and used his hand to turn the dead faunus flat on his back, and he began to search the corpse for his key ring.

It took all of his strength lean forwards and guide his one shaking and bloody hand close enough to pull the corpse closer to himself, and it took the same amount of restraint to not throw up and stay quiet… but he remained vigilant, and pulled through.

The man checked his front and back pockets, his overcoat pocket, and lastly on his belt/waistline to see if they were chained onto there… but they weren't!

"...W… What?" He let out a small gasp and began to hyperventilate after that realization, and he became so desperate that he just began to scan the entire room for some sort of random coat hanger they were placed on or to see that they were on top of the guard's desk…

...But there was nothing of the sort.

"No… N-No, n-no,no, no…" The prisoner gasped, and kept turning his head back and forth hopelessly as his eyes grew wider and wider, and his pleading and voice grew louder until he gritted his teeth, and yanked his handcuffed hand forwards with desperation, "No.. damn it, NO!"

The cuff instantly left a small incision on his wrist, thanks to the wounds from his previous attempts, along with the weakened skin that had been damaged by malnourishment, and it just caused him to lean forwards and scream at the door to his cell in anger.

"DAMN IT!"

He remained in that outwards position for a good minute as his scream died out, and his breaths became quieter as some spit came down from his lips, due to how caught up in the moment he was. But, the anger he felt died down, and turned into sorrow not that long after his body settled, and he chose to sit back down against the wall once again before he turned, and looked down at the man he had just killed with another low sigh.

The steak knife was still embedded in the side of his neck, and he chose to pull it out slowly, and clasp it tightly in his own palm as he rested it gently on his thigh… and felt the blood from his restrained wrist seep down his arm, and it eventually began to drip off onto the ground.

And… weirdly enough, it grabbed his attention...ow easily it seemed to create the cut to the point that it bled, and… then… he soon figured out that there in fact _was_ another way for him to break free from the handcuff…

Key items began to point themselves out to him. The first was of course his right hand that was in the cuff, then the… belt that the dead soldier had on his pants… the lighter that had fallen onto the ground in front of him…. and the last, was of course the steak knife.

The moment the connection between those three items were made clear to the prisoner, he steadied his breathing, and slowly raised the blade back up until it was right in front of his eyes, which focused on it's tip instantly.

He knew that his aura was nearly nonexistent at this point, and that restrained hand was definitely broken… so now… all that was holding the thing together was just flesh and tendons! "I'm not crazy… i'm desperate…" He muttered to himself.

The prisoner said this, and slowly turned towards his injured limb... As an enraged, and seething scowled formed across his left as he lunged towards the corpse that was next to him.

His belt came off first, and after that, the man tried his best to tie it around his cuffed arm with one hand, all while he kept repeating that same phrase over and over again in a crazed, yet nervous manner.

"I'm not crazy, i'm desperate-I'm not crazy, i'm desperate-I'm not crazy, i'm desperate!-I'M NOT CRAZY, I'M DESPERATE!"

Once he made the knot tight enough, and could feel the intense pressure that was being put on his right arm… the man just stopped his murmuring, and let out a small whimper/exhale, or more of a mix between the two before his gaze shifted downwards… and finally towards the one bloody blade that he had at his disposal.

This was his only way out now, to take off a piece of himself so the rest would live… and it was unimaginable to say the least… but then again… it seemed a lot better to him to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

So, with that last piece of Grimm reassurance that everything would work out in his favor, the prisoner picked up the knife, and shut his eyes as he moved it over to his wrist… and let it hover above it for a few seconds before he slowly lowered it down onto his skin… and angrily went through with the act.

Blood curdling screams, gasps, and cries of pain were the only thing to be heard from the inside of that cell for numerous minutes… but eventually, they came to a close, as the sound of silence consumed that cell block again just like it had before…

…

Around half an hour later, Adam, the White Fang Lieutenant, Roman, and Neo found themselves walking down their makeshift prison block again, of course so they could watched their beloved prisoner's demise together.

Roman honestly looked bored beyond belief, but he stayed since Neo looked so interested when she was told of what would be happening today, so he forced himself to follow his apprentice.

"*yawn* ...Adam, you think we could just get this out of the way quickly?" He asked the bull, who just sighed in response as they reached the door of the cell they were looking for.

Neo was already there, waiting in anticipation like the little crazed psycho that she was, and she simply had her hands folded as she watched Adam stop in front of the door, and put his hand on the door handle. He rolled his eyes again, and went to push the door open… but strangely, it wouldn't budge. It just remained shut, and Adam pounded his shoulder against it in another attempt for it to move, but it still did nothing.

"*wheeze* ...I swear, if he fell asleep on the job…"

The bull pounded again, and knocked one more time before Neo impatiently kicked the metal door too, which soon caused the Lieutenant to tense up a bit as he took a walkie-talkie off of his belt, and turned it on to their communication frequency.

"Razortooth to Baseplate." He hailed them, with an audible sigh as he just had his chainsaw in his other hand… in case Adam asked for it. "Tell seven that he's relieved of his duty..."

The same voice from earlier then talked back from the other end, and honestly sounded a little alarmed, and it was not a good sign, "He hasn't checked in for the last three sweeps. We were about to tell you about it actually, because we made sure that all of our radios were in working condition."

Roman squinted at that statement, since three sweeps meant three ten minute intervals to the rest of them, and they made it an avid rule for the guards of that specific captive to check in every ten minutes, and he was sure Adam's banging would have woken him up by now…

...So they all knew something was wrong.

Adam immediately backed away from the cell door before he just turned to the lieutenant, and coughed as he tried to speak through his respirator cleanly, "Get this door open, *cough* ...Now!"

"Yes sir!"

With that, the Lieutenant instantly put his radio away, and equipped his chainsaw with both of his hands before he revved it up angrily, and stabbed it deep into the cell door, causing sparks to fly as he began to cut through the metal.

It was able to cut through it easily, since it's saw tips were actually equipped with fire dust at the moment, so it just revved louder and burned brighter along with the sparks it was emitting, until he managed to cut upwards diagonally to the right, and the top half of the door just fell over, and into the cell.

Once the sound of the large half of the door hitting the ground was heard, Adam kicked open the remaining lower half, and burst into the room as he put his hand on his sword's hilt, while Roman and Neo followed, with their weapons also drawn.

The Lieutenant called out the real name of guard seven, but he got no response at all, and when the other three entered the cell… Roman and Neo both slouched in shock, and were all just staring down at the ground, where the prisoner would have been sitting.

As for Adam… he was absolutely baffled at first, before he let go of Wilt and Blush, clenched both balled both of his fists… and just began to scream like a madman, as his mask let out another cloud of mist, that at this point could be seen as angry steam,

"...No! NO!"

His hands were then clasped against this sides of his head, and soon enough, Neo looked absolutely horrified… and Roman… looked defeated, for probably the first time in his life, as the bull just kept repeating the word, 'NO!', over and over again as his rage reached it's peak.

And the thing that brought them to this state? ...Was the scene that was sprawled out before them inside of that tiny cell, and how bad they knew this would affect them…

There, on the ground in front of them laid the body of 'seven', with his throat slit… and with his shirt missing strangely enough… but what laid beside him… next to the plate that had the prisoner's final meal served on it earlier… was a missing right hand, that was severed from the person they were suppose to be executing…

It had a massive blood trail coming from where the separation had been made, and it was just lying there on the cold floor, pale, with the palm facing the ceiling as it's fingers were limp, and extended outwards from the palm…

Adam's screaming and yelling grew to the point where it could cause vocal damage to whatever was left of his voice box, and he continued to do this… as everyone was now just staring at the lightly swaying pair of handcuffs on the wall that were covered in that same faded red essence.

"*wheeze* ...NO! NO!"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

"*pant* …*pant* …*pant!*"

The captive was nearly half an hour away by foot at this point, and was running aimlessly through a barely lit forest, as it was dawn, and he was beginning to become lightheaded because of… well, the obvious.

He was able to escape out of the White Fang compound easily, thanks to his… unknown semblance, and the fact that the pain of his missing hand had done as much to silence him from speaking.

Now, he ran without a purpose, but with a smile on his face, as he occasionally passed by a tree, and came close to accidentally walking into it, but he managed to stop himself by using his one hand to keep him from doing so.

His now missing right hand had been cauterized thanks to the lighter that his guard was holding, and he even used his shirt to wrap it up just in case, though it still wasn't enough to stop him from becoming weakened.

So eventually, he began to slow down, and found himself to be walking slowly through the 'meadow' of tall trees, until he reached a clearing… and saw an actual meadow of dandelions welcome him to the world of the free once again.

When he saw them, and felt the warm rays of the sun beat down on his pale skin… it moved him to laughter, as he soon fell to his knees, and bowed his head while he smiled… and felt his eyes as they began to feel heavy.

"That worked… it… it actually worked… hehe."

The prisoner, or free man, whispered this to himself, and one of the petted the small yellow flowers delicately, but only for a few seconds before he chuckled one last time, and fell onto his side in the middle of that sunny field, all alone…

The flowers brushed up against him, and made him turn and lay on his back so he was looking up at the sun again… without any sense of regret or urge to get up or stay awake. He just didn't care anymore… he was finally free.

And before he knew it, time passed. The sun got higher and higher in the sky, and soon it began to lower slowly, until his vision began to fade to darkness.

However, it was more of a red-ish mist that surrounded him, which went away as quickly as it appeared… but then, after that… a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and loomed over him cautiously.

From what he could tell, since she was bending over, the person was a lady with black hair, dressed in armored clothes that had a dark red color… and she had a bright white and red colored grimm mask, that made him become startled in his light headed state.

"...No… no…" He repeated, as his eyes grew wide and he struggled to stare up at the woman. "P… Please, just let me go! i'm no use to you people anymore. I don't even know where we ar-"

But, before he could finish his plea, the woman covered his mouth with her hand, before she shushed him, and scanned the area around them carefully. "Shhh… i'm not here to hurt you!"

He began to breathe heavily, and continued to stare up to her with fear in his eyes… and after the woman finished checking out their surroundings, she glanced back down at him, and slowly took off her grimm mask… to reveal that she was Raven Branwen!

"R… *huff* ...Raven?" The man asked, feeling both shocked and relieved in the same moment.

The fact that he was able to recognize her reassured Raven that this was the person that she was looking for… and it brought a smile to her face. Something incredibly rare for the rogue.

"Yes, it's me. It's me… you don't have to worry anymore." She then moved her hand across the man's bandage covered cheek, and looked at down at his amputation with a blank expression."I'm going to get you out of here… somewhere safe."

"...Raven… W… What happened?"

His vision began to fade again, and Raven only looked down at him once more, as she smiled, stared into his eyes… and answered him with a smirk right before he fell unconscious,

"...We have a lot to talk about."

…

 **Present Day…**

…

"*huff* ...Agh… *huff* ...G…"

"Shhh…"

Gage was finally able to regain his own vision, and was instantly taken back by the seething pain he felt in his right shoulder, but when he groaned in pain… he was silenced by the voice of the girl who had shot him earlier.

He was being held up by his shoulders by that same blonde girl… and another one, who looked more pitiful than the other as they both were dragging him towards the clearing with the campfire he had been scouting earlier.

The second girl appeared to have light brown hair that was held up in a messy ponytail, and she had orange colored eyes, and lightly tanned skin, and she even looked to be around Gage's age as well.

"Just shut up, listen, and you'll come out of this okay. You can trust us…" She warned him, with a clear, but serious glare aimed at him.

The ghost didn't reply, and was dragged further along until they were in front of the whistling man from earlier, with the fire behind him just illuminating him… and three others who stood behind him, in a row. And this 'Whistler', was finally revealed to him.

He was a rather built man who was clearly within his fifties or late forties, and had clear green eyes. He wore a black leather biker esque jacket, black leather gloves, jeans, and boots… but strangely, his arms and ankles had chains wrapped around them. Not to restrain him, but just as an aesthetic touch.

That wasn't exactly ominous to the ghost though. Instead the bloodied bandages that were wrapped around his bald head took that cake, since the blood looked to be old... and to be coming from the top of his head...

When Gage managed to get a good look at him, he was dropped by the two girls, who both now looked to be around his age, and they just moved over to the whistler's side, and stood in line with the rest of his apparent men blankly.

...They also held all of his weapons with them by the way.

Now, the ghost fell to his knees, and put his two hands down on the ground in front of him to keep himself from falling over before he just pushed himself back up, and tried his best to keep his posture straight.

Gage had a blanket, or some tarp thing wrapped his body, andhe held onto one of its edges while he was looking down at his chest… and could see that his suede jacket had been opened, and his shirt and chest were drenched with his own blood.

"...F...Fucking… damn it… *huff*

He panted, and nearly bent over in pain once that feeling spread out across his body again, but when he cursed at himself… the whistler let out a small chuckle, and lowered the blunt object he was still holding a bit so it's tip would skid against the ground… as he began to walk towards his captured prey.

He wasn't fast with his steps either, just slow, and small ones entirely… as the chains on his ankles rattled, and caused the ghost to lean back up, and look at the man with clear frustration and anger in his red eyes.

That only made him laugh some more before he just stopped right in front of him, and stared down at him with a bright, yellow-toothed smile as he finally greeted him, insultingly.

"Jesus… i didn't think little 'ole Riley could do such a thing to someone. Still, i gotta say, it looks like you're taking that bullet like a champ! I mean goddamn, you're bleeding all over the place..."

That, was when the identity of his weapon became clear thanks to the fire behind the man. And… it looked to be a cricket bat that was crossed with the barrel of a double barrel shotgun… that was also, wrapped in chains.

"Shit, right… introductions, hehe." He chuckled again, as he looked around himself, and at the five dead bodies of the White Fang soldiers that Gage had killed nearly an hour ago. "You've certainly made an interesting one… so allow me to do the same."

The man then took notice of where the ghost's eyes were, and he smiled even more before he put the thing over his shoulder in a relaxed manner as he continued to look down, and smirked at the ghost,

"Hi… i'm Orin. And you are?"

Gage only kept his eye contact with him for a few seconds before he locked his jaw at him in anger, and lowered his head a bit as he began to shake both from the coldness of the night… and the cold feeling he felt all that time ago, back at the docks of Vale…

...The coldness that would come before death. Which, scared him to the point where he began to silently hyperventilate, but only with wheezes, since he also began to taste blood in his mouth at the same time.

But this man, Orin, was impatient in waiting for his answer, and soon the smile on his face disappeared, and was replaced with a look of annoyance, before he just shook his head, and lowered his weapon from his shoulder once again.

"...I get it, strong but silent type right? That's something i can appreciate… but now's not exactly the time for that, since it looks like you're struggling to keep your eyes open… and i don't want to be robbed of the chance to beat the holy hell out of you if it comes to that.~"

Once the threat was made towards him, Gage let out two low breaths that were seen thanks to the cold air, and he looked up at Orin with his red eyes shining clearly into his own with rage as he also tried to put pressure on his own wound, "R... Rrrgh, If you're going to kill me, then just do it!"

His sudden outburst startled all five of his captors, making them flinch a bit, but surprisingly they didn't decide to silence him just yet, so he went on. "I'm… *pant* ...already bleeding out here, and I don't have anything to keep me going! So go ahead… *pant* ...Just do it!" He yelled.

"Heh… now why would i do that?" Orin asked, while his eyes seemed to have lightened up with a bright sinister flame before he continued, and got on one knee to be on the same level as Gage.

Then, he looked down at his hostage humorously as he pointed and gestured back and forth between him and the bodies of the White Fang soldiers over and over again, but eventually stopped, and pointed on him with his weapon, looking amused.

"You walked out of a White Fang compound, and you managed to take these five down within minutes of each other, and by yourself? That's some clear talent right there, especially out here!"

Right after he finished this sentence, the ghost leaned back a bit, and his eyes dilated and looked back at Orin with both fear, and repulsion in the same exact instant. "W… What."

His question made the whistler smile even more, and he did just that as he mockingly held his hand to his ear, and gestured for him to speak again. "...What was what?~"

"T… That first part…"

"Oh yeah… forgot to mention that we've been tracking you for the last eight days. We were honestly just going to kill that group of yours and take your shit, but then we saw where you were going…"

Now, the man cocked his head to the side, and began to pace back and forth as he explained more and more… and the longer he went on, the more the ghost's eyes became dull.

And eventually, his red eyes darkened, and soon changed their color again, not to their normal turquoise color however… but to their silver shade, which… made him become even angrier with his, and Summer's emotions.

"...And once you walked out, the rest of your buddies left in some airship, so we thought it would have been better to deal with one angry teenager rather than seven."

"But let's face it, you would rather have it this way… right?" He asked, sarcastically.

Gage moved his mouth in an effort to say something, but nothing came out… so instead he chose to nod weakly, which urged the older man to point down at him with both enthusiasm… and appreciation? Whatever it was, it was something that was beyond predictable.

"Exactly! And that loyalty… is _exactly_ what i'm looking for. So, i don't want to kill you… i want you to work with me, to fix this little turf war the Fang's having with the rest of Vale."

"...I'm… i'm not- *cough!*" The ghost tried to look up at him, but was interrupted once again as he coughed, and tasted some more blood come up and out of his mouth.

The blood landed on the cold dirt below, and right in front of Orin's feet, who soon hummed and stepped over it, as he quickly glanced back at the dead bodies of the faunus from earlier...

"I know you have some beef with them… seeing how fucked up their corpses are, it's obvious. This way… you'll get to kill them like the filthy animals they are, and no one will shame you for it."

"And don't worry, you'll get something out of it." Orin then looked back at his followers, and listed off a few essential things… until his eyes stopped on the two girls that were dragging Gage from earlier. "Whether it's money, dust, food… or just the sweet asses of our two girl's back there, just ask and you'll receive. I promise."

The two girls shuddered, and stayed in the same position, and looked ashamed as they stared at the two men… but, that was until Gage coughed out his reply, and looked back up at Orin with resilience, "...No..." He whispered, viciously.

"*pant* ...I didn't kill them out of hate for their race, only for what they did. It's just vengeance, and i'm going to find the one i'm looking for… eventually."

"Those five just got in my way… and now, you are too." And now, before he knew it, the ghost gripped the side of the grey blanket even tighter, gestured over to the dead bodies with a nod, almost like they were nothing.

Then, with a snarl on his face, and fire returning to his silver eyes, he opened his mouth even further, and yelled back in protest to whatever he had planned, and right as his new white Aura was close to reforming a barrier around his body!

"So… no. *pant* ...I am not going to kill anyone out of prejudice, and i'm sure as hell not going anywhere with you! Not today, not tomorrow, and not goddamn ever!-AUGH!"

But of course, he was silenced before his aura could piece itself back together, as Orin raised his cricket bat/shotgun off of the ground, and bashed it against the left side of Gage's face, and shattered the white shield into pieces once again,

"Well then… i guess i'm just not going to give you a choice anymore."

He fell to his left, and landed on his right side with so much force, that he thought he could feel his brain rattle, and a small blood trail seeped out from his mouth, and down his lips and chin, dripping onto the dirt he was laying on while he groaned and panted.

After that… he didn't even have enough energy to pick himself back up, so he laid there and struggled for a bit before even more blood started to gently travel down from the left side of his forehead, and it obscured the vision in his left eye with redness…

Gage panted, and gasped, barely even able to hear Orin as he began to speak again over the ringing in his ears… but then something caught his attention. Something small… that was lying on the ground in front of him.

"A… Agg...ghhh…. T…."

It was only until he propped himself up a bit with his right elbow, and let his right eye focus on the object to see that it was… the small ornament that Yang had given him for Christmas, and he forgot that the thing was still attached to his belt until now, thanks to it's now broken keychain ring.

"T… *huff* ...T… *wheeze* ...Taiyo…-c-chan…"

He reached out to it with his metal arm, and was only able to cover it with his palm before he tried to look back up, and saw that Orin was turned towards his group, just as the ghost's body began to shake lightly, and the bridge of his nose began to bleed as well.

"...But you'll learn your place among us kid, and you'll come to enjoy it… am i right?"

He asked the rest of his gang this with open arms, and the five of them, including the two younger girls, all nodded in agreement… but only two of them smiled as they all also spoke and reassured him of their loyalty.

" _Yes_ …"

Their eerie reply made him laugh again, and turn back towards Gage one last time, and saw that his face was bleeding and his hand was still clasping the small object that was not visible to him, but it didn't phase him.

So, he just kicked a little bit of dirt over the ghost's hand, covering it lightly in dirt and grey dust. "You heard 'em. So don't you worry your little head about the future, cuz we'll have you covered." He whispered.

That, was when the ghost finally folded, and allowed himself to lie back down onto the cold dirt once again while his gasps became quieter, and he was only able to grasp Yang's small glass box with the remaining amount of his strength right as his vision started to dwindle again...

"Now, it's getting awfully late… so i think it's time you went beddy-bye, friend." Orin came closer, and soon found himself standing in front of Gage's head with another smile, and just watched as he turned and laid on his back in defeat.

"Oh yeah… and one last thing…"

And finally, the whistler raised up his foot so it hovered right above his, 'new friend's', face with savagery in his dark eyes before he ultimately stomped down onto the ghost's cranium, and made sure that dark bottom of his boot would be last thing he would see this night... rather than the white light of Remnant's shattered moon…

"...Welcome to the _real_ world!"


	33. The Letter 'Y'

**Author's Note:** *sigh* ...Yeah I know it's been a month, i hate myself just as much as you do. So I'm going to jump right into it, okay? Okay, so, the special two-shot I mentioned last chapter will be a prequel to Desertion as a whole, and it will be about Gage's Parents, and his Uncle a few months before he is even born, and right as the White Fang come out of the shadows!

The main protagonist will switch between Gage's dad, and his uncle, Emrus Sim, and it will be under the family and tragedy genres/categories, so… bring your tissues! I'll of course tell you guys when it is up and available here on the site, but just know if chapters are taking longer to be put out, then this is why!

Now, I've got a beefy chapter for all of you here! So i won't talk much about it too much, other than we'll finally be catching up with RWBY… and Yang after the events of chapter thirty. However we may not see them again for a while, but that's just a maybe, so please take that with a grain of salt! XD

 **Song:** Hurt by Nine Inch Nails

 **Author's Fun Fact #4:** So far, Penny is the only character in Volumes One and Two that hasn't interacted with any of the main protagonists in RWBY: Desertion, or Desertion: Part Two. At least in their storylines. The male half of CFVY, and even all of CRDL and SSSN have at least had some encounter with our main characters!

…

 **Nine Days Ago…**

…

Gage's departure left a massive blow on Yang, as she remained in the same spot she was in when he said his final goodbye, and disappeared from her life, presumably forever.

Her, the rest of her Team, and Sun and Neptune were still at the Wisteria Penitentiary, but they were all standing by her side in her lowest moment, despite their own mixed emotions as well. They were all in front of the main gate of the prison, and were simply staring through it's opening, and towards the horizon as it looked like dawn was breaking.

Ruby was sitting beside her older sister as she was on her knees still, and she hugged her from the side tightly while they were both crying, almost at the same level. Sun was standing to the right of them, with his back to everyone else, and he was holding a sobbing Blake, as she too couldn't contain herself.

Neptune was sitting down, a little further from the group, and he was staring off into the distant Vale countryside… seemingly detached from what to feel about what happened. He didn't feel sad, or happy. He just felt indifferent.

And as for Weiss… she was standing next to her blonde teammate with her arms crossed, and with her head hanging low… as to not show everyone else that she was also quietly in tears.

But… unpredictably, Yang was doing the worst out of all of them. She was simply sitting there, on her knees, with her half opened bloodshot and teary lilac colored eyes aimed at where her Care-Bear was standing last before he left her.

She let out the occasional sniffle every few seconds, and started to become a little louder with her sobs as the sun finally came out, and shined brightly over that horizon, all while they were staring at it blankly,

"...He's not coming back, is he?" Weiss asked ominously, while she tried not to sniffle.

"...No." Sun frowned, and glanced back at the heiress with dullness in his eyes as he answered her insensitively, something strange even for his character. "It's been two hours. So, I don't think-"

Yang let out another small gasp, and shut her eyes as she shook her head and more tears began to roll down her cheeks, looking visibly broken on the inside, "Damn it, You… *gasp* ...You can't just assume that!" She yelled at them with her broken voice.

This caused her little sister to look up at the two, and closed her eyes tightly as she laid her head against the brawler's shoulder, and hugged her even more,

"Yang... *sniffle* ...You know that we can't stay here…"

The sounds of her reality then returned to the blonde, as she turned and looked around at the decimated prison that surrounded her, with the sounds of flames and smoke drowning out the traumatic ringing in her ears.

The two explosions that their little strike team had set off were still burning, along with the wreck of Cordelia's giant Atlesian Paladin that Gage had basically implanted into the entrance of the Cellblock building, but luckily they weren't as violent as they were a few hours ago.

Ash, black smoke, and cinders filled the air around everyone whilst the first light of the new day soon shined upon them all, with the fiery silt and dust blowing past and around Yang every few seconds.

It matched the brightness of her beautiful blonde hair as it soon glowed with angst, along with her red eyes as well, even though she had to force them to change from their lilac color so she could try and feel any other emotion other than heartbreak...

"*sniffle* ...They'll be coming for us…"

She continued to stare at the sun for a while… until, something blocked it out from them all for a brief moment. Yang couldn't see what it was, but soon the whirring of an airship could be heard, and Weiss called it out once it could be seen clearly,

"Hey… look, it's Emile's ship!"

Everyone raised their heads up, and Yang even tried to stand up as well, but she instead winced in pain, and felt her eyes water up again thanks to that.

The heartbreak wasn't enough of a weight on her apparently, as her back felt a mix between being broken and on fire, along with the palm of her left hand, which was bloodied thanks to how rough the bottom of that Paladin's foot was.

However, Ruby soon noticed her sister's struggle and helped her stand on her feet as the ship stopped above them, turned horizontally, and began to descend onto the prison's main courtyard.

But, not even before it landed, the ship's side door opened and Emile could be seen standing there, and he smiled at them all at first… until he saw the dullness of their eyes.

"Looks like you guys sure started something. I could hear the blast from where i was set down!" That, was when he stepped out of the ship and took two steps towards them all, since the ship was hovering a foot off of the ground, "But then i remembered how many explosives i gave you, so i didn't worry until the sun started to come up…"

Blake and Sun immediately disregarded him however, and went to enter the ship along with Neptune, and Weiss was about to follow… but she just couldn't leave Ruby and Yang there to explain it themselves… they were closer to Gage than she was after all.

So, she tried to say something once the Collector got closer… but her lip quivered in an attempt to speak, and nothing came out of it, which alarmed Emile even more once he took notice or how glossy their eyes were...

"...What's wrong? Wait… where's Gage?"

He asked them this, and only got silence in return from all three of the girls, and even Yang started to breathe more rapidly again while Ruby looked away and at the ground, and Weiss chose to simply continue to stare at Emile with a somber look on her face.

With this sudden lack of information being given to him, the older man's expression sunk, and… it looked like the light faded from his own blue eyes as well before he just asked them about it upfront. "...Is he dead?"

"...No.*sniffle* ...He's just gone."

Yang was about to try her best to explain the event as best as she could before she would start to become frantic again, but Ruby didn't want her to go through that again… so she took it upon herself to do just that,

"He found out who he was looking for, and i guess it was so much for him... that it just woke up something else inside of him… something violent."

"After that it was… crazy. But by the end, that doctor guy was dead, and Gage almost killed Yang by accident… sort of…"

"What?" Once the color returned to Emile's face, he straightened his posture again, and cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Cordelia's dead? And he… he almost-"

"YES!" Weiss then lowered her head and shouted at him, making sure that her bangs moved and blocked her eyes from being seen by the rest of them, "Gage killed him, and two other faunus, and then… he almost killed her too."

"But after he stopped himself from doing it, he saw her and went back to normal. Whatever had a hold on him went away, and he… couldn't believe any of it. H… He didn't want to..."

"...Where'd he go?" He asked her, taking a few looks around the area to try and somehow spot the invisible outline of Gage's figure, even though he was long gone. "...He left."

Both Weiss and Ruby wanted to tell him, but before they could… Yang stopped them, and answered his question with one of her hands covering her right eye in an attempt to dry it, "*sniffle* ...He was afraid that he could be taken over again, *gasp* ...And that none of us would be safe around him anymore, so he just left us!"

"Christ…" Em mumbled, as he rubbed his face and sighed heavily.

"We have to look for him. There's bound to be some sort of trail, or tracks, or something! *sniffle* ...So we need go while we still can!"

Ruby's voice almost gave out again, so Emile tried his best to reassure her… even though he knew that none of them would like what he had to say. "We'll look for him, i promise... But not now. We need to leave before the Fang gets here, and trust me, they're coming as we speak."

Her, Yang, and Weiss all looked sceptical and sad at the same time, but he looked them dead in the eyes, and made it clear that he was 100% serious about the whereabouts of their enemy...

"I saw them. A huge search team moving through that field my ship was on, and they woulda found me if my ship didn't have it's cloaking feature." Yang let out a shaky breath, and subsequently shook her head frantically with another sniffle. "That's exactly why we need to find him! We can't just leave him out here with them and the Grimm lurking about!"

"Yes, we can!"

They all froze then, and looked up at him, a little frightened by his volume, and just watched as he pulled down his hood, and exhaled with clear frustration, "...He has the advantage. He has his weapons, his Invis', and that survival instinct he had back when he was out at Mountain Glenn. And unlike us, he knows how to cover his trail, so it won't be easy for them to find him either."

"And either way, you can't go out there to look for him right now. Ya' look like crap, and you can barely walk! You'd last not even a day by yourself, so you need us, and we can't go right now."

"...i can't just leave him… *sniffle* ...I just can't..." Yang gasped quietly, as Ruby closed her eyes and leaned her body against her older sister's side.

"Yang... We'll find 'em, or at least something of him. I have wings, and you have wheels. All we need now is time, and we'll get it once your body heals… then, we'll go and search for him, together."

"As for him… he'll survive. Just like he always does."

His words were followed up with a few howls that came from the creatures of grimm that were roaming the distant forests, and it urged him to just turn over and look out into the countryside just as he chose to point towards his ship, and gestured for the three girls to get inside of it.

And luckily enough for him, Weiss didn't need as much convincing at this point since she was already emotionally drained, and she left to go inside the ship along with Sun, Blake, and Neptune… leaving Ruby and Yang by themselves with the older Collector, "...You know that I'm right."

The blonde nodded with a clear lack of emotion, and Ruby tried to pull her to the airship without saying anything, since she knew that she didn't have anything to say that would change his mind. "Fine then!"

So… with that, Yang swallowed her sorrow unsuccessfully, and let out one last gasp as she took one small limp forwards Emile's airship, and sniffled one final time as she and Ruby both silently walked past him, and away together. "*sniffle* ...Let's just go…"

"Wait…." They did this without making any sort of eye contact with him, and he didn't follow up by trying to make them feel better, as he knew it would be a wasted effort. But, he still asked them something important, since it was the reason why they came here in the first place. "That person Gage was looking for…"

"...Who was it?"

"...It was Blake."

Emile's reaction to that was… more than unsettling, because at first he seemed unaffected by this news… until he turned towards his ship, inhaled heavily before he held his breath, and locked his jaw with… what looked like anger as his eyes drifted over towards the feline faunus, who was sitting in one of his ship's seats with her head in her hands.

It was almost like… he took it personally, and he was even taken aback by it at first, but soon enough it faded, and he could only think about Yang… and Gage, Adam, Neo for some odd reason… and now Blake. He turned, and moved towards his ship slowly as the two sister boarded it…. But he couldn't shake the feeling about them, and how all of these new kids were a hell of a lot more than what they seemed...

…

 **Present Day...**

…

Nine days later, Yang had still become restless, and started her search prematurely outside of the walls along with Emile and Ruby while Weiss and Blake went to go search elsewhere. In the City of Vale, and the Emerald Forest to be specific, but they had gained no new leads so far.

They returned to Beacon after their departure from the Prison, and discussed Gage with Professor Ozpin, where he revealed to the rest of the Team that he already knew everything about the Collectors and Qrow… so no troubles were made about covering up the ghost's disappearance.

They came up with the idea of Ozpin sending him on another solo mission without a Huntsman, like how RWBY did themselves when they found him in the first place, and they quickly spread that to the staff, aside from Glynda.

Unfortunately, General Ironwood had to be informed due to his control over the school's security at the time, but it didn't matter to Yang, as after six days of 'rest', she set out with Ruby and Emile to find Gage outside of Vale's walls.

But much to the Collector's dismay… she misinformed him that she was in fact fully healed when she was the exact opposite, and she had her little sister go along with it, even though she really didn't want to, but she knew there was no stopping the blonde now… because today, was in fact Valentine's Day...

Now, the two sisters were riding Yang's motorcycle Bumblebee through and down the old absconded roads of the badlands together, and they've been doing so for the past hour with no luck… but that was about to change, somewhat.

"Yang?!" Ruby yelled from behind her older sister.

"Yeah?!" The blonde was obviously focused on the road, and could barely hear her thanks to the road whilst she was also wearing her yellow helmet, aviators,and her Striker outfit as well. "Do you think Gage could've gone back to Mountain Glenn?!"

"No, it'd be too obvious! He'd only go there if he wanted to be found…"

The small rose rolled her eyes, tightened her grip around Yang's waist, and just looked to the side of the road as they continued to go down in, not caring about getting car… or bike-sick rather. "We'd never know unless we go and look!"

"...Fine, we'll go after we're done here, but I still think it would be a waste of time…'

A little while later down the road and the forest that surrounded both sides of it, they went up and stopped at the tip at a hall that the road went over and they both dismounted Bumblebee, as Yang looked behind and ahead of them for any passing vehicles.

Once she saw that there weren't any to interrupt or worry about, the blonde raised her aviators above her eyes, and took out a pair of binoculars that she had gotten in town before they left the city.

Yang didn't see anything at first glance though, so, she instead put those things down and took out her scroll so she could dial Emile… who in fact, was hovering above the two in his airship, which was still using it's cloaking drive.

"Em, do you see anything from up there?"

"Hmm… Negative. Thermal's clean. Only thing I can… wait, look Northeast! I'm getting some signatures there in the forest! I can't make anything out though. Trees are too thick."

"Got it, we'll check it out." She then stepped off of her bike, and looked back at Ruby as she did the same, "There's something northeast of us. C'mon, we'll hide Bumblebee in the trees and go see what it is!"

The small rose nodded, and was about to get off of the bike too… until she suddenly pointed past Yang, and up into the sky, more right above the trees of the forest actually. "Hey, Yang look!"

Yang squinted at Ruby at first, but once she turned and saw what she was directing her attention to… the blonde huffed and just began to walk, (with a very noticeable limp,) her motorcycle to the left, and into the nearby treeline that was outlining both sides of the road.

She rushed to do this because what she saw… was a mediocre sized cloud of steam or smoke rising in the air, which made her assume that it was either a dead grimm… or perhaps, a campfire!

…

After the sisters hid Bumblebee well in some shrubbery and left their helmets with it, they began to walk slowly towards where the smoke seemed to have been coming from…

...But, as it seemed like it was destined to happen throughout this whole quest… an awkward silence engulfed Yang and Ruby. All while they continued to walk over and trudge through the brush of the forest.

Ruby could notice the obvious struggle Yang was having with this, as she was taking hard breaths through her nose over and over again as she limped and silently winced to any pain she felt coming from her aching body.

The small reaper didn't want to question if she was alright because the answer was pretty obvious, and she didn't want to spark some sort of fiery outrage by asking why she lied to Emile about her condition… so Ruby instead chose to ask Yang about something more… Team related,

"...Hey Yang?"

"...Yeah?"

She slowed her walking pace so the blonde would be a little bit ahead of her, and when she did, Ruby let her hands stay at her side as she looked down, and stared blankly at the throwing picks on her belt Gage given her for Christmas before she finally spoke,

"You're not... mad at Blake for what happened, are you?"

Yang felt a little annoyed by the question because of how predictable it was, but also because she was really lightheaded at the moment, but she ignored both those feelings and answered her question with vagueness. "I am… and i'm not."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ruby asked her.

The exhausted brawler stopped, and sighed as she heard her little sister's footsteps cease as well. So, she did the same, and turned around so she could lean against a tree and explain her response,

"*sigh* ...I'm not entirely mad at her for doing what she did. It was still horrible, but it was her only way out of that life, and yeah… sacrifices have to be made. I am mad at her though, for hiding it for this long!"

Yang said this with clear anger, but not enough for her eyes to turn red, which was… a little strange to Ruby. She thought it might have been due to the fact that she was tired, thanks to her bloodshot eyes, but her sister still went on,

"I mean, even Gage had his one secret. He saw my mom and didn't even know it was her, and… he let her get away, but i didn't hold it on him."

The reaper shrugged a bit and nervously rubbed her own shoulder as she mumbled and continued to look down at the ground with a small forced half-smile, "Yeah but… she's still alive, and you love him. It's-"

"It's not the same, i know." Yang interrupted with a nod as she raised her hand with a blank smile as well. "...But it's the only thing close i could think of for an example…"

"I guess we all just have our own past demons…" She added, with a slight grin and shrug as she raised off of the tree she was leaning against.

Ruby cocked her head to the side, and crossed her arms as well as she took a step forwards and looked up at her sister with curiosity. "Hmm?"

"Well, me and you have both of our moms, Weiss has her father and the Schnee Dust Company, and Blake… she had Adam and the White Fang. Even Gage had his own, with that whole 'Desertion' thing and his parents…. They're all just haunting us."

"And now… he is too i guess…"

"Maybe, but… " The blonde let out another low sigh, and looked down at her precious necklace that Gage had given her whilst she held its leaf pendant up off her chest… and soon began to smirk at it with… amusement. "...Unlike Raven, i have more than enough hope to find him."

She then let go of the metal leaf and let it fall so it would continue to hang against her upper chest with delicacy as she soon moved her eyes back down to her little sister's silver eyes, and with another smile to go along with her. "He's a 'ghost', remember? Ghosts linger, and stay in our reality until they're put to rest. And as long as i'm away from him… he'll never rest."

"Hehe… yeah, those pictures he keeps of you will probably make him feel worse too."

"It's not just that." Yang turned and smirked again, with a blush as well as she thought about how oblivious Ruby really was to what her things her and Gage have said to each other… and what they promised to do. "There's… something else between us that i _KNOW,_ will haunt _him_."

"What is it?" The small rose asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yet, when the thought of his… 'proposal' resurfaced, the blonde brawler remembered that she obviously couldn't get married without a groom, and began to painfully walk through the forest once again.

"...I'll tell you when we find him. And if not today, then maybe when we get back to Beacon… maybe."

Her little sister stuttered with even more curiosity as she reached out to Yang, but stopped once she saw that she was still smiling as she walked away. So, Ruby begrudgingly follow her to make sure she wouldn't get too far ahead.

Some more time passed as they walked, and eventually the forest began to become less thick with flora, indicating that the path ahead would soon open up to the clearing they were looking for. And soon enough, Ruby saw a gap in between the trees where some sunlight was shining through, causing her to point towards the opening and walk towards it with haste.

"Hey, look! Over there!"

Yang paused at first, and was about to run into the clearing… but, then some weird scent filled her nostrils. Like… something was being cooked, but to the point where it could be burnt or charred.

The sounds of a dying fire crackling and sizzling could be heard as Yang crept silently over to the orifice in between the trees while she looked back at Ruby, and shushed her as both of Ember Celica's gauntlets formed around her own fists.

The blonde then took a small glance into the gladed area, lowered her hand, let her mouth hang open as she lowered her hands to her side, and gasped silently in horror. "Oh my god…"

She stood there out in the open now, and Ruby was about to run out so she could stand next to her sister and see what was so shocking, until Yang put her one of hands up to signal her to stay as she stuttered, "R-Ruby, stay back!"

"W… W-What? What is it?!"

At this point… Yang didn't even know. In front of her… was the sight of a slaughter. There was a huge campfire that looked to just have been extinguished, and there were five dead bodies that surrounded it.

All of them looked to have just been burned to death, as their skin was blackened by the flames, and some of their flesh had been seared to the point where their bodies looked just like dark skeletons with bits of clothes and muscle still attached to their bones. Though, some of their faces could still be made out.

And from the remains of their clothing, the blonde could clearly make out that they were apart of the White Fang, as one body had the back of one of their uniforms intact, which had their red insignia printed on it, and was slightly scorched as well.

She also noticed… that a few of these burnt faunus had head injuries ranging from a split skull, to a bullet hole going through another's face, and it made her assume that these people died before they burned!

This of course shocked Yang and made her feel sick to her stomach, but that wasn't what made her gasp aloud AGAIN.

When she stepped out of the trees and walked a little bit closer, she accidentally stepped in a dried patch of blood… and next to it, was the small ornament with her symbol that she had given Gage. The one that he always kept on his front belt strap!

She stared down at it and froze in place as she got onto her knees and suddenly scrambled to picked it up, with her breaths quickly turning into panicked wheezes and quiet gasps.

The blonde held her lover's own present in her hands, and let her eyes grow as widely as possible as she raised her head back up to the gruesome scene that was in front of her… and didn't even want to think of why Gage ended up here, or if he did.

...Did he do this? Was he the one who killed and torched these faunus mercilessly? ...Or was he on the other end of the spectrum, and was captured or taken by the people who did this?

Yang didn't even have the attention span currently to stop Ruby from coming out from the trees, and become so grossed and horrified by the sight that she gagged and thoughtlessly covered her mouth.

"O… Oh my god! Yang, w-what is this?!"

She barely took any steps out of the forest at all, and crunched up in fear once she caught onto the smell and saw the brawler was holding, which just left her speechless, waiting for a response from her old sister...

...But nothing came from her. Yang just continued to lie there on her knees with her back turned, and she only kept staring at the still smoking fire… as her eyelids started to become heavy!

Her head ached with frustration and fear, and her already broken and hurting body couldn't take this amount of stress in one signal moment, so when she turned back to try and calm Ruby down... she felt queasy, and could only observe her surroundings one last time as the light faded from her vision.

And soon enough, her head titled to the side, and the blonde fainted, and fell onto her side in process. Ruby immediately broke out of her trance and started to run to her older sister, but… she wasn't able to reach her before she finally blacked out, and fell unconscious.

"SIS!"

…

…

…

" _I will destroy every single thing that you love… starting with her."_

" _YANG! NO!"_

 _*SHKKK!*_

…

"NO!- AGGGH!"

Yang screamed in terror once she opened her eyes, and she raised her body off of her bed in a panic, only to stop and nearly scream again due to the pain she felt all over her body.

She grasped her forehead in pain and was almost brought to the point of tears because of how bad it was… but she was soon distracted, as her Team, except for Ruby, were in front of her, looking concerned for her as Weiss crawled onto the bed, and grasped one of her legs and shook it. "Yang stop, it's okay!"

The blonde winced and panted with desperation, and eventually she moved her head up just enough to see that she was back in her dorm at Beacon!

She was lying in Blake's bed with the blankets covering her, and she was dressed only in her black short shorts and her yellow tank top. And, she also had a white bandage wrapped around her forehead, which was the second thing that she noticed.

"Yang... take it easy. You had a concussion, and the meds are trying to do their job as best they can." Blake said, as she sat on the side of the bed and faced her.

The feline was also there… but she was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed, looking away from her two teammates uneasily, like she was already on the verge of another breakdown. "Just try to lay back down…"

Yang fidgeted and held her breath until she could feel the pain die down, and after that happened, she just held her head in her hands before her eyes turned red, and she stared up at the two angrily while she also tried to lean up to yell at them.

"...W… Why am I here? Why did you take me back?! I actually found something and now I'm going to have to go all the way back out there to find him!"

Weiss stuttered at first, and took a few seconds before she glared back at her, and shook her own head in disbelief of what she had just asked them, "Are you really that dense? You had a concussion! If we didn't bring you back here fast enough, then you could've slipped into a coma!"

"...I'm not dense, I'm desperate. Don't you get it Weiss?" Yang asked her as she chose to look down, and away from the heiress shamefully... since they both knew that there was a goal that the blonde had secretly set for herself. "Don't you know what day it is…"

That was when Blake and Weiss both turned and looked at each other somberly, before the raven haired girl nodded… and spoke softly with even more shame in herself than Yang could feel in that very moment. "...Of course we do."

"...It's Valentine's Day…"

The three of them all simultaneously fell silent before they hung their heads low, and Yang closed her eyes as she clutched her head in pain again, looking like she was about to start weeping quietly… but she didn't.

Instead, the blonde gulped, rubbed her eyes and brushed some of her hair over her ear as she leaned up further off of the bed, moved the blanket that was covering her off of herself, and just rested her hands on her thighs.

Then, she turned and moved her aching body so she was sitting on the bed with her feet hanging off and it looked like she was going to attempt to get up, which caused Blake to immediately place one of her hands on Yang's bandaged left knee with a sigh,

"Yang, you've told me that you can't let your search control you. We're just giving you the same advice that you gave to me.-"

"Blake, this is on a whole different level than that. I know him, and if the White Fang are out there, then there's no way he'll want to avoid them after what he just found out!"

Weiss sat back, and on her knees after Yang moved herself, and she still thought that the blonde was already being too rash about all of this, but was more annoyed by it since she could see this type of response coming from a mile away.

"But you going out there right now in this state won't make it better." Yet, the heiress still stayed composed to the best of her abilities, and moved over the the edge of the bed so she could hop off, and walk over to her hurt teammate and stand in front of her with her arms crossed. "If anything, this search is going to kill you at this rate!"

"Rrrrgh…" Yang growled, at them both and instinctively chose to not say a word as she tore the bandages off of her legs, and went to stand up… but, she couldn't do it as easily as before.

Her back was still to bruised and cracked for her to be able to stand up without it feeling like it was on fire, and both Weiss and Blake were still staring at her, making the brawler even more riled up.

It wasn't just because of their situation and what she was aiming to do however. It was more the fact that Yang _knew_ that they were both right about all of this, but they both didn't seem to understand just how bad Gage leaving seemed to have affected her… and how deep the wound really was.

This thought made her blood boil about how clueless they were, and soon enough she couldn't take it anymore, so the blonde clenched her teeth with her seething rage, and let it all out without looking at her remaining Team with her bright red eyes,

"...I AM NOT JUST GOING TO LET SOMEONE ELSE I LOVE WALK AWAY FROM ME!"

Weiss and Blake both flinched and backed away a bit, but that only made Yang finally turn to face the two as she… also looked threatened, thinking that they too were thinking and staring at her with annoyance and incrimination in their eyes. "And i know, it's expected of me to act like this! It's stupid, but it's just who i am! I can't just stand by and watch someone, or let myself get hurt!" She yelled, whilst her own ears began to ring that awful frequency she felt earlier that day. "NO!"

"NOT THIS TIME!" It slowly began to increase with it's intensity again, and her head started to pound again, causing her to groan in pain again and grasp the sides of her head tearfully, "NEVER, BECAUSE HE ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM DAMN IT!"

 _NOW_ they started to gaze at her like she was insane, as she lowered her head back down and just covered her face with her two hands again… but, Weiss and Blake obviously couldn't simply sit there and watch their strongest team member be brought down by heartbreak and not try and help her through it.

So the heiress let out another small exhale, and sat down next to Yang on her right side as Blake did the same but on her left, and once they did that she lowered of her hands from her eyes so she could speak,"How can i just standby and let him walk away further? ...Or die? I mean… could you two do the same to the people you care about?"

"...No. I couldn't." Blake replied, as she placed a hand on her partner's shoulder a little tightly, but also… with a small blush and smile. "That's why I don't want you to go out there right now. W… Why _we_ don't want you to."

"...But either way, the whole school knows that you're injured badly, and Ozpin had to know." The heiress rolled her eyes just to dismiss this odd behavior, and still chose to tell Yang the truth about why she really couldn't leave the school, and she knew that she wouldn't like what she was going to hear. "He's the only one that could come up with something to tell your teachers, and it turns out he knows about this whole 'Silent War' situation, so we can trust him."

"The only thing about that, is that he had to warn ironwood about your injuries… and he in turn made it a priority for his men to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don't go anywhere."

Yang just squinted her red eyes in confusion and cocked her head over towards Weiss, sounding like she was about to explode into a fiery rage as she quietly asked her, "...Why?"

She visibly scrunched up and rubbed her arm shyly then, so Blake decided to fill her in on what they had to agree upon a few hours ago after they managed to casually get Yang to the infirmary without anyone seeing. "Well, now the story Ozpin came up with is that you went into the Emerald forest to kill some Grimm to distract yourself from Gage being off on his 'mission'… and then _this_ all happened."

"And since you can barely move, and you had that stalker incident last month, the general saw that you _needed_ to be looked after… even though your father wasn't informed about it."

"You can thank Ozpin for that." Weiss mumbled as she ran her hand through her hair. Yang's figure shrunk once this information processed and she slowly leaned back onto her bed, looking up with complete and utter misery as her eye color returned to normal. "So… i'm stuck here."

"...Our hands, and Ozpin's are tied, but that doesn't mean that me, Blake, and Ruby still can't go out and look for him."

"Yeah, Emile already went out to go search at Mountain Glenn, and…" Blake then stood up from the side of her bed, and quickly reached under it to pull out a small black backpack before she put it on, and took gambol shroud out from under there as well. "...Now, I'm going to look out near Bolin Peak for him."

"Do you really think he could have gotten that far?" Weiss asked quizzically, since she didn't even know that she was going to go anywhere.

"No, but it think it'd be better to leave no stone unturned." The rogue replied as she slid the blade of her weapon into a blade slit that was on the side of her pack. "And the Collectors did set up a base there, so if he was going to get supplies and ammo, i think that'd be the first place he would go."

"Alright… just don't make me have to go all the way over there to pull you out."

"I won't." Blake smiled, and rolled her beck in a circular motion as she took two steps back away, and quickly went back to being a little timid like before. "Anyway, i'll see you guys… when i see you."

She had her back turned to her partner, and only glanced back at her once as she reached their dorm's door, and put her hand on the door handle. Yet, Yang didn't even lean up or turn her head to say goodbye to the feline Faunus.

The only thing she did, was tiredly raise her hand into the air and waved it at her lightly before she lowered it, and just whispered her farewell to her depressingly, "Goodbye, Blake…"

"...See you later Yang."

She then turned back around to hide her sorrow, and opened the door slowly so she could walk out of it slowly, and close it behind her, leaving Yang and Weiss to watch her together as she left them yet again.

Yang didn't say anything afterwards, and even though she didn't want to, she had no other choice but to crawl back into Blake's bed after Weiss got up and moved so the blonde could go back to resting her body.

She got back into the same position she was in when she woke up at first, but soon she turned on her side, and could only sigh again as she thought about her partner, and kept staring straight ahead, "There's going to be a point where she won't be able to avoid me. She knows that right?" She asked aloud, but also rhetorically.

"...Don't think about it." Weiss replied as she rubbed her eyes, got up, and walked over to her desk unenthusiastically. "Just get some some rest Yang. Because for you, the sooner you're healed the better ."

"Right. Thanks Ice Queen…"

"*sigh*"

…

 **Thirty Minutes Later…**

…

Some more time passed silently in their dorm, as Weiss started to work on some school assignment, and Yang tried her best to sleep, with no luck. So, she still kept her eyes closed and tried to catch at least a cat nap while the cold air of their air condition kept blowing inside of the room, since it was now starting to become hotter outside.

Yet, she couldn't even come close to that, at least from his she felt. The continuous catch in her throat and stomach still began to grow more and more as time went on, and her desire overwhelmed her brain until it was the only thing she could think about.

As cliche as it was and sounded, all she wanted to do was to just close her eyes and wake up from whatever nightmare this was, just for Gage to be asleep, or snoring loudly there on the other side of her bed right next to her. Whatever she could take, it didn't matter. She didn't care.

But… that didn't happen of course. So she lingered on in silence as Weiss's pencil stopped, and was dropped onto her desk quietly while she let out a small sigh and quickly organized whatever papers she had with her.

And once she did that, she placed them in one of her desk drawers, and leaned back in her desk chair quietly as she tried to think of something to do without leaving the room, or at least occupy her until Ruby returned from whatever she thought was so important to go and run off without telling her or Blake what she was going to do.

But knowing her, she probably went to get food or try and spread the little story they made up with Yang's condition, or just something harmless, so she didn't think about it too much… and soon enough, her prayers for something to meet her interests were answered, as her scroll started to ring!

~Mirror, Mirror what's behind you?! Save me from things i see! Time to keep it from the world, why won't you let me hide from me?!-~

She quickly jumped to grab her scroll, and she answered the call as to not wake her already woken teammate, and she pulled the device closer to herself so she could whisper to whoever was on the other end,

"H-Hello?!"

"Weiss?"

The heiress immediately stopped, and blushed as she let out a silent breath, which could have been because of the fact that she hated it whenever she would hear her own songs while there were others around.

However, it wasn't the case this time. This time… it was because her old friend, Jackson Wesson, was the caller. And she didn't even check the caller I.D. either, so this was even more of a surprise for her!

"O-Oh, um… hello Jackson. It's... been awhile since we've last talked."

"Yeah, it has." He replied with a small nervous chuckle from the other end, feeling a little weirded out by how low she was speaking. "Why are you whispering?"

"Oh, Yang's just sleeping behind me is all. Anyway, how are-"

The blonde then also let out a breath, which was louder, and she turned over on Blake's bed so she could face Weiss, and wave at her blankly, "*sigh* ...Nope!"

Weiss groaned in her head, and shut her eyes in frustration after a few seconds of feeling the blonde's stare being planted on the back of her head, so she quickly turned and shushed her with a finger placed against her lips before she tried to continue calmly, "H… How are you?"

"I'm fine, just feeling a bit lonely- hungry! Yeah, heh…. Well, you know how i am."

"All too well." She said with a snicker as she turned her swivel chair around, and crossed one of her arms as she stared back at Yang with a glare. "Anyway, should i guess what CCT this call is coming from, or are you actually going to tell me this time?"

"Ha Ha… very funny." Jackson sounded utterly devoid of anything else than sarcasm in that moment, probably because he didn't like the fact that he had to be away from Vale a lot of the time, but luckily this wasn't the case this day. "I'm actually in town if you wanted to know… and well, I wanted to surprise you by coming over to Beacon but the damn airships are having maintenance problems… so yeah. Surprise!"

Weiss's opened more after hearing that, and she gave a nervous half smile at the same time as she too laughed a little nervously, and instantly looked away from Yang again, "O-Oh… yeah, that would have been nice of you..."

"But now that my master plan has been foiled, there's only one alternative left. So… I know that it's Valentine's Day, and that you've… had a major rough patch recently-"

"*sigh* ...You don't know the half of it." The heiress thought to herself, as a small but somber half smiled formed across her lips.

"-And i want to make you feel better while i'm town so… do you want to go ahead and grab some lunch downtown with me? You, know to catch up and all."

She honestly was intrigued, and had been yearning for something like this for a long time, especially what happened in December with Neptune, and this was the perfect time to leave that in the past, but there was still of course one last obstacle.

"Oh… um, i'd honestly love to go, but… I

actually have to look after Yang. I'm here by myself, and she just got in this accident out in the Emerald forest, and Gage is off on a mission as well…"

"*sigh* ...Where's Gage when you need him?" Jackson sighed.

"Tell me about it…" Weiss then looked back at Yang and appeared to be displeased with her own tone, which made the blonde look back and sit up again before she pointed over at her teammate's scroll curiously. "Who is it?"

The icy haired girl jumped, and covered the speaker of her phone so she could whisper, and answer the blonde without making her presence known to her old friend. "It's Jackson!" She quietly yelled.

That was when something unexpected happened, at least because of recent events. Yang… smiled, and looked at Weiss with a smirk as she laid on her side, and put her head back down onto her pillow.

"...Is he asking you out on a date?"

The heiress's face was no longer pale, and she became reddened with both embarrassment and anger even though she was forced to contain it, and shook her head in disagreement, but a little over exaggeratedly.

"So, is that a no on it?" Jackson asked on the other end of their call, obviously feeling a little confused. "Because i could still come over there and look after her with you if you want but… we won't get to talk much, will we?"

"Weiss… just go." Yang whispered, with her smirk changing into her first smile since the night that Gage left. "What?"

"Just... Go." Yang closed her eyes, and rolled onto her back before she pulled Blake's blanket over herself, patted the bandage that went around her forehead down, and set her hands down beside her head and onto her pillow rather peacefully so she could relax. "It's like you said, i can't go anywhere without causing a panic… so, you won't have to worry."

"You need this. It's Valentine's Day. And just because i won't be able to celebrate it doesn't mean that you shouldn't get to."

"Are you sure you won't try and escape from here?" Weiss asked her teammate in a very sincere, but also hushed tone of voice, only for Yang to nod he head in response without any sort of hesitation, and with a slight sense of annoyance, "I won't. Ruby's bound to come back soon anyway, so you go have your fun with Jay. I'll manage."

She remained idle, and shocked with how composed the blonde brawler was with wanting to be left by her lonesome. Then again… it might be better for her, considering how rash she was acting before Blake had left.

However, Weiss didn't have long to ponder about her decision on whether to trust Yang or not, as Jackson was still calling out to her from the other end of their call. "Weissss?"

So, she just shut her eyes, and groaned one last time before she moved her hand away from her scroll's speaker, and finally responded to her old friend. "N-Never mind what i said! I'll come! Just, meet me over by the docks in about… thirty minutes?"

"Oh, okay. Sounds good to me. See you then!"

"Indeed i will…"

The call ended a few seconds after that, allowing Weiss to hold her forehead, put her scroll away, stand up out of her chair, and just stare over at her teammate as she let another small and quiet sigh of relief.

"*sigh* ...Please at least try to get some sleep before i come back."

"I willlll. Stop worrying!" Yang replied, with another tired smile. This caused the ice haired heiress to squint at her only to shrug and turn towards her desk again. "Alright. But just take this before i forget. It should help you… probably."

"Hmm?'

She dug around in of her desk drawers for a bit, and eventually pulled out another scroll that didn't belong to her, along with a pair of earbuds as well. And once she got it out of there, she tossed those two things over onto Blake's bed, right next to the blonde's legs, and reached under that same desk again so she could take out a small purse and put it's carrying strap around her shoulder blade.

"...It was Gage's. He left it in his room, and i guess you didn't see it when we came back home the day he left." Yang used her foot/heel to inch/pull the scroll and earbuds towards herself, and eventually picked it up with one of her hands, and held it above her head delicately, "Anyway, i didn't know if you would want to have it or not, so i just thought i'd take a small gamble and give it to you."

The blonde just unlocked it, and was greeted with a selfie-esque picture of Gage and herself dressed in their regular outfits standing out by their old tree as his background wallpaper, and the memory of taking that moved her greatly.

It caused her expression to become even more relaxed, making Weiss laugh a little bit more while she smiled, feeling like her gamble paid off in the end. "Hehe… He may be an idiot, but he does have a good taste in music."

Yang giggled to that too, though a little shakily, and she locked her boyfriend's scroll before she just turned to her friend… and smiled again with thankfulness.

"Weiss… thank you."

But in the end, Weiss didn't want to take any credit for her own actions, because from how Ruby and Yang herself had taught her, this was how friends were suppose to help each other out through instances like this.

She was just happy she was able to learn and figure out how to respond to an event like the one they all were going through this past week, no matter how bad it was.

Though, she didn't want to relish too much on her own personal accomplishment. It'd be too narcissistic and the heiress was trying to stay away from that old habit, and she had a potential date to get to. So with that, Weiss nodded, and waved goodbye one last time as she opened her dorm's door, got halfway outside into the hall, and thanked _Yang_ instead before she shut their door behind herself.

"No. Thank _you_ , Yang."

…

 **Another Half an Hour Later…**

...

Yang remained in Blake's bed, and didn't even try to get a wink of sleep after Weiss had left. Instead of doing that, she chose to plug into Gage's scroll, and listen to a few of his music playlists as she would look through his photos, mostly ones of him and herself together of course.

She wasn't phased by them as much, mostly because she was listening to music that would play against her emotions, to counter it in a way. And there was also the fact that the music Gage had on his scroll mostly comprised of classic, and alternative rock, with a little bit of indie and folk to mix it up a bit.

Still though, she'd get a laugh from one or two songs after while, since he did have a few of the ones that they had listen to together… probably all of the ones I've showed off too.

But after some more time of lying there, reminiscing, and occasionally wincing because of her injuries, someone eventually came to the door, and knocked on it a few times before it opened, causing the blonde to rise and look as to who was entering. "...Hello?' She asked them whilst she rubbed one of her eyes.

"I'm back!' Ruby answered as she opened the door completely, with a bag of chinese food dangling from one of her hands.

The youngest sister entered with a smile, and put the bag on Weiss's desk since it was the closest to the door before Yang opened her eyes even more, and gasped with shock, "R-Ruby, you're back! Are you okay?"

"...Um, why wouldn't I be?"

"I... thought you might have gotten scared back there after seeing those bodies, and watching me faint, but I guess not… e-eheh…"

"Oh yeah…" Ruby smiled sheepishly for some reason when she said that, and kind of became embarrassed for not realizing how bad that situation really was. "I was a little bit at the start, but Emile was quick to come back down and get us out of there, so I guess I got distracted quickly."

"Thank god…" Yang thought, feeling thankful that her younger sister wasn't completely desensitized to violence and gore, or she at least didn't seem like it just yet. "I forgot to ask Weiss and Blake about you before they left. I guess that was the part of the concussion or something…'

"Huh?" That was when Ruby hummed, and did a quick scan around the room to see that rest of her team were gone. She knew where Blake was going, but she didn't expect Weiss to be gone either. "Where'd Weiss go off to?"

Yang stuttered, and looked away for a few seconds to try and come up with some part of cover for Weiss, something she thought she would never have to do. "Oh, she… went to go get some food, in Vale." She lied with a tiny smirk, hoping that she really was going on a date.

However, she knew that was going to immediately backfire once she remembered that her sister had already brought in Chinese food, which was now starting to make her feel hungry. "But I told her that I was already going to get some…"

"W-Well, something that's healthy I guess?"

"...Yeah, I can see her doing that." Ruby replied with a slight shrug and nod before she pointed at the bandage on Yang's forehead. "Still though, I hope she gets ice cream for you! Because you know, your concussion and all."

"Anyway-"

"*sigh* ...Can I come in yet?" A gruff, and hardened voice asked from outside their dorm's door.

Ruby flinched, and she immediately scratched the back of her head while her face reddened even more once she remembered who had came along with her to visit the blonde brawler, "Oops, sorry Uncle Qrow!" She apologized.

"Qrow?"

And that was when Qrow walked into their dorm, and turned towards his older niece before he just shut the door behind him, and let the smile fade from his face once he saw the condition she was in. "Hey there, Firecracker. You doin' alright?"

Yang of course shook her head no, but still kept smiling strangely and she took her earbuds out and just wrapped them around her finger, "...Do I look alright?"

"No, but that's why I'm here. I want to help while i still can."

She continued to stare down at her bruised body like a sad puppy as she tore off the bandages on her right arm, but kept the ones wrapped around her hand there while Qrow went on,

"I'm going to go out there and look for him. I can't promise i'll find him, but i can cover a lot of ground at least, and there shouldn't be any problems if i run into anything dangerous."

"Why can't you just have the Collectors search that area?" She asked him, without making any eye contact as she stared down at her own clenched fist.

The old man grumbled under his breath, and scowled down at his person, and patted himself down until he found his flask, pulled it out, and opened up it's nozzle as quick as he could,

"As much as we all want to find him, sending a search party to look through all of outer Vale for one person would be a waste of resources, at least in everyone else's eyes… mostly."

"That's why we need to keep his disappearance a secret, because if one person talks, it could get all the way back here to Beacon, and even to Tai-yang. And i know you don't want that..."

Yang just nodded silently, and finally turned towards him and watched as he drank from the thing, only for him to let out a loud breath and hold out his hand towards her with one eye closed, "*hiccup* ...I know it sounds shitty, but this way you can start where i leave off before i have to leave for a mission-"

"Another one?" Ruby asked him.

"Yeah, but this is something really important, more than you girls think." He warned them, as he wiped his lips, causing his younger niece to bow her head and sit down on Weiss's bed. "It might even take months before i can come back so… it's definitely something."

But even now, Yang was still feeling well enough to make him feel worse about this whole situation, "Something more important than one of your best Collectors going missing?-"

"Don't do that." Qrow sounded completely inspired, and just stared down his older niece until her glare lightened, and eventually disappeared. "Hell, if he knew what it was, I'm sure he would go too. With or without your input!"

She did a complete one-eighty again. and sneered back at him once again, but she didn't take it too badly. He was like this on occasion, and Tai-yang would too, though for him it was a lot more than rare.

Although, Qrow did beat himself up a little bit on the inside for saying that last quip. It was a stressful time for them all, especially her, and Yang wasn't exactly in the best condition either. He didn't even want to know if her mental state had been damaged by this at all… mostly because he was afraid of it being Somewhat Damaged,

"*sigh* ...Yang, don't stray away from the point here. I'm going to look for him." Qrow then covered his eyes, and pointed back at Ruby with his other hand, whose body quickly became less tense by her uncle's acknowledgement of her. "Ruby already pointed out where you two were before Em had to drag you out of there, so you don't have to worry about explaining it to me."

"Okay, fine…"

The blonde brawler sighed, and finally chose to ease up on the old man since her little sister was still present. But, it was also because of the fact that Yang had just remembered what they both saw and found earlier, and she was sure Ruby had at least mentioned it to their uncle.

So, she exhaled one last time, and just put her hands together as she looked down from the other two in the room, and worried about what Gage could be going through right now… or even if he was still alive.

"Just… please don't take any longer to get out there Qrow, because I think Gage is already in a lot more trouble than he would be if he was with me right now..."

Her sudden change back to being thoughtful and compassionate about her boyfriend helped a smile make its way back onto Qrow's lips, "You got it. But like i said, i'm not making any promises."

He said that, and stood up not that long afterward so he could walk over to her, and he could ruffle her hair a little. Which, did help her smile a little more too. "Pssh… yeah, I heard you the first time…" She whispered, with a blush as Ruby laughed.

"Heh, Alright."

He eventually stopped once she shook her head and blush a little, and once he got that image of her smiling inside of his head again, and retreated, and let out another sigh.

Qrow knew that this was going to be the last thing he would be able to do with his nieces before he would have to go on his mission for the Ozpin's council, and he would have liked it if the last thing he helped them with wasn't something as dire a complication as this.

Yet, there was no other alternative. But, he didn't want to not help either. So with that, the drunk smiled, glanced at Ruby for a few seconds, and then Yang one last time before started to walk towards their dorm's door with yet another smirk,

"Well, like you said, i better hurry, so i'll get right on that. But until i come back… just try and keep your head up. It'll help you contain yourself if we find him, then it'll be easier to get those first few licks in…."

"Thank's Qrow… hehe, it's not every day that a teenager has a secret agent uncle to help her with her boy problems…"

"Egh… don't say it like that."

He then walked out the door, and shook his head at himself as he closed it behind him, and left the two sisters to tend to themselves in a cloud of awkward silence that surround them both for a few minutes.

"W-Well…" Ruby thought she probably was the one to cause it, so she assumed she'd do herself right by fixing it, and what not to get them both talking again than the warm, and soon to be cold chinese food that was still in the bag that was sitting on top of Weiss's desk? "...Are you hungry Yang? I got you chinese food!"

Yang's gaze was still planted on their door, but when Ruby mentioned food… her stomach growled, and it helped her forget about Gage's situation and their unknown future apart from each other.

It was that… and the realization that she still had to be strong in her time of need, to show that Ruby could do the same if… and _when_ she goes through something as equal, or worse than whatever this would become...

"Yeah… Sure thing little sis. Let's eat!"

…

…

…

Later after they both ate and became stuffed, Yang decided that she wanted to take a shower so she could finally try and sleep, and feel relaxed at the same time…. And so she could also try and think without someone suddenly coming through that door to talk to her.

Oh, and the blonde made sure to discreetly text Weiss to bring them all ice cream when she would come back home.

Anyway, Ruby of course helped walk her sister to the bathroom, and questioned if she would be alright to stand and be by herself, which Yang reassured her that she would, so the small rose decided to leave her be and went to go and wash their clothes, and secretly making her older sister a cup of hot cocoa.

Meanwhile, the blonde just limped into view of their mirror and was able to see her bruised and bandaged body as she began to undress herself, and she took out both hers, and Gage's scroll so she could play some music again, to also help her think.

She also had a wireless speaker with her, and after she set it up with her own scroll, she took off her short shorts, underwear, bra, and tank top all slowly until all of her skin was bare. Then, she ripped off all of her bandages, and disposed of them before she took out a roll of the same bandage type so she could wrap herself back up after she was finished.

Once she turned the shower on and found the right temperature for the hot water, Yang moved back over to the counter where her two scrolls and her towels were, so she could pick out a song to start at in one of her own music playlists. Which, turned out to be _Happiness_ by _Goldfrapp._

~...Join our group and you will find, harmony and peace of mind. Make you better… We're here to welcome you! We're all on the journey to, finding the real, inner you... Make you better-Make you better… we're here to welcome you-~

She let it play for a few minutes… pretty much until she felt her heart strings being tugged on again, and that was when the blonde finally moved her head up, and finally stared back into her own eyes again.

Yang wanted them to become red so she could at least feel some other emotion than depression… but, nothing happened. And it was strange to her.

~Footing in the magic world, We can see a troubled soul. Give us all your money, -we'll make it better… make it better… we're here to welcome you!~

She even put one hand under her necklace, the one with Gage's pendant on it, and held it up so she could stare at it intently… only for her to growl lowly at it, and put her other hand over it to cover it up before she gave in to her sadness, and smile weakly at herself as she let the necklace fall back down, and let it continue to hang against her chest like it was before.

"…I'm going to find you. Just like you wanted me to… maybe not today, but down the line? ...I know i will."

With that last apparent eulogy, she turned back around, and was ready to end her night again… sad, and hurting on the inside she may be, but she wasn't entirely alone. She had her sister, team, friends, and others to help and send her get well messages and such…

...And even the person she was grieving over too it seemed, as her scroll suddenly gave off a notification ring, and caused her to become wide eyed and confused... as it's automated voice read out the name of the person who had just contacted her,

" _New message from: 'Care-Bear'!_ "

…

 **Author's Note #2:** I just wanted to clarify this, since i just noticed this mistake of mine and am too lazy to go and edit/potentially add new information to that last scene since it's almost 3 A.M. when i am typing this. Gage has two scrolls. His regular student one, which Yang has with her, and his Collector one, which… is currently MIA. Though it's not hard to guess where it is. No one swiped the one Weiss gave to Yang and messaged her just to fuck with her either. That'd be a total dick move.

Now that that's out of the way, i have another story out to shout out! I have done it before with this person, but this time i actually helped them edit their story a little bit, or at least the first chapter as of right now. So for those who want something new to read, i'd suggest for you to check out **Destiny Calls** by **Snow The Mailman,** Who is also a good friend of mine.

His story (which will hopefully be posted later today,) tells about a man/teen named Snow Reaver before meeting the likes of Team RWBY, and i have to say, i'm probably just as clueless about this story as you are besides the identities of a few characters. (I don't remember or know a lot about the plot, so yeah XD)

Anyway, i'm so sorry about taking this long, and I know that this chapter probably wasn't as exciting as the last two, but I honestly think i'm still coming down from the 'Midseason high' i experienced after chapter thirty being uploaded, though, i really can't make anymore excuses. So esides that, all I have to say is that the next chapter will, be short, introduce some new characters of my own creation, and will be from Gage's perspective, so get hyped! But until then, i will see you guys in the next chapter! Peace!


	34. Something New to Fear?

**Author's Note:** Hopefully this isn't too long after I stopped writing the Two-Shot. Don't worry, I just took a break from it, since this fic is still going to be my main priority. I did take a few more days off from working on it than I'd like, but I had Spring Break and other things of course.

But besides that, I'm going for a shorter chapter here, like I said in the last chapter, and I can FINALLY introduce some new characters that aren't villains! Also, sort or a spoiler… but, Orin isn't going to be a new antagonist. That spot will always belong to The Syndicate and White Fang.

And about them… unfortunately, I don't actually think they'll have a big impact on the rest of Part Two. I know, it might be disappointing, but it's only because I don't want to come up with some big event that could destroy any buildup for the Fall Of Beacon. (In Part Three.)

So don't worry, there's still going to be other things to look forward to by the end of Part Two. You know… like if Gage somehow actually ends up getting that new Team of his. Now _that'd_ be something, now wouldn't it?~

 **Author's Fun Fact #5:** I wish I could honestly have some type of Q &A type of thing because recent questions that people have asked me, but I don't think we have enough viewers for that. However, I do eventually want to create a point in the series where you guys can have chance to get your ocs in here, and possibly make a huge separate AU where this story is connected with other OC stories. I just wish that OC stories weren't plagued by the conception that all OC stories are ridiculous, bad, and have OP characters. Not that I'm saying Desertion is really good. That's up to you guys to decide.

 **Song:** Short Change Hero by The Heavy

…

"Gage… you need to go back."

"You need to at least find a way back if things keep-"

"-Keep going south!"

"You can't g-go- g-go back to the way you were before."

"You don't want to live through that again, and neither do I!"

"...S… Summer, what are-"

"Rrrrgh! Where is she? Why isn't she here? Why isn't she looking for you?!"

"Who-"

"THAT BITCH- Raven!"

"-Does she even care about her at all? How important you are to her?!"

"...Stop. Please… I can't think… c… can't see…"

"I'm sorry- c-can't… hold together anymore!"

"*sigh* ...Just go Gage. Figure out a way back to Vale, stay in one piece, and find Ozpin! He'll know how to help you. He's… the only one who can."

"You know that I can't go back-"

"JUST DO IT!"

"Summer!"

Gage's eyes then opened suddenly, and he nearly yelled, 'No!' Aloud, but he couldn't for some reason. Or he just couldn't hear himself. Instead, he grasped the sides of his head, leaned up off of what soft surface he had be lying on before, and felt his head thump like a drum in pain. "SUMMER!"

He tried to feel her presence, and somehow… reach out to her even though he didn't even know what he was doing, but it didn't change anything. The ghost soon just closed his eyes again, and winced as he whispered to himself through some hard breaths,

"...Don't leave me alone out here…"

That… was when he took notice of his surroundings. Now, he was lying in what looked like a small tent, and he was about to start to panting like an animal… until he figured out that he wasn't alone in that tent.

At the entrance, was a man he had seen before during his capture, but he couldn't make him out as clear then as he could now. He looked to be in his early forties, and was dressed up… like he was from Vacuo, or straight out the old west.

And, he was wearing an old beat up cowboy hat, some rugged light brown pants with armor pads on the knees, a black finger less glove on his right hand, a burgundy long sleeved shirt with the right sleeve cut off, the left having a few leather armor pads covering it, and lastly, he wore a light brown half cloak with a collar over all of that.

He also looked to have medium length brown hair, garnet colored eyes, a rugged looking beard, a few scars that were made clear to the ghost, as the man snapped two of his fingers together, and created a flame in between them, which he used to light a cigar.

The man did this all while he kept his right eye planted on Gage, and was sat down against the entrance of the tent, so he could allow his holstered sidearm to be seen as clear as possible when he woke up, as to warn him if he was to try and escape.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty."

Gage didn't jump once he spoke… but, simply chose to look back at him with a bewildered expression, since he recognized him as being the one man during that night who looked at him more pitifully, like the two girls that were there too.

"Who the hell-" However, that soon to be question was quickly interrupted, as all of the pain across Gage's body made itself known, swiftly hitting him like a truck to the point where he had to cry out in pain, and recoiled onto his back while he shut his eyes as hard as he could. "AAAGH, FUCK!"

He could feel it all across his head and chest, which was also when he noticed that the right side of his upper chest had been bandaged, his suede jacket was missing, the black eye that Neptune gave him not that long ago seemed to be reforming, and that his hands were bound with a zip-tie.

"You know, for a second there I almost thought you were gonna walk that off. Now _that_ would have been impressive." Still though, he gripped his brow with his two hands and winced in pain, all while this new onlooker just chuckled lightly, and looked out of the tent with a smirk.

Gage panted and sort of laid there in the fetal position for a good minute before he started to pant, and just asked, "What the hell did you do to me?!" Loudly as he tried to move without his body feeling like it was on fire.

"Don't you remember? You were pretty conscious that night… then again, you were dying of blood loss..."

The ghost winced and continued to breathe heavily instead of trying to reply, even though his eyes were already turning red at that moment, which the man noticed pretty quickly.

But… instead of telling him to shut up, or kicking him… he did something Gage didn't really expect. He went inside of the tent, and took a washcloth out before he doused it in a bucket of water that was near the mouth of the tent, and just placed it ontop of the younger man's head.

"*sigh* ...Relax. The only thing I did was try to fix that hole in your shoulder, and keep you from becoming a vegetable. Didn't exactly have any pain meds either."

Gage looked up at him questionably, but started to cough up… what looked like some orange colored spit by accident before he could speak, so the older man chose to talk a little bit more as to keep the ghost from opening his mouth.

He knew he couldn't do it, but he had to keep their new captive quiet long enough for another one of his trusted friends to come by without being noticed by Orin, and if that didn't work, then he'd have to wait even longer to talk to the ghost,

"Look, don't talk. The biofoam I used on you will numb the pain if you stop squirming, so just try and keep still. You can trust me!"

"Heh, Biofoam…" Gage groggily and rhetorically asked himself before he just smiled, and let his eyes close a little bit more. "So that's why it tasted like I sucked off an orange… again."

"Um… alrighty then-"

Then, the tent's front suddenly opened without anyone noticing, and a blonde girl quickly rushed in, and reached for the man's holstered pistol. And it turned out to be just the person who he was waiting for…

He flinched and went to reach back for it, which was enough to make Gage lean back up, and watch as the blonde girl pushed her older friend away, and stick the pistol right in front of the ghost's face, which was an old Colt M1911 with a handle made from white Ivory.

He stayed frozen in place, and was silent at first… until he looked up into the woman's eyes, and immediately recognized her to be the same girl who had shot him the night he was captured. Riley, he thought Orin called her.

She had pale skin, brown eyes, and short messy dirty-blonde colored hair, and still wore her auburn colored sweatshirt, black fingerless gloves, black short shorts, a black thigh high sock on her left leg, a black stocking on her left that connected to her shorts, and lastly, black combat boots, but she also had a sort of cleavage slit on her top...

But nonetheless, this realization of his scared Gage to the point where he scooted to the back of the tent, and just raised his bound hands as he looked back at her with his silver eyes, only for her to growl back at him in response… while her hand that was holding the pistol shook steadily.

"*huff* ...You don't say shit about what Ileana told you, and I won't kill you. Got it?"

She followed up by pulling the pistol's hammer back, and chose to kneel down in front of him as she stared into his eyes, being unphased by the fact that they had just changed color.

Gage slowly wiped some sweat off of his forehead with his hands, and took a second before he too knelt in front of her, and pressed his head against the barrel of the gun, right as his eyes changed back to the color red!

"...You almost did last time, so what's stopping you now?" He asked her. He stared back into her brown eyes, and finally got the glimpse he had been wanting to get a better understanding of who this person was.

She looked to be around his age, and a little… rough around the she's, and she definitely sounded like it. But he couldn't back down right now, he had to make it clear that he was a threat to them. "Damn it Riley, I was trying to get to him the conventional way!" The other man yelled at her as he put his hand around her wrist tightly.

"Well you wanted me to come, so here I am Al! And I'm sorry if I'm a little stressed about _this_ dipshit not keeping his mouth shut!"

The man, 'Al', just sighed and took the gun out of her hand before he simply smacked the top of her head, and made Riley sit down forcefully before he casually spun his sidearm, and placed it back into it's holster with ease. "HEY!"

She landed on her bottom, and simply looked up at Al with anger before he cleared his throat, and tipped his hat a bit as he turned back towards Gage and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry about her, she didn't have much choice in choosing to shoot you or not."

"I'm Alizarin MacCready. Call me Al, Allen, anything else you can think of I guess... Just none of that cowboy bullcrap." He then extended his hand towards the ghost, and kicked Riley lightly in the leg so she could stand up, and look away from him with a scowl as she too introduced herself. "And I'm Riley… Riley Wicker."

"And you… you're Gage, right?" Al asked.

Gage was looking up at them with the equivalent of a Saitama face, still being utterly confused, but eventually that look was washed over again because of the obvious question that he had just been asked. "...How do you know my name?'

That was when Alizarin chuckled, and took out Gage's very own Driving Permit so he could toss it back at him with a smirk that made the ghost internally scream, and curse himself for being so stupid. "Rule three of being outside Vale's walls, never bring your wallet!" He chuckled to himself.

Riley simply stood there with her arms crossed, and rolled her eyes at both of them one last time before she pointed at Gage's own prosthetic arm, "Just be lucky that Orin decided to take your wallet over that. Would have made a lot of money selling that off you know…"

"And be lucky that I managed to swipe that before he could get his hands on it." Al added as he went to go check outside to see if the coast was still clear.

The ghost exhaled again, and looked down at his own two hands as he pulled them apart easily, and broke the zip tie seemingly without any effort as he laughed, and just shook his head at them with a smile. "Yeah well, who was the dumbass who decided binding the guy with the robot arm was a good idea?"

"The same one who beat you with a cricket bat, and that's looking through the pictures that were on you right now."

A dark look of suddenly randomly took over Gage, and without hesitation he stood up on his own two feet, with some shakiness of course, but was still able to do it by himself.

"...What?"

This action striked some fear in Riley, and she took a step back as Alizarin took one forward and put a hand on his shoulder, to try and signal him to tone it down before something bad would happen, but he didn't care.

The ghost still had the redness in his eyes, and they amplified their brightness once his hand made contact with his injured body, and that same static ringing in his ears that had came to him after he killed most of that White Fang squad returned to him.

The only photos he had with him were the ones that were of him and Yang… and if this… _degenerate_ of a psychopath was to do anything to them, he'd fight to his last breath just for those pictures!

So with this in mind… Gage brushed past Alizarin, and even Riley tried to grab onto his hand, but she missed, and it gave him just enough time to rush out of the tent he was in, and feel the hot wind of the outside brush against his hair.

"H-Hey, get back here!" When he got out of the tent, he immediately noticed that he was still in the same forest he was in before he was captured, and that he was in a smaller circular clearing that was surrounded by trees.

There were two other tents, one to his left and another to his right, making three in total, and he… could see that there was an old wooden table not that far off in front of him. That was where Orin was, leaning against it, and looming through the ghost's own possessions with two of his other men.

One, had red kind-of-spiky hair, and wore a blackish mechanic jacket, grey pants, and black boots with a machete sheath on his tool belt, and his jacket appeared to have his own name on it. 'Owen'. He was the first to spot Gage.

There was another that had dark skin, and dreadlocks to go along with it as he too wore a black mechanic jacket with his name on it, but with charcoal colored pants, dark green shoes, and a black doo rag covering the top of his head. The tag on his jacket simply said, 'Greed', and he was a few feet away from the table trying to shoot a glass bottle that was not that far away with Mistletoe, occasionally taking a few pot-shots with it as well.

However, that wasn't Gage's main focus even though it did piss him off. What was, was the sight of Orin still leaning against that table… as he actually _was_ looking through the ghost's photos… and soon turned to face him once he heard Riley,

"Up already? I'm surprised, but I do love the persistence. Really shows that I rustled your jimmies the right way!"

His two other lackeys sprung into action, and were about to draw their weapons until Orin raised his hand and signaled for them to stay at ease, with yet another smirk as he did so.

Gage didn't care about what they could do, he still moved right in front of Orin, and stared down the man as Riley and Alizarin both quickly tried to get out of their own tent without making any loud noises,

"...Give me back those pictures. _NOW."_

"I could do that, _OR_ I could burn them." The older man said as he turned back around, and threw one of the pictures onto the table he was sitting at. "Rule number two of being out here kid, don't voice your demands directly."

He wasn't even looking at Gage directly now. The only thing he kept his eye on was Javix… which, was stabbed into the side of the table. However, that caught the ghost's eyes too changed as Orin just waved the other photos above his head again,

"Remember what I said last night? You're going to work for me, and furthermore, you're going to have to earn these back!"

"So… you can either do that…" The position of the Kukri soon changed though, as Orin reached for it, and pulled it out without any effort needed before he flaunted it as well, but still kept looking away from his new captive. "...Or see what happens when you think it'd be better to drive that knife of yours through my skull."

"You know what? Here! Let's test how stupid you can be! Now go ahead and do it, or be smart about it, and stand down."

He then tossed Javix away behind himself, and Gage watched it as it landed onto the dirt next to his feet, and Orin glanced back at him for only a few seconds to see his reaction to the situation.

What Gage didn't know or care to notice though, was that he was actually looking back at Riley, and smiled at her, causing her to become disheveled and pant nervously.

She knew exactly what he had planned, and what he wanted her to do to him. It would take a lot out of her, or result in their new captive's death… but she couldn't disobey him. Not with this much at stake.

So… she nodded, and became a bit reassured once Alizarin put his hand on her shoulder, and they soon turned their focus back onto Gage as he was still in his standoff against Orin,

The old man could see the angst in the ghost's red eyes, and he knew that someone with that sour look couldn't keep it in for long… even if it would be a stupid and pointless attempt on his life.

"You know you want to, so go ahead kid... Grab the _damn_ knife!-"

He welcomed the challenge with a taunt, and unexpectedly… the ghost accepted, and only replied with one word and a smirk before he lunged towards his Kukri, and grunted heavily...

"...Gladly."

His metal arm recklessly swiped the knife off of the ground at nearly inhuman speeds as he charged at Orin, and decided that he would go for an upwards diagonal slice to make sure that the attack would be hard to catch or block.

He even thought it was foolproof in that moment… but that was until he went to make the cut, and out of the corner of his eye, caught Orin turning his body to the side so he could slyly stick and point the barrel of his double barreled shotgun-bat out at the ghost's lower torso.

Gage luckily managed to active his entire semblance and let the two rounds pass through him after the weapon fired, but not before he felt a hard and sharp object make contact with his metallic arm, and jerk his arm so his slice went right past his foe's cheek!

"ARGH!"

He soon became locked in another death stare with the bandaged psycho and remained pretty much frozen in place, but not against his own will. Something else more sinister was doing that for him...

What the ghost didn't see, was that Riley had her hands aimed at him, with open palms, and her beige colored aura was glowing along with Gage's own… as in reality, she used her semblance, and locked him in place with his own aura!

Oh, and he also now had an arrow lodged in the side of his metal arm to make the situation even better.

Now, Orin finally stood up and turned around only to chuckle, and pry the ghost's metal fingers off of Javix's so he could take it again, and even do a little flip with it as he looked back at Riley, who was starting to sweat bullets and whine under her breath,

"Thanks hon'. Now do me a favor and put him back in his place for me." He ordered her, prompting Alizarin to flash his garnet colored eyes at their leader in protest while also making sure to keep the younger girl calm, "Damn it, give them both a break Orin, they're just kids!"

"Relax 'Allen', I will… just after this. She can't expand her semblance if she doesn't push herself, now can she?"

He snapped his fingers, and brought silence upon everyone as he pointed at their captive again, and just took a step back so he could have a perfect view to watch her work her magic. "...Now go on."

And after a few deep breaths and pants, she focused on Gage one last time, and motioned yer hands downwards in a way that caused his aura to push down against his body, making him eventually crumble down onto his knees, and they both lost their breath as a result.

That was when she gave up control on him, and would have fallen over if Alizarin didn't keep her steady with his arms, "Don't worry, I got you! Just focus on breathing..." He followed up with an obvious glare that was aimed at their leader, who just rolled his eyes and stood in front of the ghost once again.

What came after that could be seen coming from a mile away. Orin exhaled, and simply used the stock of his shotgun to bash Gage in the chest again, making him choke on his breath and fall back onto his side as he felt the pain of his wounds come back to him.

"I should honestly kill you for that, but unfortunately… I think I found _another_ reason for you to be kept alive."

He grabbed his chest and could taste some blood already… but as he laid there. and opened his eyes again… he could see someone not that off the in the distance, sitting on a branch near the top of a large tree but… oddly.

From what he could make out, it was a girl with light brown hair, like himself, that went back into a messy ponytail. She wore a black tank top, black ripped skinny jeans, and black skate shoes, along with black forearm band, and a black fingerless glove, both being on her right hand/arm.

She also had a black compact bow, so he knew who had just shot him… again, but that wasn't the odd thing about her. What was, was the position she was in.

She was of course crouched on the tree branch… but she wasn't on top of it. Instead, her body was upside down and her feet were touching the bottom of it, and looked like she was simply hanging from it like how a bat would.

The woman looked back down at him pitifully for only a second before she put her bow around herself and suddenly lost her grip on the branch, but quickly flipped her body around so she could land on her feet, with her aura taking most of the impact of the fall.

She then turned, and ran over to Riley and Alizarin as fast as she could as he huffed and sighed at this new 'friend' while also gesturing over to Gage again. "*sigh* ...Ileana, why do you have to be so damn precise?" He asked her sarcastically.

"Shush, you know that it wasn't that hard for me!" This other girl, Ileana, just scoffed and proceeded to put Riley's arm around her neck so both her and Al could keep her balanced. "It's not like I have much of a choice to miss anyway…"

Was she… with them? Then why did she launch that arrow at Gage? And why did this Riley girl have to do whatever she just did to him instead of helping him fight Orin? The ghost couldn't fathom it… but he couldn't exactly think about it for that long either.

Orin could see that he was watching those three still, so he grumbled and kicked his captive in the side of the head as he turned his double barrel shotty back into it's cricket bat form, "Hey, don't lose focus now. I've still got something else that I know is important to you."

"*pant*...And what might… *pant* ...that be?" Gage asked him, sarcastically as he tried to catch his breath, and stand up again.

Orin then pulled out the ghost's own black Collector's scroll… and waved it at Gage with temptation, but that was before he revealed what he found on there. And he did allow him to see it once he stopped flashing it at him,

"We killed a Huntsman not that long ago and found one of these on him. It's layed out wayyy more differently than any other scroll, so i guessed that he was a lot more than just a huntsman. Not to mention he had some valuable info on that thing..."

"...And now you come along right after raiding a White Fang compound? Hehe, this thing must be a gold mine!"

Gage let out an exasperated chuckle, and slowly raised up a bit so he could lay on his side, and look up at his foe,

"*wheeze* ...Sorry to disappoint you, but I cleared that thing after I left my friends behind." The ghost let out an exasperated chuckle, and slowly raised up a bit so he could lay on his side and look up at his foe with a smile, "Your 'gold,' Is all in here now…" He said, as he tapped his forehead with his metallic Index finger.

"...What about this then?"

He tapped on the screen a few times, and admittedly got lost for a few seconds… but eventually found what he was looking for. It was the scroll's own personal messaging system!

But what was on there… was something that Gage knew he shouldn't have typed down, but did it despite his own situation. It was an extensive message that he had kept saved as a draft for Yang, whose contact was titled as… just The Letter 'Y', and it went as followed,

' _...Y, it's me. I know I have an apology to make, but I don't have a lot of time to do it… so_ _this is the best I've got at the moment.'_

' _It was selfish for me to do this and keep you out of harm's way even though you wanted to be, but… it's better this way. And if it's not… then that's my fault, and I'll own up to it. Just know that I'm doing this for us, not just for myself. It's never been that way ever since you found me… I just need you to know that.'_

' _And… I'm sorry in advance because... I'm the reason we won't be celebrating our first Valentine's Day. But don't worry, I think you'll be happy to know that I'm slowly becoming filled with self-hatred and starting to miss being able to have social interactions with real people... I'm being sarcastic by the way, so please laugh. It's the least I can do for you now.'_

' _I may seem like a giant asshole in your eyes now, but I'm okay with that. Because no matter how long it takes for me to get this thing controlled… I'll always keep fighting and pushing myself so I can get back to you. It's only fair after what I asked of you. P.S., I love you._ ' - _G._

The ghost felt like he could pop a blood vessel on command after reading his own message, and Orin amplified that feeling by about fifty percent once he could see his frustration. "I bet this is for that hot young blonde in those photos of yours… Hehe, she's your squeeze ain't she? …Or was rather." He teased him with a smirk.

The ghost took in a deep breath, and looked up again into the older man's eyes as his own glowed their red color at him, and he shouted an obvious lie at him afterwards, "...I left her behind too, so It doesn't mean shit to me anymore!"

"Well in that case, I guess she should at least have some closure!"

Since what he said was obviously a huge deception, Orin gave the ghost no mercy, and immediately pressed send on his Collector's scroll, and the message had been delivered.

She saw it almost immediately…

"Rrrrgh… What, in the hell, do you want from me?!" Gage yelled at him again.

"Everything you know about the White Fang, and these, 'secret Huntsmen' that you're working with." The man in chains put the device away with a strange look of annoyance, and sighed once again as he got on one knee, "Atlas would pay a lot of lien for information like this, and I've got a community to take care of back home, which is where we're taking you."

"And if I don't want to go?"

"Then we'll beat it out of you!" That question made Orin roll his eyes and stand up again while also flailing his bat around for a bit before he face palmed, and could only sigh yet again. "*sigh* ...Kid, I thought you were a lone wanderer. Why do you need to hold all these secrets if you're not with those people anymore?"

"...Because there won't be any more peace on Remnant if people knew about what's really going on." Everyone in that camp then froze, and looked absolutely shell shocked.

They all obviously didn't believe him, but how could they know that he was telling the truth? It wasn't like he could prove it either, so they simply continued to stay silent as their leader lowered his hand from his face, and came up with an odd bargain for him,

"*exhale* ...Okay, how about this? If you can survive through sticking it with us and spill everything when we get back to our home, then _maybe I'll_ think about letting you go. No promises."

"No games, or any bullshit?" The ghost asked him, still knowing that there would be some even if the older man lied and said no.

Thankfully though, Orin didn't intend on lying. "Can't promise that either." He knew that the ghost was smart enough to call him as he saw him, and he wasn't ashamed of it. It wasn't like he was ever going to trust him anyway.

Gage rolled his eyes to this… but also wanted to see if he could try his own luck, considering it was what pretty much got him into this position. "...Fine, but you still need me… so I want my stuff back." He demanded, as he pointed at the table in front of him.

"You can have the knife and your wallet. I have to keep everything else so you won't run off. Capisce?"

Yet it still turned out to be a wasted effort, causing the injured ghost to glare up at the sky for a few seconds before he just looked back down and sighed again, "I'll take that as a yes..." Orin mumbled to himself.

And with that, he looked around at everyone in his group and gestured over towards their three tents with his bat, which urged Alizarin, Greed, and Owen stand up and walk over to them,

"Alright, show's over. Everyone pack up and get ready to move! We still have some ground to cover before the sun goes down!"

Gage still remained on the floor, but the right side of his chest for a few moments as he finally adjusted himself and sat down on the ground, with his two legs being nearly pressed against his chest while Orin went back over to the table he was leaning against earlier.

All he did was just put all of the pictures of Gage and Yang in his pocket, and kick Javix over to the ghost before he turned back around, and looked down at him once more. "Oh yeah. I still have one last thing to ask you, kid..."

"What?"

"...Who are you?"

He asked this with something else than curiosity, and what that was couldn't be determined. But soon enough, it didn't matter, as Orin extended his hand down to the ghost so he could... help him back up into his own feet.

Gage didn't do anything initially at first but stare at his hand for a few seconds before he turned his head away, pulled the arrow out of his prosthetic arm's bicep… and looked over at the two girls he had met earlier. Riley and Ileana.

They were both staring back at him, their eyes almost seemingly begging him not to touch their leader for some reason… and that single instant reassured him that something else was going on inside this group than what was presented to him.

There were two sides of one coin now it seemed. Which side was the right for the ghost was also uncertain, but he knew that he would eventually choose correctly… even if a few mistakes were to be made along the way.

So in the end, Gage reached for grasped Orin's hand and grasped it before he was promptly pulled back up onto his feet, and chose to answer this old psychopath's question, but all while still being uncertain of how this would all pan out for him in the future...

"...I'm Gage."

…

 **Author's Note #2:** Before I say anything, what do you guys thinking of these Author Fun facts? I've just been wanting to give you guys more stuff to think about than just the plot tbh XD. Plus they're fun for me too!

Anyway, I have another story to shout out! This one being **Unbreakable Bonds** by my friend **Baconlord53** , who like you, also follows Desertion. His story tells of a girl named Casey Blaze, and the adventures of her new Team, Team BRAS! And like the last one, I also helped edit this one a bit myself, so go help him out by giving his fic a read for me!

Now, I'm off to go work on the Two-Shot, which is now going to be titled, **Búcsú Testvér: Another Desertion Story.** Wish me luck on it, and I'll try to get back to you here in two weeks! See you guys in the next chapter!


	35. Broken Eclipse

**Author's Note:** Alright, at this rate I should be able to finish the first chapter of the two-shot after I post chapter 38 here :( , but production is still going smoothly! Also, I just wanted to remind you guys that if you have the RWBY: Amino app, go and follow _DatRtfantho_. That's me, and I'm just restating this mainly because it's the main place to go if you want to see my progress on chapters, and I may also start posting a few cool things that may come into Desertion in future.

In fact, I even posted a description of what the rest of Team RWBY's future outfits will look like along with Yang's Strider outfit in my story. Oh yeah, they're getting new outfits btw XD. (And they aren't for Volume 4 either. That's faaar out of the park for me right now.)

That's still your choice, and if you don't have the app, then I highly suggest you guys go ahead and check it out still. It's a lot better for fans than Reddit or other social platforms in my opinion because it's main focus is your favorite show instead of having to make a section for it, and it's a great way to advertise if you guys are starting a story too. Anyway, here's the new chapter! It's pretty short too btw, sorry about that. But I promise the next one will be alot bigger and interesting!

 **Song:** Lies by Marina and The Diamonds

…

Blake's search at Bolin Peak proved to be unsuccessful in her effort to find Gage and bring him back home to Beacon… but in reality, that wasn't exactly 100% her intention originally.

Truly, she just wanted to get away from Beacon. Not because of the awkward tension between her and her partner Yang… but because of an incident that had occurred with Sun that same morning that she left.

She was wearing something odd for her taste too. Specifically, Blake was wearing a black leather rocker jacket with a purple line going up it's right sleeve, and white fur outlining it's collar, like Gage's own suede jacket funny enough, oh, and a black finger less glove on her right hand.

Under her jacket was a faded white crop top with her own black symbol on it, and she wore black ripped jeans and combat boots, with purple eyelets.

But strangely, she had a long piece of scraggly wool that covered the rear of her jeans, going from hip to hip, and the rim of her boots were also outlined with that same type of fur as well. She would later dub this her _Outlander_ outfit.

Now, she was walking through the snowy and partially destroyed forest by herself, as she had just left the White Fang outpost that was controlled by the Collectors now, the same one that her Team and Gage helped capture almost a month ago,

"*sigh*"

She was already on her way to her pick up point with Emile, and she dreaded it mostly because of how awkward it was on her way here. All he did was play some old 80s music from his ship's stereo, and not talk at all… he seemed… angered by her presence even, to make Blake's whole situation even better.

So, to distract herself from her impending feelings of self-hatred… she started to write in her old Notebook again that she had brought with her. That same one she was drew Adam in the day that her and her Team started their second semester at Beacon, right before they had that massive food fight with JNPR…

She was so occupied with the thing, that she didn't even see that she had walked right into the clearing that she was suppose to wait in for Emile. And when her faunus senses finally kicked in, she sighed again, and just moved to the other end of the opening in the forest so she could sit down against a tree, tug on her jacket collar, and go back to writing in her book again,

 _~One life... is not a long time.  
When you're waiting… for a small sign.  
Patience... is hard to find.  
Shadows... seem to fill your life.._~

~ _Don't be disappointed.  
Don't let your heart break.  
Don't spend another minute in. This. Way.  
...It's. Oh-kay..._~

She wrote this down onto the white blankness of her paper, all while the snow continued to fall and land next to her drawing of Adam… but soon enough, the sight of him angered her, so she turned the next page, and continued.

But… what was on that next page brought a different emotion to the rouge, as… it was a drawing, of Gage. It was of course done with a pencil, and she had actually outlined it, or him rather, during Yang's own birthday party.

It was a very accurate outline of his build and his height, and it was basically a side shot of him, but this time he was wearing his old sage leather jacket, and he was resting Mistletoe on his right shoulder as he used his right-hand to hold it's grip.

Unlike everyone else, Blake noticed how he never wore that thing anymore. No one else could see that he was clearly distancing himself from it because of what happened to him, and that it left a permanent scar on him. Why wouldn't it?

So… she drew him wearing it again, but with his prosthetic arm too as his sleeve, the one that got blown off with the rest of his left arm, was also torn and looked to be burning, with the flames and cinders coming off of him turning into small flowers, all while his metal hand was clasped into a fist.

However, the best part about it was the fact that she made it so his head would be turned just enough so it would look like he was looking at whoever was holding the book open. Which nearly brought her to tears again.

Blake continued to write despite that, and as howling winds grew louder, and the snow continued to fall all around her... she wiped her eyes again, continued to scribble more and more into her notebook, and just remembered what's caused her to come out to this desolate tundra…

~... _Dry your eyes now baby…~_

…

 **Yesterday Morning…**

…

Back when she was still at Beacon, Blake had taken the opportunity Sun offered, and started to stay with him in his room so she wouldn't have to constantly breathe the tight air that seemed to have engulfed the RWBY dorm. She was still torn on if she should have done that or not, but it didn't matter at the moment.

All she was doing at that time was reading one of her books or writing in her notebook as per usual, but that was until Sun just came into the dorm with a sigh, and walked over to her slowly. "Hey Blake, you doing okay?"

"...What do you think?"

"I _think_ you're okay enough to go down and grab your own breakfast, but luckily for you, I got you some anyway…" He replied, as he placed a plate full of pancakes next to her while she was sat down on his bed.

She didn't reply with some snarky remark or give the monkey faunus a look that could kill. Instead she just sighed, put her book down, and turned to go and frown at her plate of pancakes.

One of them had a stupid looking smile on it's top side that was made of blueberries, and its two eyes were made of the same thing as well, but all it did was make the feline faunus grumble to herself as she picked her fork off of the plate, and stabbed the pancake's blueberry eye so she could take it out and swallow it.

Sun went ahead and started to make some fake pleads and wailing in a high pitched voice for the pancake, but that was what earned him a death stare, so he stopped halfway and just watched his girlfriend eat the cake with a sigh, "*sigh* ...Nothing?"

"...Thanks Sun…"

She thanked him, somewhat, and that was enough for him to decide to sit down on the bed opposite from her, and just look her up and down tiredly.

Now she was wearing her usual yukata, but appeared to have rings around her eyes, which of course drew him to look up and just stare into her eyes while she jabbed at her breakfast a bit, "Did you get any sleep at all?" He asked her quietly.

She shook her head, and just answered with her mouth full after she put some more food in it, "Nut es muhh us a mumal teenager shuhh!" Even though she knew she would sound like she was speaking gibberish.

("Not as much as a normal teenager should!")

"*sigh*" Sun just took that as no though, and watched Blake as she turned towards him, swallowed her food, and blushed as she noticed that he had been staring at her for the last five minutes, and had been doing nothing else but that. "W ...What are you looking at?" She asked him.

"...You." He answered as he put his hand under his chin, and continued to stare at her blankly while she looked away from him, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I hate seeing you like this, brooding and all that. I just wish I could do something to help you, but every time I try, it seems like you have some way of avoiding my advice…"

The feline faunus then put down her fork, and sat in front of him cross crossed as she suddenly noticed the clear desperation in her eyes… and listened to him as he went on about his own struggle with her,

"I've been trying to do everything Gage basically did with Yang to comfort her, and that failed miserably last night. Me being your body pillow didn't do crap, and I just don't know what I can do for you anymore… it pisses me off."

Blake's eyes drooped and she just started to poke at her food again once she heard how miserable he was by just the tone of his voice, and to be honest, it was a tone she thought had never come out of Sun before.

"I don't blame you…" That fact made her feel absolutely worse than she already was feeling before, so she sighed with him again, and could only stare down and frown at the pancakes he had gotten for her, yet again. "...I know I'm difficult, but it's just who I am. I can't feel sorry for myself anymore, and you shouldn't either.…"

"Why can't I?' He asked her, with a shrug.

"Because it's just like what Cordelia said, I'm a coward. And he was right about everything else too… everything that happened to Gage, it _was_ my fault."

"I could have avoided all of this if I just did what you told me to do and talked to him, but instead I didn't… and now, Gage is gone, Yang most likely hates me with a passion, I don't even know if the rest of my team trusts me anymore, and… I'm making you suffer by having to watch me do the same..."

She let out another soft exhale through her nose, and just chose to cover eyes as she layed back onto Sun's bed again, and seemingly let her mind take over her next choice of speech.

"...I… I just wish my feelings for him never got in the way… then, none of this would have happened…"

With the mix of her conflicted emotions and tiredness, Blake didn't know she was thinking out loud however, so she just laid there for a few seconds and Sun let that last whisper of her pass right through him… for a few moments at least.

He nodded, but soon relapsed and caught what she actually said, and it caused him to blink twice, breaking his gaze that was focused on her tired body, and raise his head back up in confusion. Obviously because he was hoping that he heard her wrong, "W… W-Wait, what did you just say?"

The feline's eyes shot open, and she covered her mouth with one of her hands as she raised herself back off the bed so she could sit up straight, and look back at her boyfriend, clearly looking shocked about letting that last bit out.

"Wait… Blake, you _liked_ Gage? L… Like, _that?_ " But… she didn't say anything further, and let that thought linger before Sun pieced it all back together, and stood up so he could look down at his girlfriend with squinted eyes, "...But we were still a thing when he got here!"

She looked up so she could be able to look him in the eye, and all she saw was him staring back at her, looking a mix of angry, confused, and flabbergasted all in one single expression.

"...I didn't know if I did or not!" She knew there was no way out of this, even if she did run, Blake decided… that it was best if she came clean about it, because her _feelings_ for him were created a long time ago, but they never stuck with her completely. "But that went away a long time ago, and they didn't urge me to stray away from being with you!"

"It doesn't matter, you just said that's what got in the way of being able to tell him the truth about what happened! And you can't tell me otherwise!"

"...I couldn't just destroy what i had, and I'm not talking about just me and him. " She admitted, as she walked towards the monkey faunus, and pointed at him as her eyes started to well up with tears. "I'm talking about _everyone else_ besides _you!"_

"*sniffle* ...My team thinks I'm a killer Sun. And I know they do!" She said this, and soon put her hands on his shoulders, causing him to frown and turn his head away from her. "...And I'm sure you're thinking me as some… *sniffle* ...slut, or something else horrible, and I don't want you to!"

Blake felt utterly helpless, and now a lot more alone than she has ever been before, because back when she had originally found out about Gage's father's death, he was the only one she could vent or speak about it with.

She did love him too, just not as much before when the ghost had first arrived because of how cocky he was. But… after Yang and Gage's own relationship blossomed, Sun took note of them and began to try harder for her.

That was what made her gain a new perspective of him, and realize that any advance he made was to try and make her feel normal. She was the one being neglectful and she was sorry for it, but was also happy that he was already committed in the first place.

So, if she was to lose Sun now during one of her lowest moments, she wouldn't know what to do if the rest of her Team were to turn against her, and the thought of that frightened her beyond belief.

"But… you really had to let this secret of yours slip now?! I mean… the guy proposed to Yang, Blake!"

Her worried look kind of… sulked, and she seemed a bit calm after that, but more because he had just brought silence upon her. Still though, he looked down at her sincerely and sighed again, but still looked a little frustrated at the same time.

This made her just rub her eyes again while she tried not to face him, and he covered his own as he took a step back from her, and shook his head. "...Look, I need to just… process this, and I think it'd be better if you leave… for now." He said tiredly as he gestured towards his dorm's front door.

"*sniffle* ...Sun, I… I-I…-"

"Blake, please just go!" He nearly shouted.

The feline faunus immediately jumped, took a step back from him as well, and she did as he asked her without anything further to say. She reached for the door handle with a sniffle before she opened it, and slowly walked out of their room without making another sound, which still made the monkey faunus a little upset in the end.

He watched as her figured disappeared down the hallway, and once she was gone, Sun shut the door quietly, and turned back towards his bed, specifically towards the smiling pancakes he had brought for her.

Sun now saw how stupid and incriminating they looked, so before he went to rest on his bed and think, he growled, grabbed the plate of pancakes, walked over towards his room's open window, and tossed them out of it in a fit of rage!

"Rrrrgh! FUCK!"

…

… **Present Day**

…

Blake was already being picked up by Emile at this time. Meanwhile… Gage, and these 'scavengers' had packed everything up from the camp they were at, and started their trek towards the village that they came from, though he pretty much went along against his will.

Basically, if he'd stop walking Orin would have Riley move his feet for him, or break his aura because of how weak it still was so it wouldn't regenerate, so the ghost chose to stay in line along with Riley, Alizarin, and Ileana collectively.

Now, the seven of them in that dysfunctional group were walking down the same long, desolate, forest surrounded road together, the same one Gage and Summer had planned on traveling down with that forgotten truck before he was kidnapped.

And about an hour into their hike… Gage was stopped, as it sounded like Summer was trying to say something to him again, and with how she was when she went away, he was obviously alarmed.

" _B… Br-ucken… Winss_ …"

"Summer?" He asked himself quietly as he put his metal hand against the side of his head, and let the Ileana girl and Riley walk ahead of him while he closed his eyes once again.

Gage tried to focus on her voice, but it ceased before he could make out what she was trying to say. This disappointment made him sigh, and just look down at himself tiredly… and that was when he noticed something saddening.

...That little light-up ornament that he was clutching in his hands when Orin was beating him, was gone! His little light… his last physical piece of Yang, in his mind at least, was gone. He left it behind by accident…

His red eyes dulled, and his expression loosened up a bit to the point where anyone could tell that he wasn't exactly all there at the moment, and it soon attracted the attention of someone, as Ileana stopped walking.

She turned halfway to face him with one of her hands grasping her Compact Bow's string, as she put it so the front of the was on her back, next to her quiver and it's string went across her front.

Riley stopped too after that, but only to partially look back with one eye while she held her bronze machine gun in her arms, and Alizarin just continued to walk forwards with his right hand on his holstered sidearm,

"Hey, you alright?" The Bow-girl asked him. She asked this mostly because he was now looking back at the road behind him… seemingly at someone that the others couldn't see.

"Nothing, I… I just lost something."

Riley, the heavy, just huffed and turned back around so she could keep walking after that, and she expected Ileana to do the same… but she didn't. Instead, the brunette just smiled at the ghost, and took something familiar out of her pocket.

...it was his sage bandana, and the sight of it made Gage take a double take that was aimed at his right bicep, and that was when he actually noticed it was gone in first place… and it shocked him.

Not that it was gone for a brief amount of time, but that he actually prioritized Yang's little relic and pictures more than he did the last thing he had left of his past life, and… it kind of made him happy for some reason to be honest. "Is this what you were looking for?"

He tilted his head back towards her a little bit with a look that made it look like he was about to say 'no', but the ghost stopped himself, and slowly nodded his head up and down in agreement as she handed it to him.

When he took it from her, the Ileana girl smiled, and just lightly patted his shoulder before she turned back around and continued to go ahead and catch up to the rest of her group, leaving him by himself in the back.

Then, as he smiled too and tied the bandana back around his right bicep like he would usually have it, Gage looked behind himself one last time… and saw a partially transparent Summer standing there in the middle of the road with a blank expression.

Right when he spotted her, the phantom pointed towards the rest of his group of captors, and only said one sentence before she dissipated again, and left Gage there to run back to them. And he did, after some contemplating of what was going on with her. He didn't know if she was in a damaged state or something, and if it could affect her judgement, but she was all he had now.

So, he sighed, turned back around, and slowly walked back behind the rest of the group with Summer's last few words to him still bouncing around in his head, as he found them to be a lot more confusing than humble…

~ _...Broken Wings won't hold you down…~_

…

 **Author's Note #2:** Kind of a random, weird, and sort of rushed chapter, but hey we still got it within our deadline! Barely... Baby steps though! Heh, but really the main reason behind this was because I've just moved into a new home and have no internet at the moment, so I hope that'll hold you guys down until the next chapter, which I PROMISE will offer more!

And speaking of ' **more** ' I have _another_ announcement to make! I, DatRtfantho, have begun production on a new RWBY Chibi Desertion mini series, in celebration of RWBY Chibi Season 2! There's also another reason behind me making it, and I'll explain it in the A/N of that story.

Also, I'm putting a lot of emphasis on _mini_ - _series_ , so it won't damage my production rate that badly. But anyway, until then, I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Oh, and thank you guys for 34,500+ views on Part Two!


	36. Enemy Of My Enemy

**Author's Note:** So… I haven't exactly gotten any plot-related feedback since we've started this new arc, so I just want to ask you guys what you think of it so far, and especially the new OCs! (You'll get to know the nicer ones a little bit better this chapter, don't worry) Because you guys have no idea how long it took me to think and finalize their design, and our own current story line. Hehe, nearly two years actually XD.

Oh, and one last important thing... Happy Birthday Monty! We all love you, and miss you!

 **Song:** Love The Way You Lie by Eminem & Rihanna

 **Author's Fun Fact #6:** Going off of what I just said, it took me a year and a half to figure out the main plot points for Desertion Part One and Two, and another year and a half to write Part One. Part Two is going to take a little longer, but if I'm going to make Part Three, I'm thinking to do so by sometime early next year. But no promises.

…

After Summer eventually faded away again, Gage turned and returned back to the others, who seemed to be purposely lagging behind Orin and his two lackeys.

That fact gave Gage some consolation, but obviously he'd rather leave than stay, even though they seemed to be heading in the same direction that he and Summer had been wanting to go before 'they' were captured.

And now, he walked with pain all across his body, and appeared to be limping along with hard breaths that escaped from him with nearly every step, as his head, and chest continued to torment his senses. Not to mention that the heat of the spring was beating down on everyone.

He knew that he couldn't slow down now, especially when realized that there were still probably some White Fang search teams that were out and about, searching for whoever they were looking for.

But, he didn't want to remind the rest of the group that he was aware of any of that either. So, when he managed to make his way back up to the Ileana girl, he kind of… nervously tapped on her shoulder as he tried to get her attention,

"*wheeze* ...Hey-*cough!*"

"Hmm?" She turned to face him, and the ghost was… sort of taken aback by how fast she chose to look at him with a smile that didn't seem to be because his pain, but more of a genuine one. "You okay there?"

"Uh…" She asked this as her orange eyes seemingly flared themselves at him, and caused him to sort of… pause, but not before he nodded, and hesitated a bit with his answer. "Um… I just… got everyone else's names, except for yours. And I just wanted to thank you properly…"

Alizarin then turned back around, and smirked at them both while Riley huffed with annoyance, and he just chuckled because of it, "Hehe, Illie, you got another one trapped in your web already?" He questioned her sarcastically.

"*pant* ...Um… what?" Gage asked.

"...It's nothing, 'scruffy'." Ileana sighed as she put a hand on his shoulder, and visibly glared over at the older man before she turned back to the ghost, and casually answered his question. "And my name's Ileana. Ileana Tarantella. Sorry about that arrow from earlier by the way!"

Gage nodded and acknowledged what she said, but soon nonchalantly brushed his right hand down against his lips and chin, and that was when he noticed that his facial hair was very unkept, to the point where he was even surprised by how thick the hair was getting

"N… No problem… and yeah, nice to meet you…"

Riley then finally turned around, and looked at Gage whilst she was walking backwards and holding her M249, though she didn't look happy after their little introduction either. "Well, there you go. Now you know all our names… so can you just keep quiet for the rest of the trip?" She asked, feeling annoyed by how talkative the ghost now seemed.

"Let the man speak Rye, while he still can…" Alizarin snapped back at her, but a little ominously. This made Gage look down at his own feet, and just decide to avoid making eye contact with anyone from this point on. "...Besides, I'd think he has a lot of questions he'd like to ask. Ones that _we_ can answer without any problems…"

The heavy grumbled to herself, and silently glared at the ghost again with her brown eyes before she fumbled with her machine gun a bit, "Well… do you have questions?" She asked Gage, with seemingly no interest in his response at all.

"Pfft… what? _Noooo!_ " He answered, with probably the largest amount of sarcasm he's ever used in a single sentence. "I'm fine, trust me. I have _totally_ been in as confusing a situation as this before, so don't worry about me!"

"You don't have to be a dick about it…"

"*SIGH* ...Yes, i have at least one question about all of this. And i'd _really_ appreciate it if you guys could help me out with it here."

"Alright, alright. Shoot." Ileana said to him with a smirk as she slowed her walking, so she could match his own pace.

Riley eased up on her own speed too, but just enough to make it seem like she wasn't too interested in doing so, and she tilted her head slightly towards the two as well, all while Alizarin still continued to face forwards.

Gage limped ahead a little bit, and after he looked at all three of them, he just exhaled, and basically huffed out his question to them, "...Who the _hell_ are you people?"

Alizarin chuckled, and used his hand to move the front of his cowboy hat up as he just smirked too with his cigar in his mouth, and brushed some of his bangs out of his eyes as he turned to the two girls behind him,

"Am i going to have to fill him in? 'Cuz ya'll know i ain't great with summaries."

"I'll do it…" Riley huffed, sounding both annoyed and depressed in one breath. "But first, are you talking about us three, or… the other half of us?" She asked the ghost whilst gesturing over to Orin, Owen, and Greed with a whisper.

"...Both?" He replied, looking equally annoyed at how their heavy phrased her own question. "All. Of. You. I don't care if there's a 'divide' between you guys, because you two were still willing to pull the trigger on me like _that_." He said, as he snapped a finger at the two girls quietly.

Ileana smiled at Gage, and just continued to hold onto her bow's string to keep it in place on her back. "Didn't you _just_ say that it wasn't a problem?"

"I said that _you_ weren't a problem, since you actually shot somewhere that wasn't Vytal!" The ghost then stopped, and looked down at the floor confusingly for… some odd reason. "Wait… Vytal? Vital! *sigh* … God damn it Yan-"

" _AHEM!_ " Riley interrupted them all through gritted teeth before she shook her firearm with frustration, and made sure to keep her volume down so the three others ahead of them wouldn't notice, "i guess i'll just start with the people you need to worry about… _them_."

She of course meant Orin and his two men, and the mention of them caused her to lower her voice, and take note of the gap that was in between their small group so she could stop if they became closer to each other,

"Orin, and those guys… they're apart of this group, a big one… maybe not as big as White Fang, but it's still something to worry about. They call themselves… _The Skinwalkers_."

"*sigh* ...Another cult?" Gage sighed, as he looked over to Ileana and watched her nod to him in reassurance. "And it has a weird name too… 'Skinwalkers'-"

"Now don't go saying that name all willy nilly son." Alizarin then growled at them all with a glare, and Riley kind of tensed up after uttering their title. "It brings bad luck, and i'd rather keep my own in tact."

"Trust me, if you guys don't actually kill me, i might just end up being your 'Good Luck Charm'."

Gage said this to all three of them, and it earned him a series of mixed glances. Most of them being expressions that made him feel like he sounded crazy, but he didn't blame them for thinking so.

So, once again, Riley rolled her eyes and tried her best to continue on with her summarization for the ghost. "Anyway… they call themselves that because they're all deranged, racist... and believe that they're humans in faunus bodies."

"What?" Gage thought. 'Humans in Faunus bodies?' This prompted him to look ahead, and over at Orin and his two thugs. The ghost could clearly see that there were no visible faunus traits, and he even remembered what the older man in chains said about the race.

He called them animals... But he was one of them too? It didn't make any sense, and on the three of them, (Orin, Owen, and Greed,) the usual place that faunus parts would usually be seen were covered up by… medical bandages.

"But uh… those three don't look like they're faunus… At least from what i can see."

Al, Ileana, and Riley's eyes faces all equally sunk, and they were reminded of how demented their 'partners' were compared to themselves. But it didn't help that they were already pretty desensitised by what they did…

"Yeah, they don't." Al whispered as he took his cigar out, and exhaled with seemingly no emotion in his tone of voice. "They… 'renounced their heritage', or so to speak."

"Wait, what?"

Bandages… craziness…. 'renouncing their heritage', despite the fact that they're truly faunus? All these painted a picture in Gage's head… and it wasn't pretty. The realization was so bad, that the ghost even had to cover his mouth with his metal hand when he finally made a connection.

"W… Hu… Holy shit, they cut off their-"

"Yeah…" Ileana reassured him, looking a lot more depressed than her two other friends.

He stopped right there, and took in a deep breath as he started to think about… Sun, and Velvet… if they would ever be capable of doing that to themselves on purpose, and Blake too even… it was a nightmarish thought to say the least.

"So, that's their whole deal pretty much… and we work with them, or under them really." Riley added, nonchalantly.

And just like Gage predicted, he now knew that there indeed was a split between his grouping captors, and he was a little glad at first… but not because he knew that the could actually trust these people and let them help him.

For some odd reason, deep down… he was happy because these people were weaker together than he thought they were when he first met them all, and he was weirded out by that cold feeling. It felt… unknown to him even.

"We have this village not far from here named Kēji." Alizarin then piped up, and slowed his walking a bit so he could relay their… background to Gage. "It's your usual average sized place, but it was built on a hill, and it has walls, so it's like a goddamn safehaven for any outsiders… and it attracts a lot of wanderers."

"Orin and his 'friends' invaded our home and took it over five years ago, and it's thrived a lot more since then… but everyone of us that's normal can barely stand them living with us."

He said this with a tone that was so sour, it could've melt flesh, and they all could feel his hatred for these, 'Skinwalkers' become present. Yet, there was still more behind that hatred… that only Riley and Ileana knew about.

Gage on the other hand, became relieved to hear that mostly because it seemed like they could be trusted more… but still, why would they choose to tell him this? "Oh no…" Little did he know, it was because they needed his help to free their people.

The ghost had an expression that showed uneasiness with basically being trusted into this whole situation after only just meeting these three, and it was at this moment that he knew… that there was going to be a catch that involved him.

"We need to get our people out of there, and we have a place to go that we think will work out… but we can't do it without an outsider." Alizarin then winked at him, and casually pointed at Gage with his thumb, since he was in front of him. "That's you son, and if you help us get our people away, then-"

"Al, quit your yapping! I can tell you're boring our new future serial killer!" However, Orin looked back at the four and saw that they were lagging behind, so he made sure to let them know that they were slowing them all down. And thankfully, he didn't hear any of Al's whispering. "Now you four get back up here with the rest of us…"

They all then stopped, and looked over at Orin, Greed, and Owen, who were now all standing in the middle of the the road, as it seemed to be partially blocked off.

There were some debris of an old crashed car on the left side, and it laid on its side while an old run-down RV was parked on the right side, with it's doors open. And on both sides, behind those two previously mentioned oddities, were rows upon rows of other destroyed and rusty cars.

"*sigh* ...There something the matter up there?" Al asked the three men.

Owen then spoke, with a hard southern accent, and gestured over towards their leader with a blank stare, "Orin's sensing something, something real suspicious about this place!" He nearly shouted.

Greed then used Mistletoe's stock, since he still had the weapon on him, and rammed it into Owen's shoulder as to try and shut him up. "Close your damn mouth dumbass! Before you get us all fucking killed!"

Orin just replied with an exhale, and put one of his fingers against his lips so the message would get across to _everyone_ , and it did, as Riley, and Ileana both tightened their grip on their weapons,

"*sigh* ...What now?" Gage thought to himself.

…

 **Earlier…**

…

And just like Gage had predicted, there indeed still were squadrons of White Fang soldiers scouring outer Vale… but, now they weren't just looking for their prisoner anymore. Now, they were looking for The Ghost of Remnant.

This started after a few of their squadrons had been lost and found dead, including the massacre at the Wisteria Penitentiary, but Gage had only been responsible for that and the squad he cut down the night he was captured.

What he didn't know, was that Orin's group had already been putting some work in, by killing and hunting any random White Fang squad they would come across, since tracking Gage for nine days was starting to become boring for them.

The Fang obviously pinned the slaughters on the ghost, and thus increased the demand for his demise among their ranks, along with a little bit of Adam Taurus's own persuasion of course. And that, lead to this very moment.

Now, there was a special group of White Wolves that were organizing that vehicle blockade that Gage and his group of captors would come across not that long from now. But the special thing about this squad, was the person who was leading it.

He wore a set of usual White Wolf armor, but it was colored… black and red, and was armed with actual automatic weapons rather than the energy based ones they had become accustomed to.

Also, funny enough, this man was the same faunus who had stopped and attempted to capture Gage and his friends wayyy back during one of their earlier missions against the White Fang, before the ghost lost his left arm…

In fact, it was the same 'raid' where he managed to fend off against Neo. And in their escape, this soldier almost managed to kill the ghost, and he would have… if it wasn't for the Collector's House Party Protocol.

That failed attempt resulted in the loss of some of his fingers, thanks to Yang, and his capture at the hand of the Collectors, but he still managed to escape, and made his way to Bolin Peak until the ghost and his friends assaulted that place as well.

He was the leader of his own special Team of faunus, and he had taken personal interest in tracking down this new, 'Ghost of Remnant', and killing him himself. And now, he was finally setting his trap.

He was in a call with Adam Taurus, and was also standing inside that broken down RV with two of his men while eight others remained hidden in the brush around them, so they couldn't be seen from the road.

Four were prone in the grass behind the RV, while the other four were lying on the other side of the road, waiting for their moment to strike, "Is everything prepared? Because I can't keep wasting resources out here any longer." Adam raspily told their commander.

The man in red and black armor nodded as he had his scroll out in front of him, and slowly sat down on the floor of the RV so he could scoot next to its wall and appear to be hidden. "Yes sir, and if you don't mind me asking… what should be done if we aren't able to kill him?"

"*wheeze* ...Just get confirmation that he's out here, because the further away from the City of Vale he is, *cough!* ...the better. And that goes for the rest of your men as well."

The man then chuckled to himself, and looked down at the hand that Yang had demolished all that time ago. "I've faced him before and lived, so I'm sure that I'll be able to do it again." He replied, as he scrunched his metal fingers, and gripped his rifle.

"For your own sake commander, I hope you do." The bull said, ominously through his respirator/Grimm mask.

Adam hung up their call soon after, and it urged the commander to put his scroll away, cock his weapon, sigh, and speak to his wolves in the only way he knew so he could command them all as precisely as possible.

"Pojishon ni hairu!"

(Get into position!)

…

…

…

Gage, Riley, Ileana, and Alizarin regrouped with Orin, Greed, and Owen and all seven of them seemed to be on edge as they tried to move through the blockade of cars that had been set there for them.

Now they were all standing perfectly in the center of the road, but obviously remained on guard for any trouble that could occur. Gage though, seemed a little less on edge than the rest of their group, mostly because if there was going to a small skirmish, it could be enough of a distraction to cover his escape.

"Last time we came through here, it wasn't this fucked up or packed together…" Owen then began to look around worryingly, and promptly pulled his red machete out of it's sheath. "...So i ain't buying this as any coincidence."

Orin then chuckled, and put his hand in the air in a way to calm everyone else down, but it didn't exactly seem like he was calm while doing this. He seemed more… excited than the rest. "Now, now… remember. We have a bargaining chip!"

His eyes quickly drifted over to their captive, and the ghost immediately bared his teeth in retaliation, right as the older man in chains smirked at him, and opened his mouth for everyone else around them to hear.

" _WE_ have their little ghost with us!" He nearly yelled, as Alizarin, Riley, Ileana, and Greed all raised their weapons, and looked around their little group… as they began to hear grass crunch, and some movement inside of the RV to their right. "And if they can make it worth our while, we'll happily hand him over!"

The ghost unsheathed Javix as well, but didn't change it into it's revolver form as to not reveal that his kukri had a twist to it, and he just held it sideways while he turned around, and watched as someone stood up from inside of the RV.

It was the commander, and he had an energy pistol aimed right at the ghost's head, with it along with his hand sticking out of the vehicle's open door.

Once he revealed himself, two more stood up inside of the vehicle, and four others came from the left side of the road, resting their automatic weapons on top of the rusted old cars that were blocking the path too.

"As much as I've been waiting for this moment, we aren't going to trade you shit, but we will take him from you." The man in red and black armor stated, as he pulled back the hammer on his pistol. "With, or without your consent."

"C'mon, It's not every day i give a generous offer to an animal like you." Orin sighed, and looked down at the floor while he also turned his chained-up cricket bat into it's double barreled shotgun form, and looked up at the commander amusingly, "And what are you even going to do with him anyway? Kill him?"

"That's for me to know, and for him to find out! So make your peace and say goodbye, before things get ugly." The commander growled.

The threat managed to intimidate everyone else, except for the older man however, and he just replied with another chuckle as he moved over to Gage, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I can't just let you kill him. This kid is actually pretty useful!'

"T… The fuck?" The ghost tensed up, and half-mindedly wanted to plant the blade deep into his captor's throat, but that would only make things a lot worse for himself. So he restrained himself… though, only barely.

"I mean I'd understand if you'd just work him to death, but an execution would just be a waste of potential. Besides, what the hell did he do to you people anyway? Kill a few? Heh, I did too, but it doesn't mean that I have a bounty on my head... Or do I?"

The Wolf commander had finally had enough of all of this, and had his pistol's trigger already halfway pulled, and he wasn't just about to let these savages keep him from killing The Ghost Of Remnant.

So, in one last effort, he stepped out of the RV, and right in front of Gage as he held out his hand with a gesture that looked like he wanted the ghost to come along with him.

"*sigh* ...Let me put it in a way your dumbass will understand. If you give him to us, then we won't kill any of you human scum."

Alizarin huffed, and pivoted over next to Orin with his AK-47 aimed right at the faunus in red and black armor, and it caused all the other faunus soldiers to cock their weapons in response. He didn't exactly feel that keen on letting his one chance of freedom be taken away from him, and he knew Riley and Ileana weren't either.

But thankfully enough for those three… Orin didn't like the idea of letting the ghost go either, and he thought this would be an excellent test to show if Gage was really worth all this trouble.

So with that in mind… the man in chains lowered his double barreled shotty, moved his hand up the ghost's back, and gripped the back of his neck as hard as he could as he started to speak again. "Alright, alright fine. You can have him…"

"...But only if y'all can kill him!"

And in a move so unsuspected, that even Gage didn't see it coming, Orin threw the ghost towards the commander so hard that they both collided, and fell back onto the floor of the RV, right before he just turned, and grabbed Al's assault rifle! "What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled.

He took the firearm, and quickly threw it into the vehicle for Gage before he just let out a hearty laugh and shut the door behind him, locking the ghost in with the other three wolf soldiers that were still inside!

Riley instantly turned, and just started to mow down the four other troopers that were on the left side of the blockade with her machine gun while Ileana drew an arrow and fired it into one of their men's chest, causing him to reel back and accidentally start firing his rifle into the air.

This happened just as Alizarin pulled out his sidearm once again, and was about to turn around so he could combat the enemy… but that was right when Orin decided to answer, with a loud bang coming from his double barrel at the same time.

The shot zoomed right past Al's head, and the buckshot tore apart another faunus that was sneaking up behind them! And once the sound of the impact and the man's scream could be heard, the man in chains turned towards the wrangler, and just smiled deviously…

"Ha ha ha, i'm just making good on my promise to the kid!"

...

"ARGH!"

Gage crashed into the armored faunus, and they both fell onto the floor of the vehicle, right next to the driver's seat as the other two soldiers watched them both lay there, with the ghost on top of the other man.

He had his eyes closed for a few more seconds, and could just hear the chaos that was starting outside. Gunshots, yelling, and a little bit of screaming filled his eardrums to the point where he couldn't even hear himself think… even when it was the time to do just that.

Because as soon as he finally opened his eyes, he rolled off of the commander with a groan, and was about to stand again… until he saw that the two other wolves were still just standing in front of him with their automatic weapons gripped tightly.

Now he was just resting on his stomach, and could only bring himself to do the one thing he could do in a flash. And, that was to of course smile nervously, and give the two soldiers an awkward wave with his normal hand. "S… S-Shit!-"

"KILL THE HUMAN!" They of course decided to shoot at him on sight. However, instead of his body taking the barrage of bullets, Gage's body managed to turn transparent fast enough just so they could go through him, and instead pelt the commander's partially unconscious body.

He was still wearing his heavy duty armor though, so it didn't have any effect on him except for making a few dents in his armor plates. Meanwhile, the ghost finally got off of the ground, and ran towards the two assailants while he also managed to make it so his metal arm wouldn't be affected by his semblance, as to block some of the bullets!

"RAAAGH!" He yelled, as he narrowed his red eyes, and got closer and closer towards them while the sound of their weapons only grew louder.

The rounds just clanged and ricocheted against his metal wrist as the rest went through him, and once he got close enough, Gage deactivated his semblance, and unsheathed Javix as he grabbed onto the barrel of one of the soldier's rifles, and shattered the whole thing as he pulled it away with his prosthetic.

The pieces all clattered against the ground, and he still had the crucial weapon part in his metal hand, so he promptly used it to his advantage, and just whacked the weapon's separated barrel against the now unarmed faunus's face!

Another loud change was heard, and that man's head collided with the right wall of the RV as Gage just brushed past him, and kicked the weapon out of the other trooper's hands as well.

The ghost did this because he knew that the first soldier he fought would quickly move behind him, which he did, and if both of them were unarmed, then it could give him more time until he would have to dodge another barrage of bullets, if their magazines weren't already emptied.

And as the first wolf wrapped his arms around Gage's neck from behind, the red and black armored commander tried his best to brush all of the crushed bullets off of his armor plates before he got up, and just pulled a large red knife out of a holster on his leg,

"Turn him around and bring him here! I'm gonna take his other damn hand like his girl did to me!"

Gage's thoughts scattered once the man referenced Yang, and it threw him off right as the soldier that was gripping him did as his superior asked, and turned the ghost so he could face him.

What came next, was a quick rush of pain and shouting for the ghost, as their leader moved at near inhuman speeds before he lunged at the ghost, and went for a downwards stab towards the ghost's right hand.

But, before he could puncture it like he wanted, Gage yelled, and turned his right shoulder closer while he lowered his hand, and allowed for the blade to dig deep into his shoulder blade instead, making him writhe in pain while he was still being restrained

Oh yeah, and that shoulder… was the same one that Riley had put a hole in not that long ago.

"AAAGH!" He cried in pain, and the commander chuckled to himself lowly, making sure that his helmet's visor was angled just enough so that he could look this, 'Ghost Of Remnant', in the eye.

"Hehehe. Hey, _Pushover_ … You remember me?!"

He could feel the knife begin to slowly turn as it was halfway into his shoulder, and it started to drench his right arm in blood as he grinded his teeth… and remembered that his left arm, (the one that was also holding Javix,) had been freed this entire time.

So, after he looked the man up and down, and honestly didn't recognize him, Gage huffed, and lifted his metal arm up before he wrammed his fist into the side of the commander's face, and immediately threw his prosthetic's elbow back afterwards, which made the man who was holding him to lose his grip after his blow made contact.

That caused that soldier's helmet to become so dented from the hit that it obscured his vision, and led him to quickly fall on the floor and struggle to pull it off of himself.

This allowed for the ghost to break free easily, but since he knew he had no time to waste, he slyly started to make Javix shift into its revolver form as he turned, pulled back it's hammer, and shot blindly behind himself while he was also holding his injured shoulder!

The shot went out, and nearly caused everyone's ears to ring thanks to how small of a space they were in, and it was followed by the scream of the third faunus soldier who was lying in the back of the vehicle, as the bullet went right through his helmet, and caused a splatter of blood and brains to coat the rear window of the RV.

Gage still knew he could get another shot off, so he turned yet again towards the commander, aimed his revolver at him, pulled back the hammer, and was about to fire… but not before he tiredly answered the man's question from earlier,

"*pant* … *pant* ...Nope!"

Another shot rang out, and it only managed to stagger the faunus, so the ghost just charged at him and fired one more shot into his stomach, which pierced his body armor.

After that, he just grabbed the armored man by the throat with his hand of flesh, and made sure to slam his head through the RV's front glass windshield with a roar that escaped through the now broken glass, and let Orin and everyone else know that he was still alive!

"*CRASH!*"

The old trooper's head went right through the glass, and when Gage finally let go of him… he grasped his chest in pain, somehow got his head out of the windshield, and he soon just slid down onto the floor in silence while his bounty just watched.

However… things still were finished for Gage, as only after a few moments of silence went by before the second, and final faunus soldier got his dented helmet off, and grappled the ghost yet again. Or, he tried to rather.

As soon as he got up and put his hands on Gage, he was met with a massive amount of retaliation as the ghost snarled and desperately tried to change Javix back to it's knife form while he was also trying shake the faunus off of himself.

But that would prove to be a challenge, as his attacker knew exactly how to infuriate his bounty even more.

And he did this… by reaching for the knife that was still stuck in the ghost's, pulling it up out of him, and ramming it back down into the same wound over and over again, though his thrashing kept the knife from making his initial wound worse.

All the ghost did was huff and choose not to look at it, while he also thanked his adrenaline for finally kicking in and helping him continue on with their struggle.

The knife went in two more times, and when it was about to be jabbed into his upper back, Gage scrambled over to the driver's seat, and because the man was pretty much pressing himself against his back at this point, he turned into the chair's side so hard that it made the faunus stagger, and break his grip once again!

"HRAGH!"

The faunus hit the side of the chair and basically bounced off of it painfully, nearly falling onto the floor yet again as the ghost bared his teeth, turned around, and smacked Javix across the wolf's face.

He did this while it was changing in between forms, and it made a giant gash form across his face that went from the bottom right of his chin diagonally to the left side of his forehead.

This actually made the faunus fall onto the floor now, and it allowed for the ghost to jump ontop of him, and straddle him with his Kukri now gripped in his prosthetic hand…

...And just like that, bloodlust came over Gage and seemingly took control. It came from out of nowhere, and he himself didn't permit it… but it was almost like his body wanted it. It craved it. It _NEEDED_ it, and it would get what it wanted!

So before he knew it, he turned Javix so the blade would be pointing downward, and he slowly began to inch it lower and lower towards the White Wolf's heart… and he couldn't stop it, even as the man put both of his hands around the ghost's metal wrist.

"N-No!"

"W-W-Wait! Stop, please! L-L-Let me-"

"S-SHIT! Stop!-stop!-stop!-stop!-stuh!-"

Both of their joined hands shook, and when they both heard the knife's blade begin to crunch and slowly dig into the faunus's chest cavity… the man gasped and just began to gulp, sputter, and shake with an open mouth and now closed eyes.

"Stagh…"

When he opened them again… All he could see was the red eyes and bared teeth of the Ghost of Remnant as he stared back down into his own fleeting orbs that were beginning to fade, and lose the light that were inside of them. "S… Stuh…"

The faunus began to hyperventilate as he watched Gage sink the thing in deeper and deeper, and when it couldn't go in any further, the ghost just twisted Javix hard… and that was when the wolf finally stopped moving.

It killed him.

His hands trembled and eventually fell down from the ghost's wrists, with them coming down to rest at his sides while his bounty, and now killer, watched his eyes darken, and he yanked the knife out and upwards to free it.

His Kukri's blade was soaked in the man's dark red blood, and it started to drip and leak onto Gage's prosthetic hand as he started to pant, and just moved off of the dead body while more of it's blood began to ooze out of where his heart was.

"*huff* ...I'm sorry."

He closed the dead man's eyes, and sat there on his knees while he continued to slowly huff and puff for a few minutes before he just wiped the sweat off of his face with his metal forearm, and stood up slowly, feeling like he was about to pass out.

"I killed them… *pant* ...I…" That was when he around the inside of the RV, grabbed the sides of his head, and closed his eyes, trying not to think about what he had just done. " Fuck… *pant* ...I fucking killed them.-Again!"

The ghost was angry both with himself, and his attackers. But it was mostly the fact that he now knew they had a bounty on his head, and were driven to find and kill him… and it was all his own fault. "Why the hell couldn't I stop myself that time?! T… That time I actually wanted to!"

He then turned, and looked down at the armored unconscious commander as he moved over to the driver's seat, since the faunus was lying right next to it against the front of the vehicle.

That man lied there silently, and his two buddies were dead as well, so it allowed for the ghost to lean back into the driver's seat and look back... but he was soon caught off guard by the random knife that was stuck in his right shoulder.

"*sigh* ...God damn it."

After he painfully got it out, and let it clatter onto the floor, the full force of that same pain finally came to him and caused him to almost cry out again… but he stifled himself before he could, "R… Rrrrgh! *pant* ...Fuck! *pant*" And he instead chose to cover it as he looked down at the man lying next to him.

There was something odd and familiar about him, and Gage did notice it after he thought back a bit, but only when he thought about what this one asked him when his subordinate had him subdued… What was it he said earlier anyway?

" _I'm gonna take his other damn hand like his girl did to me!"_

" _Hehehe. Hey Pushover_ … _remember me?!"_

" _-Pushover-"_

" _-PUSHOVER!-"_

" _-pUsHoVeR!-"_

" _I... *pant* ...am not... *pant* …-SOME GOD DAMN PUSHOVER!_ "

That last line… The ghost remembered saying that a very long time ago, and he even remembered the commander's voice now, because it was the only thing he could actually recognize him by.

 _Now_ he finally remembered who that man was. It was the one that Yang had almost been scarred by when he had almost executed her lover, in the middle of a field, in front of her and her friends.

He remembered as he looked down at the faunus's hand, and stared at his new metal fingers as he now began to realize… that the past was finally starting to catch up with him, and he didn't want it to. Because by that logic… he was bound to see Yang again.

"*huff* … *huff* …*huff*"

Gage's body felt cold now, and when he tried to take deep breaths… they didn't help , and soon enough he felt that same cloud of anger wash over him and take control yet again. Although, this time some of it was genuine.

However, the anger wasn't towards the faunus directly, but towards the ghost himself. And, it was mostly for what came after he and Yang got home the night that they had their first encounter with this faunus...

…

" _...Yang? What's up with you? ...Is something wrong?"_

…

Gage could see it all over again. He was back in his old dorm room, lying in his bed, with the room being darkened with a blueish purple hue that would come every night after the sun would set.

The moonlight was the only light source then, but it was enough for him to blush, and become a bit worried as he saw his lover Yang sitting on top of him, with his bed's blanket covering them both a bit.

She was there, lying on top of his pelvis, wearing her yellow tank top, black short shorts, and even the ghost's own old sage leather jacket over all of that.

Her face was ablush too as she had her hands on his stomach and stared down at him with teary lilac eyes, and she just sniffled as she spoke softly at the same time with a slightly broken voice,

" _...I was scared."_ She sniffled, as the ghost put both of his hands on the sides of her legs. Both of his real, hands of flesh were now caressing her. "That guy almost… killed you, in front of me! *sniffle* ...And you almost died of bloodloss after that..."

"...You can blame me for all those things Yang." He replied, as he just moved his palms up her figure gently to try and comfort her. "And… I could have gotten out of that a lot better, if I lasted longer against that 'Neo' girl."

"...But, you shouldn't be scared. I'm still here with you, aren't I?" He asked her, with a gentle smile on his face as he stared up into her lilac eyes like always use to.

His right hand eventually lifted off of her torso, and made its way to her neck where he instinctively cupped her left cheek, and allowed for her to put her left hand over his right as she laughed a bit.

"Yeah, heh… *sniffle* ...Somehow…"

Gage felt her fingers brush over his own, and the feeling made him smile even more along with the fact that he could begin to feel the warmth of Yang's semblance soothe him.

He may have been secretly lying there in pain, but she made it feel better. She… always made his pain feel better, he would sometimes almost think it was her secret superpower. And he missed it…

"Hey. Don't talk like that." He whispered tiredly. Gage said that to her with his turquoise eyes now traced other own, and once she saw how relaxed he was… the blonde sighed and just wiped her eyes with her other hand. "I'm sorry, I just didn't think I'd ever get like this... I haven't exactly had a boyfriend before you, *sniffle* ...you know?"

"Yeah, I know Taiyo-chan." He nodded, and continued to smile for r as she held his hand close to her cheek but she looked down with her blush… and he just wanted to see her more red than blue, or so to speak. "But, either way..."

"...I'm not going anywhere."

Gage said this with the utmost sincerity, and looked her _IN THE EYES_ as he did so to reassure her. This is what he now remembered. This was what he hated himself for now. This is when his mistakes started to begin, and… this is how he lied to her.

It led to where he was now, even if he didn't know it would back then… but it was the catalyst. And now… he knew that he was paying for what he did to her by remembering this night.

"Not anywhere,-" After this vow was spoken, Yang's eyes widened, and she finally smiled back at her lover with her teary eyes being a little more drier than they were five minutes ago. "-And never without you."

She heard him, and immediately looked like she had something else to say, but when she tried to do that… nothing could come out, and she couldn't think of something to counter his optimism.

He was just too confident in his reply that it stunned her, and caught her off guard to the point of silence. "*sniffle* ...You know, I'm honestly surprised you can talk this much without it hurting..."

"...It does, but… *cough* ...seeing you smile again will make it better, I'm sure!" He said, with a laugh once he saw Yang's cheeks brighten with redness yet again.

And sure enough, his little words were embarrassing for her enough to make her smile again and stifle a giggle, while also covering her mouth. "See? Heh... feeling better already."

The blonde couldn't bear to take her eyes off of him now, and he didn't want her to either. But as they stared at each other, she could see how heavy his eyelids were becoming, and she didn't want to keep him up because of her paranoia.

So, she sighed with some reassurance, and lowered her head so it was closer to his, and so she could allow for him to put his other arm around her. "...*sigh* ...You're lucky i'm too tired to think of something else to say."

He did just that, and tilted his head a bit as he pulled her closer to himself, used his left hand to brush some of her hair behind her ear, and looked into her lilac eyes as he smirked at her tiredly, again.

"That makes two of us…"

Yang then smiled, and leaned down onto Gage so should could gently ease in, and give him a warm and tender kiss on the lips.

This made him smile, and lean his head back onto his pillow while he closed his eyes, and she did the same as she just pressed her body down on him, and grasped his shoulders tightly. "Mmm…"

Now her warmth increased tenfold along with the force she was using, and once she felt the fingers of his left hand run through her gorgeous blonde locks, and his right hand wrap around her lower back, the passion of their lip-lock slowly engulfed them both.

He remembered holding her, and hearing the lips smack over and over gently throughout the rest of that night without being interrupted. With them occasionally breaking the kiss, panting, or laughing with each other before they went back in, and embraced each other tighter until the sun came up.

And that's how that memory went… or at least he thought it did. Wait… _was_ that what happened? Or was it ...different?

" _Wh… What? No! That's what happened! It has to be, it's all that i…"_

The ghost was sure his version of the memory was the true, and he believed it to be so. And even if it wasn't, it was surely apart of what happened. He… he was sure that it was.

Although… this fumble of his made him think about it deeper, and he tried to recall all the events that happened before that experience in his dorm… but, he couldn't think straight.

"That has to be what happened!" Gage kept trying time and time again, but he couldn't focus on those memories now. It was almost like everything... everything was now distorted! "That has to be what happened!"

"W… Wait, No! NO! NO! I-I, I… I can't-"

He denied it, over and over again until his head started to hurt. Yet, when the looming reality of what the problem was became apparent to him… he just chose not to accept it.

Gage just couldn't accept that he didn't fully remember that night anymore without her.

…

…

…

Back in reality, Gage was still sitting in the driver's seat of the RV, looking down at his right arm as the blood from his shoulder wounds slowly poured and ran down that arm until it just stopped and dripped down off of his fingertips.

He was still distracted and enraged by his realization, that he started to pant a bit as he shook his hand, and placed his right hand over his eye and covered it shamefully. "*pant* … *pant* …"

The ghost unknowingly planted a bloody hand print across his face, and it took that feeling and smell to kick him out of his panicked state and turn to see something… distracting in the reflection of the driver's side mirror.

He looked through the mirror, and could see that there were now four White Wolf soldiers taking cover on the left side of the RV as his captors had them all pinned down behind there. And basically, if he stuck his head outside the driver's window, they would all see him.

And soon enough, he could feel that bloodlust course through his veins once more… and this time… this time, Gage wanted it. He couldn't believe of what has become of him, and in his mind it was all because of them… The White Fang.

His panting became a collection of angry, closed-mouthed huffs as he stood up out of his seat, and he just started to look around the RV for something useful… until he found it, lying right next to his feet.

It was Alizarin's AK-47 assault rifle, and it looked to already be loaded with a full magazine… so Gage slowly reached down for it, picked it up, and held it in his arm as he turned towards where he thought the faunus were on the outside of the vehicle.

The inside of the RV looked to be all but plastic, wood, and non-dense metal. It seemed like something that he thought a single bullet couldn't travel through… but he had a lot more than one now.

His bleeding hands shook with angst and anxiety, but it was enough for him to let go… and finally scowl and snarl as he just looked down at the AK, cocked it loudly by pulling back the lever on it's ejection port, and raised it before he planted it's stock against his shoulder, and pulled it's trigger.

*CH-CH!*

Gage bared his teeth again, and screamed angrily at them all as the weapon discharged, causing a thunderous barrage of bullets to go and tear apart the insides of the vehicle before they went right through, and decimated whatever was on the other side.

The sound of the wood and metal crunching and being broken down by his onslaught of gunfire brought some clarity to him, and it even seemed like his grip on the weapon only tightened for the better… well, for him at least.

He somehow managed to hold the weapon expertly as the recoil, kick, and the heat of the weapon all increased as he dragged and sprayed the wall in front of him continuously, to the point where the firing nearly deafened him, and instead made his ears ring.

That, however, was only after he heard various screams and shouts come from outside, and that gave him the satisfaction he was looking for. But before he knew it, his clip was emptied, and he just lowered the assault rifle as he could see blood dripping _INTO_ the RV from the other side!

And his firing ceased… silence was the only thing that could be heard not that afterwards. Heh, it was more like silence after his storm it seemed.

Gage finally exhaled, with his built up anger being released after all of this time. Now his breaths were shaking, and he kind of... let out a small chuckle as he wiped some of the stained blood off of his face, and chose to hold the rifle with one hand as he went to go grab Javix off of the driver's seat.

That was when he suddenly heard someone slam their hand against the closed RV door three times, and it turned out to be Orin. "Jesus, kid, you dead in there? You better not be!" He laughed sarcastically.

"Just open the damn door!"

The ghost took his revolver and holstered it, then, he turned towards the door and watched as it was pulled open by the old man, only to see that everyone in his group was still alive, looking inside at him.

He came to a stop at the doorway, and was about to step out… until they all quickly stepped back, stared at him strangely, and pointed their weapons at him… or behind him rather.

Gage didn't know what was going on of course, and squinted at them with a mix between anger and confusion, thinking that he was about to be betrayed after all of what just happened. "*pant* ...What the hell are you all looking at?" He asked the group, angrily.

There could have been some humor in this thanks to his befuddled tone, and considering that he was pretty much covered in blood, but that wasn't why they were all aiming at him.

It was actually because the White Wolf commander decided to get back up yet again, and he stood behind Gage now with the same knife that the ghost pulled out of his shoulder earlier. "...Me!" The man snarled.

Gage of course tried to turn as fast he could to counter him, but he still wasn't able to do that, and the faunus lunged, and quickly tackled him to the ground with the knife still in his hand.

But during the fall, the ghost dropped everything, and went for one of his last resorts. He pressed his right hand down on his metal hand's palm, and caused a white holographic circle to spawn over it.

No one else of course knew it, but this was how he could manually activate his prosthetic's weapon form. And he chose this option because he knew, that this would be the last thing that anyone would expect.

He didn't managed to complete the startup sequence before they both hit the ground though, and he ended up landing lying flat on his back as the commander looked down into his turquoise eyes, and held his blade against his bounty's throat,

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW YOU SWINE!"

The ghost still had his hands together, and could only lay there as to not alert his attacker to whatever was going on down there. Although, in a complete 180 turn from what just happened earlier, Orin now seemingly had his back.

This became apparent, as the old man just smiled, and raised his double barrel up to the man's head with one hand, and a smirk to go along with it. "Now you hold on there, slick. There's no fun in being a sore loser, now is there?" He asked him, jokingly.

The commando tensed up, and hesitantly looked up at the Skinwalker, but also pressed his knife a little but harder against Gage's neck while he gritted his teeth, and became frustrated when it seemed like Orin was going to prolong this encounter,

"Come on now, you look like a pup that just wants to get his ass out of here. And I'll respect you if you do, maybe I'll even let you go. But, you gotta face facts man. No matter what way this scuffle is gonna go, you aren't winning."

The man's loosening grip on his weapon could be felt by the ghost, probably because he just realized that most of his squad was most likely dead, and that he was outnumbered.

Riley then rolled her eyes, and just casually started to walk towards Gage and the faunus, but the wolf commander screamed at her, and leaned a little bit forward as he pressed the blade down even more onto his neck to the point where it started to bleed, though it wasn't serious. "Stay back!"

"I'll kill him! I-I'LL KILL HIM!" He shouted at the girl, which urged Ileana to draw another arrow from the black quiver on her back, and aim her bow at his head.

The brunette knew she could kill him cleanly right then and there, so she looked towards Orin to see if he would signal her to do it… but all he did was shake his head, and take another step forward.

"Then go ahead. Do it. Enjoy those sixty seconds of victory before we hang you from your entrails… literally."

That seemed to make the man hesitate and pause again after he remembered what some of his troopers would look like after finding their bodies… and he honestly didn't want to become one of the casualties.

But… he had a duty to uphold. One that could result in his death either way if he was to leave, thanks to Adam's notoriously bad temper. He knew the consequences… and he wasn't okay with them.

He made an oath to his faunus brothers and sisters, to find and kill The Ghost of Remnant with his bare hands, no matter the cost… and now, he finally had him in his grasp.

So soon enough… his jaw tightened, and he just looked back at Orin one last time as he gestured down at his target, thinking that he'd become the ghostbuster… o-or ghost slayer rather, that ensured the safety of the White Fang's master plan.

"He's too dangerous to be kept alive. And if i leave without killing him, then i'm already dead either way." He said, before he finally looked down at the ghost once again, and let a large, crazed smirk form across his lips, "Those are my final words… so tell me 'ghost', *huff* ...What are yours?"

With the knife beginning to slowly edge into the skin of his jugular, Gage exhaled deeply one last time, looked up into the commander's eyes... and pulled the holographic circle on his prosthetic arm all the way down to his bicep,

"...Say hi to Cordelia for me."

The bladed nails of his metal fingers then suddenly shot out out of his prosthetic's fingertips, and once he knew that they were extended, Gage got his metal hand free and stabbed all five of the nails deep into his attacker's windpipe.

Like a cat, or well cougar most likely, he scratched five lines of redness into the neck of this man as he just dragged his fingertips to the right, and pressed all five of his nails in further until the cut went horizontally across his neck, all the way to his enemy's right ear.

That was when the fatal gash expanded, and a waterfall of red caught everyone else by surprise, but Gage knew what was coming, and just used his other hand to keep the commander's head from lowering any further.

The color red began to pour out of the wolf's neck, with him gasping and gurgling as it all just poured down and covered the ghost's mouth, chin, and neck as he tried to turn his head away.

Sounds of small splashes could be heard for a few seconds even before the gurgles and breaths quickly came to a close, and eventually the blood ran dry, but that was mostly because Gage started to retch and chose to instead push the faunus off of himself, "AGH!"

Riley, and Ileana both had to look away while everyone else watched in awe, with Alizarin looking a little more horrified to say the least. However… Orin was smiling. He. Was. Fucking. Smiling.

The old man now watched as the wolf commander fell to his right, and turned to lay on his back before he bled out, and died…. Yet another old memory taken care of.

As for Gage, he continued to lie there where he was as he leaned up and turned his body over so he could rest on his knees with his hands on the floor. He was mere seconds away from throwing up as he spat out some of the dead man's blood.

"*cough!* *cough!* *cough!* ...TOOGH!"

Some red spittle eventually dripped and landed on the road with another cough to go along with it, before he used his hands to raise himself up again, and saw that everyone in his group of captors were now staring at him. Again.

This was mostly because almost every patch of skin on him that was visible was now entirely stained by, or covered in blood. They guessed that it all wasn't his, but of course they were wrong even there.

"...Shit, son…" Al mumbled with a hand plastered against the side of his hat. He didn't think that this kid could do anything terrible, even when they witnessed him when he murdered that entire squad of faunus the night they captured him.

He simply forgot about that, and tried to treated him like was Ileana or Riley, and they could kill… but they would never be able to control whether they wanted to or not. And maybe he didn't either, who knew?

Now though, Al made sure to remember what this new face was capable of, because whether he liked it or not… he knew that this incident would have to stick with him for the rest of his life.

"*pant* … *pant* ...Alright, i'm done." Gage huffed, and tried his best to wipe some of the red stain off of his face, and he did… but it didn't keep him from smiling deviously over at Orin for some reason. "You hear me?! *pant* ... _I'M FINISHED_!"

Then, he laid back a bit, and sat down on his rear while keeping his knees bent and close to his chest as he looked over at the dead commander, and Orin just started to clap slowly for his… 'performance'.

"Bravo kid. Brav-fucking-oh! Hahaha, you've just thoroughly impressed me to say the least!"

The old man's clapping increased, and of course Alizarin, Riley, and Ileana just started to start at him like he was now on a new level of crazy. "See? That's the type of hard worker I need with me, people!"

"Someone that I can thrash around, take it, and work with it." He said, as he took small steps towards the ghost, and knelt down front of him. "Hell, you even worked with my bluff. No one's done that before. And you know what? Just for that… I'm gonna let you have one of your pictures back!"

He said this with a jerk of his arm and a face that told Gage over and over that he was impressed. Sadistically sure, but still impressed nonetheless. And of course, the ghost's red eyes lit up once he mentioned the pictures of Yang,

"Only one for now though, but I'm sure you why."

"...Yeah…. 'incentive'." Gage replied gruffly before Orin chuckled to himself and just chose to fooled with the ghost's hair like a dog in response. "Man, you really are a smart one, boy!" He taunted him, incriminatingly

Gage's red eyes became even brighter with rage after that, but he was simply too drained and tired to do anything so… he just sat there and took it as he looked over at Riley strangely.

This was mostly because she was still covering her mouth and had tears in her eyes… but she wasn't looking at him anymore. The heavy was instead staring down at her feet, where a dead body of a faunus lied.

He was definitely dead, as his head looked it has been popped or smashed by a blunt object… so he deduced that Orin was the one who did the deed, obviously because of his weapon of choice. But he still didn't understand why she was emotional.

The fact that his attention was turned to her now alerted the old man to the same thing, so he turned back to her and laughed again while he hung his bloodied cricket bat over his shoulder,

"That remind you of anyone, Rye? Hehehe."

Her reaction to his words kind of shocked Gage, as she turned away and covered her ears as Ileana growled and hugged her, cradling her friend's head into her shoulder while looking back at the old man.

He just tilted his head in response, and shrugged at them both with his arms extended outwards in a joking manner while he purposely tried to look as innocent as he could be, "What? ...Was the joke that bad?"

On the side, Owen and Greed shrugged too, and moved over to their leader while they held their weapons close. When they stopped behind him, Gage looked up at all three and didn't look amused at all.

Even if she had been a bit cynical towards him earlier, he knew how it felt for your past to be used against you. He also knew that this whole situation would be used as a metaphorical weapon in the future, and he wouldn't like to be reminded of it then either.

So he just looked at the man in chains with a deadpanned expression, which prompted him to scratch his head, looking a tad bit embarrassed. "In case you haven't noticed already, we're kind of a… dysfunctional family. But then again, what family doesn't have a little drama in it?"

"Anyway, don't worry about our problems right now, you'll be dealing with them later. Because now… I think you're officially becoming apart of the our own-."

"*gasp!*"

A quiet gasp was soon heard from behind the ghost, who turned and looked behind himself to see yet another White Wolf trooper. He was also armed as well… but with a scroll, which soon flashed, indicating that he just took a picture of all of them.

He made sure to get the ghost within the middle of the frame, and froze when he saw everyone in the group stare back at him dead-eyed, looking like they were ready to raise their weapons and light him up like the fourth of july.

And it seemingly was what they were going to do… until Orin interrupted everyone again, and just looked back at them all with a raised hand, "Wait, wait. Leave him be. Let him live to go and tell the tale."

Thankfully, the wolf faunus (with the little english that he knew), was able to understand the words 'leave him be', and took those words as an indication for him to turn, and bolt into the nearby forest.

"Hey, you!" However, before the survivor was out of sight… Gage yelled at him, turned his body so he could face him, and just stared at him for a few seconds with his red eyes.

That, was until the ghost chuckled, wiped some more blood off of his chin, and smiled sadistically as he gestured towards the faunus with his metal arm, with the same red substance still dripping down off of his prosthetic's nails…

"...Make sure you got my good side for Adam!"

…

 **Later…**

…

Later after night fell and they got their camp set up deep inside of the forest, the group split into two different small camp sites, as this was what they usually did. They just didn't do it when Gage was a captive so they could make sure that he wouldn't escape.

The two sites were around twenty yards apart, but could still be seen through the brush thanks to how bright their campfires were.

Anyway, once things began to quiet down for the night… Orin, and Owen found themselves still awake while Greed slept on Gage's suede jacket, it being almost around midnight,

"So… sir, i think i've got something to tell you." Owen started, as he was just playing with the flames of their campfire with his red machete. "Hmm? What is it?" Orin asked tiredly as he was lying on his back with his eyes closed.

"Earlier today, before we got into that scuffle at the roadblock… i heard ole' Al plotting with that new kid, and the girls."

"Plotting?"

"Yeah. He was talking about Kēji." The lackey nodded, and retracted his blade from the fire so he could just stab it into the ground in between his legs. "Something about… 'getting our people out of there', and that they needed an outsider to do it."

"Hehe… he finally thinks it's his time to strike…" The man in chains then put his arms behind his head, and stretched his legs out a bit with smirk too, but this just made Owen look a little worried by how calm his leader was.

"Yeah but… i think the kid's in on it now. And after what just happened, i think he's gonna try and play you for a fool too!"

"Really?" That was enough to get his leader to sit up and turn over to Owen, but of course he still did it with a smile. "Jesus,*sigh* ...Just when i was starting to like him more than the rest of you…"

Then, he leaned a little bit towards the flame and just stared into it as he sighed yet again, and rubbed his face tiredly, seemingly looking annoyed.

"Man, do you know how hard it is to kill a teenager?" He asked randomly as it sounded like his mood suddenly became the complete opposite of what he was feeling moments earlier. "It's tough, and it isn't because i don't like it. They're just so goddamn annoying…"

"...Especially that last one too. Man was he a pain in the ass, and Riley's breakdown afterwards didn't help at all either."

"You know, maybe this wouldn't all be that bad as it is if you didn't kill Al's family all that time ago..."

Owen kind of tried to tread lightly and speak quietly once he brought that up, obviously because of the bad blood, and the fact that the old sheriff wasn't that far away from their own campsite, since their campfire could still be seen.

But Orin didn't give a rat's ass about it, and just spoke about it loud and clear for anyone to hear. He felt confident enough in his scaring tactic all those years ago, and thought that Alizarin wouldn't dare to come over here and ask for a fight outright.

"Well, all the townsfolk looked up to him since he was their sheriff. I just had to take him down a peg, and now because of their 'sacrifice', we're the ones they look upon now."

"*sigh* ...Either way sir-" Own still sighed though, and rubbed his eyes when he thought about what they would have to do next. "-...I think we have to take care of the kid. Teach em' all a lesson for confidin' in him."

"I know, I know..." Orin nodded slowly in agreement and looked a little displeased with this decision. It was more or less because of the display the ghost put on earlier, and the old man really thought he was going to lose a very valuable asset if they wer to kill him.

Still though, he wasn't just going to let three teens and a washed up lawman put an end to everything he's built with the village of Kēji over the last five years.

So with that in mind, Orin stood up again, and turned towards Owen with a blank expression as he reached into his jacket's pocket ominously. "So… how about we take a little detour through Tsūro tomorrow, just the four of us? 'Cuz I think that'd be the best place to cover up a death."

"I'm up for it. I just hope there aren't as many Grimm there like the last we saw it. We barely got out of there back then..."

"We'll see for ourselves, and if there is… then we'll use em' to our advantage."

He then took one of Gage's pictures of Yang out. Specifically, the set that they both took in that old photo booth at that little carnival on the boardwalk back around… august of last year.

The skinwalker smiled a bit like a normal human being then, and it soon faded when the light of their campfire allowed for him to focus on the final snapshot out of the collage of three. It was the first 'romantic' photo that they decided to take, it being their two month anniversary that day… i think?

Anyway, it was the one where Yang allowed herself to be held by her lover bridal style as Gage smiled and stole a kiss from her, with that stupid cowboy hat he won that day appearing to be falling off of his head.

Orin thought it was actually sweet, and once he finally saw how Yang looked, it only made him smile more because of what he himself was plotting to be done during the next morning. "Hmhm… poor honey."

"You alright there?" Owen asked him, tiredly.

"Yeah, hehe… it's just a damn shame."

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

At the other camp, Gage, Ileana, Riley, and Alizarin were sitting on some sleeping bags, and were having a small conversation as the archer was helping bandage up Gage's wound while he was trying to wash his face and arm off with a now red washcloth.

She didn't want to see how bad the rest of his body was, so she just stretched his black shirt's collar to keep him from taking it off, not to mention it was colder that night than it has ever been recently.

"Sorry about your shirt… you know, since it's the only one you have." Illie apologized.

"Don't worry about it. It's already fucked up anyway." He said, as he adjusted his shirt so it would cover the patches on the right side of his chest.

Meanwhile, Al was cooking some food for them in a small pan that was roasting over their campfire, and soon held the thing up to the two kind of-brunettes, as Riley just watched blankly, "You guys want any seconds?"

The ghost winced as she finally finished up placing his bandage, and he soon raised his hand with a painful smirk, "I'll have some… maybe with a side of extra morphine too?" He said, as if he was a customer at a drive-thru.

"Jesus, are you trying to have a heart attack?" Riley asked with a tired look on her face while she was lying on her belly, and staring at their captive. "Well, i wouldn't need as much if you hadn't shot me." He replied.

"...Touché."

"Fine, but this is the last hit you're taking. We don't need you going out and dying on us, now do we?" The older sheriff then placed the hot pan in front of the ghost's sleeping bag, and just threw an untouched morphine syrette at him, which he quickly caught.

"I'll be fine… this whole thing isn't my first rodeo. Definitely the craziest, but not my first."

"Yeah, i was going to ask why you seemed all use to this." Ileana said as she took a slice of spam out of the pan and walked over to her sleeping bag, which was to the left of Gage's, and sat down on it.

"I'm not really, i'm just… easily distracted, i guess." Gage tensed up a bit when she suggested that, and he took the small cap off of the syrette before he threw it away, and quickly pricked his arm with it while he was also trying not to look at it's needle.

"You sure about that?" Riley then sat up crissed crossed as well, and pointed over at the ghost's prosthetic arm. "Because that hunk of junk on your arm isn't exactly convincing me."

"Riley, don't be rude." Alizarin nearly hissed at her.

"What? I'm just curious is all."

"I'd uh… rather not talking about it. Let's just say that it involved The White Fang, an explosive rod, debris, and… a little girl."

"Well… at least the reason was noble, right?" Ileana asked him, with a smile that basically said that she was trying her best to avoid any somber subjects from being brought up. And ironically, Gage just had to bring up his own self hatred in response...

"Yeah, heh… and look at what acting like that got me…"

Silence then came upon them all, and for a few moments afterwards, all that could be heard was the chirping of a few nearby crickets, some beowolves howling in the distance, and the crackling of their campfire as they all began to eat quietly.

The ghost felt bad both for saying that, and for not specifying that he was talking about his departure from his friends rather than the loss of his arm. Though, he didn't feel like clearing it up, he didn't think it mattered if he did anyway.

However, later he felt a little guilty for binging on the awkward silence, so he thought he should at least make it right by asking Alizarin about something that has been in the back of his mind for the last couple of hours….

"*sigh* ...So… tell me, what's this big plan of yours Ali… Alle… Rrgh!"

But of course, he had to incite laughter from the two girls immediately, just as the older sheriff sighed, and facepalmed at the terrible attempts, "Tch, go ahead, try one more time..." He said, sarcastically.

"Look… can i just call you McCree or something?"

"Now… why would you choose that out of all things?" He asked him, as he appeared to be taken aback by how random the nickname was.

Gage felt… pretty embarrassed by his answer, either because they wouldn't understand the name, or that they would recognize it and make fun of him. He could still see that happening either way though.

"W-Well… he's this character from this game i use to play when i was younger, and you just… kinda look like him."

Riley immediately covered her mouth, and stifled a laugh. "Pfft, loser!"

Al knew it was hard enough to pronounce, and that the ghost didn't want to become even more embarrassed, since Ileana was starting to laugh a bit too. So he decided to just roll with it, "...Alright, McCree it is. Sounds like it goes with my last name too, so yeah, why not?"

"T-Thanks. Anyway… yeah, what's this whole 'relocation' plan of yours?" Gage asked quietly as he rubbed the back of his head, and leaned in a little bit closer towards the older man. "It's pretty simple, aside from the whole 'taking care of the Orin and the skinwalkers' part." Al started,

"Basically, the first thing we do is we get back home and overthrow em'. Then, we get our people packed and ready to leave the next day, head for Vale's walls. It should take half a day to get there if we don't damage any of our vehicles in the fight. And after we get into the city, we figure out a way to get a boat, and we'll take it out to Patch."

"...Why patch?" The location of where their destination was enough to for the ghost to become disinterested, obviously because of who he knew that was still there, and else use to live there also…

He knew it was insensitive though, and that place was known for being quiet, so he told himself not to say no to their plan until after he was able to ask a few questions that involved him.

So, he made sure to keep his interruptions to a minimum, and continued to let Alizarin explain his reason as to why they chose Ruby and Yang's home as their apparent 'safe haven',

"There's this place out there we've heard of for years now that would be perfect to settle in, especially with how peaceful the island is." He said, before he suddenly paused and tried to think of a better image for the place than just, 'another abnormal village', "Say… you ever hear of a place called Kuroyuri?"

"That huge village from Anima, kind of near Mistral?" Gage asked in return, before he nodded and remembered the name. "Yeah, I think it got overrun around a decade ago, didn't it?"

"It's pretty much the size of that, if not a little bit bigger, and it has walls. Hehe, it was going to be the original site for Beacon Academy actually."

"Really?" The ghost was a lot more than curious about this, considering he's never heard about this… not even in any of Oobleck's history lessons either. "And it's all up for grabs too?"

"Pretty much." He reassured him, blankly while Ileana took over, and tried to give him a little bit of her own knowledge about the place. "It didn't turn into Beacon because it was too far from the City of Vale, and they did try to turn it into a small town… but it cost too much to modernize it."

Riley then spoke up, with her looking a little annoyed that she had to join in on explaining it, even though she was dead-set on going through with this… exodus of some sort,

"We've called it Cydonia for the last few years. Our own, 'safehaven in the stars'. You know, something mystical to make us want to go out and find it even more…"

"...And now… maybe we finally can, if you'll help us."

Her words spoke on different levels of strangeness to the ghost. It already felt like they were all fully trustful of him even though he already seems more lenient when around Orin… it all seemed suspicious to him.

It felt like they were either truly desperate, or had something bigger planned for him… and he needed to know that he could trust these people before he could make a decision to help them or not.

"I'm all for helping innocents… but the only person i trust the most out of you three is McCree over here, only because he's yet to shoot me" He said, while he gently rubbed where his bullet wound was. "So… how do i know i can trust _all_ of you?"

"I already told you, i didn't have a choi-"

Before the heavy could raise her voice and yell at Gage, Alizarin sighed once again and reached over to her so he could press his hand down onto the top of her head, and stop her from just lunging at him. "Now, now. Hold your temper."

Then, after he released her and watched her wrap her arms around her head embarrassingly with a wine, the sheriff's expression changed to a more serious one… and he just started to speak without thinking twice.

"Listen… i've cared for these two like they were my own for the last three years, and i've made more than sure that their morals are nothing but right."

"*sigh* ...Those 'monsters' over there took everything from me and Riley, and Illie had nothing to begin with. They didn't help her when they came in, so i decided to do what they didn't. And to hide something that they'd kill her for."

The bow wielding brunette flinched and basically gasped with stutter as she turned towards her actual step-father, and put her hands on her cross legs nervously. "Al, d… do you really think we should-"

"Trust goes both ways." He still interrupted her as fast as he possibly could, and just pointed over towards her hands. "If we trust him to keep your secret, then he can trust us not to turn against him."

"And… what is this secret?" Gage asked Ileana.

"...I-I'm... a faunus."

"What? You don't… look like one. Wait… did you cut off your traits too?!"

"N-No! *sigh* ...I'm a special kind. One you don't hear about everyday because, well… you can't really see their trait." She revealed this to him, and the only thing he did in return was to stare at her like she was crazy. "...Here."

"Hmm?"

Thankfully though, she was able to give him proof of her claim. So… she soon held out her hand close to him so their camp fire could illuminate her palm as she opened it, and Gage just moved his head towards it.

It took him a few seconds to try and understand what he should be focusing on, and he squinted his eyes to see that… there were small hairs, or something like that emerging out of the pores on the tips of her fingers.

Then more came out, and eventually there were tiny hairs all over her hand, and after it looked like Gage was shocked by the sight of them, they retracted back into her skin! "W… Were those… hairs?" The ghost asked her.

"Yes... they help me stick to things."

Her response intrigued him for a moment that lead to silence until he slowly put two and two together. "So you're a… a-a s… s-spider faun-" But she weirdly interrupted him, and looked visibly giddy as she answered for him,

"Spider faunus, or Arachnid faunus, or whatever you want to call it! Hehe!" She whispered in a high pitched tone, with a small giggle to make it even weirder.

(For those who couldn't see this happening, *spoiler alert*, Tyrian is a scorpion faunus, and those are also arachnids.)

"A-Anyway, my semblance enhances the abilities i was already born with, and i just managed to make everyone believe that i was human that way. So i'm… pretty much just a faunus hiding in plain sight."

"That's… a new one for me." Gage was trying his best to look baffled in a good way by this, and he was… but as soon as she told him the truth, he started to think about what other Spider faunus would look like, since all faunus types seem to come with different traits.

What he came up with though was the stuff of nightmares to him, not to mention being reminded of a few traumatizing anime characters, and those thoughts just made him turn and look back into the dark forest that surrounded them all while goosebumps formed across his one arm,

"D-Definitely a new one…"

Ileana could see and hear the nervousness in his eyes and voice once she scooted closer to him, so she just patted his metal arm lightly. "Relaxxx! I can't spin webs or grow extra legs." Yet, she couldn't help but wonder what else she's yet to learn about herself… "Just the hairs and that's it… at least to my knowledge."

"Well there you go son." Alizarin said loudly, so he could keep Gage from becoming creeped out any further. "That's all that we can give for you to trust us, question now is if you actually will."

"So, what's the consensus, scruffy?" Ileana asked Gage.

"I think you've given me enough to betray you with, so… *exhale* ...Eh, what the hell. It's not like I've got much of a choice anyway."

"That's the spirit!"

Riley smirked at them both, and soon turned her attention over to Gage as she began to eye him, and put a hand under her chin, "Hmhm… don't encourage him Illie."

He just smiled weirdly back at her, and patted his face with his wash cloth one last time before he rubbed his eyes, and was about to finally lie down for the night. "So, is there anything else you guys want to talk about before i nod off?" He asked the three of them.

But that was until Al could see his tiredness, and he just waved at him slowly as he started to speak up again. "As a matter of fact, i do have one last question for you."

Gage was already leaned back halfway onto his sleeping bag when he heard him, and collectively wanted groaned to himself as he leaned back up… but stopped himself from doing so as he saw that the older man looked beyond tired at this point.

Like Alizarin had just told him, he treated Ileana and Riley like they were his own daughters, and frankly, he didn't like that they had to be stuck with such an apparently edgy person without knowing anything other than his name.

"Trust goes both ways, like i said… and considering i know next to nothing about you, i think answering this should hold me over for a little bit."

"Well… go ahead." The ghost reassured him, while he chose to lay on his left side while looking across the fire, and into the sheriff's garnet colored eyes.

"Where are you from?" He asked him.

"I've… been all over really. The only kingdom i haven't lived in out of the four is Vacuo because i could never stand the heat."

"Well where were you last?"

"...Vale." Gage answered probably as vaguely as anyone possibly could, and that earned a glare of annoyance from everyone there. "Obviously…" Riley whispered, while she also rolled her eyes.

He knew that was a bullshit answer, and he did this because he was afraid of Orin, and these people going there to find Yang, or at least one of his old friends if they in turn chose to make him their prisoner.

The ghost could see the old man doing that… but when he thought about it more, he realized that it was a stupid thing to worry about. He did just get some info to counter them if things were to go south.

And, he could prepare himself if something like that was to happen anyway, since it would take them forever to get into Vale, through the whole city, and to Beacon without his friends receiving any sort of sign or warning.

So… he thought it would be alright if he just let this one little detail about him slip, and maybe a little bit more about his past. He already had everything he was looking for figured out, so they couldn't use it against him either.

"*sigh* ...Alright, fine. I'm… from Beacon."

Gage revealed this to them, and this new information completely changed Riley's mood for some reason, as her jaw dropped and stars seemed to form in her eyes as she stared at their captive, probably because she had always wanted to attend a Huntsman Academy herself.

"Ooooh!" Ileana saw this and smiled right off the bat, making Riley blush as she waved over at her, and quickly turned back to Gage. "That'd explain how you survived all of this so far!"

"Yeah… and the people that were at the prison with me were from there too. They were… my friends, some of them a lot more than just that…"

His thoughts soon drifted back over to Ruby and Yang as he sighed and only continued to stare ahead at their campfire as the cinders twirled around it, and the flames crackled. And soon enough… he found his metal hand moving down towards his pocket, where he could feel the single photo of his that he managed to get back from Orin,

"They uh, *exhale* ...started trying to fight the White Fang after their 'activities' started to get intense last year. And… they found me along the way."

The moment he remembered it, he knew he couldn't keep himself from looking at it anymore. So he took the picture out, watched as the fire's light made the photo visible… and that was when he laid his eyes upon it once again….

It was a different picture that he had yet to frame, and one that he almost forgot about awhile ago. This one… was a photo of him and Yang, on his birthday when he was still in the hospital.

In it, Gage was still lying in his hospital bed as he wore a black shirt and his sage or olive colored flannel jacket over it, along with his brand new prosthetic (at the time,) that Weiss had gotten for him as a birthday present.

He just laid there with a blanket covering half of his torso, and had his left sleeve up so he could flash a peace sign at the camera with his metal hand.

This shot also captured Yang, who was dressed in her old tan galaxy leather jacket with an orange scarf going around her neck, as she was just hugging Gage as hard as she could, with her arms wrapped fully around his body while she just had her head cradled into the side of his neck.

Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was slightly open while she looked like she was laughing, happily as Gage looked to be in pain because of her bear-hug, but was still smiling, looking like he was just as happy as she was.

Just… like he wished he could be, right at this very moment,

They both looked so happy together in the picture, with him being a little tired, but it was still an old gem that he had to take back when Orin gave him a chance. And besides the snapshots he and Yang took at Beacon's Holiday Dance back in December of last year, this was the most recent photo of them together… sadly.

Gage was aware of this sad fact, and knew he had to shut up now if he was to sleep easily tonight, yet… he also thought that… if he was to talk about it, then maybe it could help him cope with the choice he made by leaving her.

Or… maybe he would see it as a mistake. He didn't know what would happen to him, or how these new friends of his would react… but he truly needed this, even if he tried to believe that he didn't.

So… even though he knew he would say more that he would want to, the ghost let out another sigh, lowered his picture, looked up from the fire, and towards the three people that were surrounding him as he finally broke down the wall that kept his secrets from coming out,

"...I don't know if you heard, but i'm that one kid that was ound out near Mountain Glenn by a Beacon Team, and I'm the same one that was the only victim of the Fang's last attack on Vale."

"Anyway… i had a reason to fight, and hate those faunus. They… took my family from me, even the ones i never got to know. All of them… and when i found out who killed my father, something just, snapped. And they were right there with me when it happened..."

"...I didn't have control over myself. I still don't, whatever does is just… resting. But, it was so bad that… i almost killed the person who i cared about the most. And that… that, was the final nail in my coffin."

"...So, i left them behind, basically declared war on The White Fang… and now i'm here, talking to you four while my friends are probably still out here… looking for me."

"...Well, i know at least one of them is…"

As his monologue ended, Ileana managed to catch a quick glimpse of the picture Gage was holding, since he was going to put it back into his pocket. That was when she titled her head, and pointed at the picture, specifically at Yang while she smiled, and Gage put it away and scooted back a little defensively,

"That girl! She was in the photos that Orin was talking about… wait. She was there wasn't she? She's... ' _the one_ '."

Of course this connection began to anger him, but… he didn't want to not talk about his old love. He couldn't, and he hasn't stopped thinking about her ever since his departure, even though he's been gone for only a little more than a week now.

When he realized how long it had been, he immediately looked back down towards his picture, and turned it around so he could read the little note that the blonde had left on the back of the photo for him... which was also written in black in sharpie,

 _~Close your eyes_

 _Don't you cry_

 _Love's around you,_

 _In time, you'll fly!~_

 _Happy Birthday Gage! XOXO!_

 _\- Yang_

She would never end up being the last thing on his mind… and he knew it would be since the day he met her. To him, nothing was ever as important as her… and nothing will ever be.

"...Who is she?" Ileana asked him.

"...Her name was Yang."

And thus began another quiet, uncomfortable, but therapeutic confession of who his past lover was, how special she was to him, and how much he missed her, among a few other things about her.

His three new companions went on to listen through the whole thing like it was a story written by the ghost himself, which caused Riley and Alizarin to become a little more sympathetic towards him… mostly because of their own experiences with their own old and lost loves…

...But, that became irrelevant not that long after... to me and you at least, because unbeknownst to the four that were lying down around the campfire… something else decided to join in and began to listen in on Gage's tale from the tree branches above them!

It wasn't Yang herself, or a Skinwalker, or a Collector, or… any other type of person actually. Their new stalker… was nothing more than just a small, black, beady and red eyed… Qrow.

"*Caw!*"


	37. The Branwen Effect

**Author's Note:** Alright, I did it! The first chapter of the Two-Shot, is finally completed! So please, to all of you, if you truly love this story and want to know more about Gage's family, and a little bit more about his origins… then go read the first chapter of, **Búcsú Testvér: Another Desertion Story** , created by yours truly.

Also as a sort of… side note, we are three chapters away from hitting our 100TH CHAPTER IN THE SERIES. See, that's how much of a life I don't have! ONE-FUCKING-HUNDRED. So yeah, know that this thing up here ^^^ This is your reward in advance!

And hey, if you're still reading this, then you're also welcome for the double-chapter upload! ...Even though the second is for this specific fic XD, but besides that, back to Part Two! Got some dark stuff in this one btw, so… yeah.

 **Author's Fun Fact #7:** Gage's name was inspired by a man with the same first name who appeared in the Halo book, _Halo Evolutions._ He was an ODST by the name of Sergeant Gage Yevgenny, and he died after telling his life story to The Rookie, who later went on to be the main protagonist In Halo 3: ODST.

 **Song:** Losing Your Memory by Ryan Star

…

 **The Next Morning…**

…

After telling his whole shattered love story to his new 'friends', Gage of course got some well needed rest not that long after he finished, and he could have honestly slept for the whole day… if Orin didn't already have a plan to get rid of him.

Now, the ghost was lying halfway in the fetal position on the same sleeping bag that he was sitting on the previous night, while everyone else that was there was already awake and ready. And, that time eventually came, as the Skinwalkers soon made their way into the second camp, with Gage's own gear being in their possession… though, they weren't planning on returning it to him, not yet…

"*snore*"

"Damn… out like a light, I presume?" Orin asked Alizarin, who was just next to Gage, and getting his stuff together as he glared up at the old man, and nearly growled his reply. "Yeah, no thanks your tormententin'. I was surprised the kid didn't have any nightmares… yet."

The man in chains chuckled at that, and promptly used his right foot to nudge at the ghost's back, "He's not a kid. Not after all that shit we saw him do yesterday…" And he managed to make him stir a bit in his sleep because of it.

"Orin, Trust me… he's still a kid under all that."

The whistler exhaled silently as he could hear his tone, thinking it sounded 'matter of fact'-ly, and just retaliated in his own sick sense. "Hmm… well, I guess you'd know more than me about that type of thing, now wouldn't you?" He asked, as he began to chuckle, but soon stopped and turned so he could look his subordinate straight in the eye,

"...Hehe. Or you did rather, 'least till i came along and fucked that u-"

However… what he implied was beyond a low blow for Alizarin. And yeah, maybe Orin was in control of everything he once took care of, including the old sheriff himself in a sense… but that wasn't enough to make Al sit back and let this monster speak about this.

...Not about Hannah.

Then out of absolutely nowhere, a dark shade seemed to cover his garnet eyes as he scowled with rage, made a fist, and decked Orin right across the cheek, making him cough and almost fall onto his side, if he wasn't able to stop himself.

That loud smack was enough to cause Gage to wake up, and turn his head back and look at Orin with his half closed red eyes in bewilderment, "...What the fuck?"

Owen and Greed instantly pulled their weapons on the old gunslinger, who just stared down at his leader, with his hand now also resting on his own holstered weapon.

Alizarin started to breath harder as he saw Ileana and Riley come out of the woods and stop right next to Gage… and once he saw all three of them, he began to sweat… and remember his past.

He was remembering his last moments… with his Hannah.

…

 **Five Years Ago…**

…

" _...Daddy..._ "

A whisper… it was all he heard before the one he was holding against his chest went silent, and it drove him mad within seconds. He knew her for being the opposite, so… he didn't think after her passing.

Alizarin embraced them, and they did the same to him before they fell limp, and their head just laid gently against his shoulder, while he held and hugged them like he always did. But… this instance, would be the last time.

" _Hannah, come on baby, don't do this to me!_ "

"Come back to me… *sniffle* ...I can't lose both of you, please!"

He was in the middle of the same forest he would be in five years later as he recounted this moment in his life. The moment… he truly lost everything. The clearing he was in had smoke coming from it, with fallen trees surrounding him… and two people, that now ceased to be of this world. They… left him, but it wasn't their choice to.

One laid on the ground in front of the sheriff, with an open and bloody slash that went across his chest, while what looked like shrapnel had pierced his neck and stomach.

This person was a man, looking to be around the same age as Alizarin, and he wore torn grey jeans with a pistol holster attached to it, a blackened, dirty, and bloody white shirt that had a combat knife sheath on it, black fingerless gloves… with a few of the fingers blown off, and a light grey shemagh around his neck, that was also bloodstained.

He was barely in his mid-thirties, had light and pale skin with short light grey hair that looked akin to a crew cut, and yellow eyes that were now darkened, and staring ahead of whatever was in front of him. This man… was dead. His name was Aaron, and he was the father of the little girl that Alizarin was holding in his arms, and crying for. He… was also her father too.

"Don't do this to me, *gasp* ...Please, baby. Not like this! *sniffle* ...Not like…"

This girl, was Hannah. She was thirteen until her parents made the desperate idea of trying to escape from Keji, their village… that was taken over by Orin Sable, and the Skinwalkers. They didn't make it far though, only a few miles until the three got separated in a fight, and that… was when they found the girl and Aaron, and caused this tragedy.

Now, Al clutched his little girl, and rocked back and forth steadily as he was trying to wake up from this nightmare… but nothing happened. It continued, and played on while she passed, without him. It was every father's worst nightmare… and it wouldn't end. It never would for him… and it still wouldn't.

He choked and sobbed for a little while longer while he held onto his faded sunshine, and begged god and beyond for something to change, something to get him out of this. He never got an answer. The only person he got one from, was the one that caused all of this.

Orin. The head skinwalker, along with six of his other followers just lined up behind him, and stopped as the old man held his bat low, and looked back at everyone of his own with dissatisfaction.

This was because he specifically said not to hurt the girl, to show that they weren't monsters… but, obviously, they didn't listen… and monsters they became. "*sigh* ...Fuck it." Orin sighed.

He stood there for a while as Alizarin finally came to the realization… that his baby girl was actually gone. And Orin didn't want to be disrespectful. This was in the past though, and things would change later over time.

The sheriff continued to choke out every silent cry as he finally laid his daughter next to his partner… lying her head on her side so her blonde hair would slip in between in the blades of grass that were under her.

And when he saw that she looked to be at peace, with her blue eyes being closed, he crawled over to Aaron, and just shut his own eyes for him. That… was when his audible sniveling ceased, and everything else became silent as he sat there on his eyes and looked down at his family for the last time.

Orin did the same for a little bit, with a more serious look that was in between mad and sad, yet that went away as he finally walked over and behind the gunslinger, and put both of his hands on the bottom of his bat's grip, and pressed the top of it's blunt area into the dirt below him.

"I didn't want her to be gone like this… i told them not to, but they went ahead and did it anyway. If anything, i would rather have things the other way around, with… just you in the ground."

"...That makes two of us." Al said with a scarce and broken voice, while his bangs hung in front of his face and blocked his red eyes from being seen… even though the tear trails that went along his cheeks made everything more clear. "She wasn't mine, but she didn't deserve this, he didn't either!"

Orin kept his expression somber, since this time it actually was genuine… but he kept a straight face the whole time. "I know. That's why i'm going to find the one who against my orders, and hang him from a tree for you to watch." He said, as he looked over towards his group and soon saw one of them begin to tremble.

Everyone turned their attention towards that man except for the father, and all instantly became infatuated with the thought of killing him… but, that was until Alizarin just turned towards Orin, put his hand around the blunt end of his cricket bat, and just whispered four words to him…

"No… me instead." This… 'request' snapped the skinwalker out of his murderous attitude, and caused him to just smile down at Alizarin.

"No. Definitely a no can do situation, 'sir'."

"...But it's what you wanted… Ain't it?"

The skinwalker chuckled again, put his hand on Al's shoulder as he exhaled with excitement for some reason, and lowered himself so he was finally at his opponent's eye level. He looked the shattered man in his garnet eyes, and took off his hat for him before he placed it on the ground… and turned back to him with a grin, as a seemingly _brilliant_ idea suddenly came to him just in that moment of time,

"Yeah… it was, but now i feel genuinely sorry for you. And frankly… i'm a sick person who wants to deny your happiness in whatever form it may come in… that's why i'm going to give an 'offer', for you to achieve it yourself."

The gunslinger was soon caught off guard when he turned to see the other five skinwalkers as they seemingly turned on the one that had been deemed responsible for Aaron and Hannah's death.

Alizarin didn't want that man slaughtered, since it seemed mostly like the blame had just been shifted to him. No, he wanted either the chance to kill their leader, or for the man to just end him.

However, what he didn't know… was that this man in chains was about to give him one of those to chances. "As much as that piece of unobedient shit over there is responsible, all of this is my fault. Clearly, right?" Orin asked him, receiving a small nod in response.

"Exactly… so. Just for you, i'm going to make sure to leave myself vulnerable during whatever time you're with me from this point on, if you don't kill yourself that is."

"The point is… if you really think i deserve to die, then i want to make sure that you're the reason i do. So… I want you, to wait, plan, and create an equation that results in me being put six feet underground. Doesn't matter how long it takes either."

The hell was this. Was he actually asking for a deathwish? Thoughts similar to this washed over ones that were about Alizarin's loss (barely,) very quickly, and it was enough to somehow enough to get a word out of him. "...Why the hell would you let me live if you know i'd try to kill you?"

"What's life without a little challenge?" Orin asked aloud, but not too soon for someone else to answer him. "Not one worth fighting for, as i always say. That's where you come in, being my obstacle. Well… if you want in, that is." He said ,with another smirk.

The sheriff looked back at his deceased loved ones for a few short seconds, and remembered that everyone else here could face the same tragedy, or one similar if he wasn't there to help.

...Also, he thought that by the way Orin was wording his challenge, that he would have immunity from being killed by their group… and that, was something he would have over the man, hopefully if he wouldn't go back on his word. So with all these ideas and possible loopholes forming in his mind, Al turned back to Orin, and slowly nodded 'yes' to him.

"Alright then, no backing out either. Then i'll make sure to cripple you and leave you to wither and die off. We clear?"

He just nodded a second time, and that was enough to make the head skinwalker smile again, before he finally stood up and gripped his bat normally.

Orin took a few steps back, and watched as Alizarin turn his body entirely towards him while still being on his knees. He was on his knees, ready to listen, and willing to obey anything that would come out of the not-faunus's mouth…

"Good!" He thought, as he soon pointed his cricket bat outwards, just enough so it would hover above Al's head, right as he was putting his hat back on. "Now, say this to me with the most sincerity, and we'll have our non existent contract." And soon enough, he instructed him to repeat the following.

"...'i'm going to kill you'."

"...'I'm going to kill you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but i will kill you. Nothing will change that'."

"...'If i may fail, then i will stand up and try again with my husband and child there in spirit to raise me'..."

"...'And when you're nothing but open flesh and shattered bones, i will prevail. I have won. I will win, for those you've slain'."

The gunslinger went right ahead and did what he was asked, but with more intensity, and more anger coming from his tone as he looked the man dead in the eye, and repeated each line like he himself had created it.

Orin now knew he was serious about this… and that was when he realized that he now had a nemesis, his challenge that would follow for the rest of his life… and he was absolutely exhilarated.

"Hahaha!" When he finally moved the bat away from him, he was already laughing, and was starting to show signs of his later self that would come to be. "*sigh* ...And that's a wrap, jack!"

He snapped his fingers, and all of his lackeys went on to drag their 'traitor' away, but not before Orin gave his final respects to the dead man's family, and rested his bat's upper half on his shoulder.

That wasn't before one of his skinwalkers threw a shovel down next to the two bodies though… and it of course brought Al's rage to a boiling point. "...I'll make sure you're laughing by the time your heart is pierced, don't you worry, inhuman piece of shit!" He growled, as his garnet colored eyes showed everyone the color he wanted to see...

And as for his new enemy, he just smiled again, "Oh, i'll make sure to love every second of it i can. But until then…" And finally waved goodbye… even though it wouldn't be long until they would see each other again.

"See you back home, 'neighbor'!"

All seven of them left after that, and soon left Alizarin all by himself to wallow in misery, and start to silently sob again… but with a smile, as he soon found himself crawling, and lying down next to his husband and daughter before he looked up into the sky, and asked himself the one thing he knew they would ask him if they were still alive...

"...What have i done?"

…

 **Present Day…**

…

Gage finally opened his eyes, and looked behind himself to see that… Orin was on the ground with blood coming from his nostrils as Alizarin was yelling at him, while also being held back by both Riley and Ileana, "You inhuman piece of shit! Don't you ever her against me!"

"*cough* ...Oh yeah, i said i wouldn't… shit, heh... *cough*"

"...What the hell is going on?" The ghost asked everyone, and they all turned to look at him s, like he wouldn't wake up from this scuffle. "Shut the fuck up before i put you to bed permanently!" Greed said in reply.

He then aimed Mistletoe at Gage, who just put his prosthetic hand up in defense, backed up a bit, and sighed by how confusing this all was. "...Please don't kill me with my own gun."

The only thing he got in response was the sound of the weapon being cocked, and that was when he actually took it seriously and stood up, with his both of his hands up and his eyes wide open. "Alright alright!"

"Greed, calm yourself before a Manticore finds it's way here and opens us all up like some goddamn christmas presents!" Owen yelled as he was trying to help their leader back onto his feet.

"...What the fuck is a Manticore?" Gage thought to himself, curiously.

"Do as he says Greed." Orin commanded him,a s he finally stood up and wiped the blood away from his nostrils, and turned back to watch Ileana and Riley as they let go of Al. "Sorry about that, you know i have a fuckton of things wrong with me, i'm guessing memory loss is one of 'em."

"*sigh* ...I need a drink." The sheriff sighed as he walked off.

Ileana sighed as well, and glared over at their leader as Gage looked at them all, still very confuzzled by all of this. "So, should i just not ask about that?"

"Not unless you want to hate half of the people here even more..." Riley answered him, as Ileana exhaled again angrily, and looked back at Orin with a glare. "Ahem! Anyway _,_ how long until we have to get moving Orin?"

"For you, an hour or two. For the kid over here… ten minutes."

"Wait what? We're not splitting up are we?"

He grinned again, and just nodded as Owen took a backpack off of his back, and threw the thing at Gage, but this wasn't the knapsack that he had taken with him to the Wisteria Penitentiary. Orin himself was wearing that one on his back instead.

The ghost caught the bag as it crashed into his stomach and knocked the wind out of him, which urged him to curse at the thing, and open it to see… that it was just filled to the brim with rocks. "*sigh* ...Really, dude?" He asked aloud, looking very annoyed.

Gage just thought Orin was being a troll at this point, and the man really was, but this was also when his 'detour idea' would finally come into play, much to the ghost's dismay,

"Yes we are Illie!" He replied as Gage looked up from the bag and openly glared at him with his red eyes. "We're taking our new fried wit us on a little trip into Tsüro, for some scavenging. And so we could actually give you three a break."

Riley then turned back towards the two, and squinted her brown eyes at Orin while she picked up and set down her bronze M249, obviously feeling surprised by this considering how close they were to Keji at this moment.

"Wait, but the Grimm tore down that place months ago. There's probably nothing left to scavenge unless you're planning on making bone-art decorations for your living room..."

"And if I am?" The man asked, as he was trying to put as much attitude in his voice to match her own, of course to mock her in a sense. "I mean it still can't hurt to look, and besides, it'll be a good way to test the kid's survival skills… if he can keep up with us, that is." This made Gage roll his eyes at the man from behind him, and Riley kind of smiled because of it.

" I mean… He's survived this long with us, hasn't he?" Ileana asked their leader

"Look, you can have him all to yourself once we get back, since you're _so_ worried about him."

His response was enough to make the spider faunus cringe, and also sigh by how easy she could see that coming. "Jesus… *sigh* ...just, don't get killed scruffy." She then moved a little bit closer to Gage, and pointed back at Orin with her thumb before she just walked away again. "He already has enough dead kids under his belt…"

The ghost leaned his head back only a little bit because of the way she ended the conversation, but… it was still enough to creep him out. "That's… honestly not surprising to me, but uh... thanks for the heads up?" He replied nervously, with a thumbs up in return.

That was when Gage looked over at Riley again, since she was the only person out of his three friends that decided to stay.

She was laying on top of her sleeping bag, lying on her side as her legs were crossed, and was holding her head up with her left hand while her elbow was pressed against the ground… yet, she looked physically bothered by what Ileana had said.

He then remembered something about her he noticed about yesterday, how this seemingly rude, border-line tsundere girl was able to get emotional after staring at a dead faunus, whose head had been split open with Orin's cricket bat.

" _Hehe, that remind you of anyone, Rye?"_

That line made it's way into his thoughts again too, and tried to connect this to what was just implied by their friendly spider-faunus. Gage could obviously guess that Orin must've killed someone close to her, but how close was the question…

"Hey, are you… alright?" He asked her, quietly as he was currently standing almost only two feet away from where she was laying. "Question of my life…" She whispered, while looking away from him and up towards the rising sun.

"What?"

Her face reddened immediahimy once he caught her small comment, and it just caused her to slyly cover her face to not make it so apparent. "N-N… Nothing! Good luck on your run, or whatever it is! ...You're going to need it."

Before he could thank her awkwardly like he just did Ileana, Orin chuckled to himself, and just put his hand on Gage's right shoulder and pulled him closer towards himself, Owen and Greed, away from Riley while she just watched… with pity in her eyes. "C'mon killer, we don't got all day!"

The ghost turned away from the heavy, as she turned on her side so she could lay her head down, happy that this apparent scouting run could give her some extra time to sleep… and also think about herself.

When he finally exhaled, Greed was about to start walking ahead of everyone else… until Orin stopped him, with an expression that told everyone that he was not in the mood for any type of future argument because of a damn object, "And Greed… give him back his gun."

The dreaded haired man sighed internally, turned to face Gage on the spot, and looked him straight in the eyes before he smirked, aimed Mistletoe into the air, and fired it randomly.

Then, after all of that, he held the weapon with both of his hands as he tossed the shotgun back towards the ghost roughly, only for him to get on one knee and catch it delicately before standing back up again.

This was obviously enough to piss him off, simply because of how important the weapon was to him… but after he looked the thing up and down quickly, he saw that it didn't appear to be handled poorly, which was enough to cool him off.

Soon enough, Orin, Owen, and Greed all began to get their packs and weapons ready while their captive kept glancing back at them as he… started to breath a little more heavily, but completed his 'inspection' with a sigh of relief.

But, he only became sketched out even more as he cocked Mistletoe halfway, and looked inside of it's round chamber to see that it was... empty. Completely. Empty. Though, he didn't find it surprising.

"Yup, that's more like it..." He said to himself sarcastically.

Gage fully cocked it after that, and put it on his back with the rifle strap going across his chest, right as he saw the rest of his previously selected, 'group', turn and stare at him, waiting for him to come and follow.

So, he gulped down any insecure or troubling feelings that he had about this supply run, and started to walk to the three of them as they turned and creeped out into the brush, yet… Gage couldn't help but feel that there were a pair of unknown eyes staring down at him…

"*CAW!*"

The ghost heard a loud screech come from the tree branches above his head, and even though the sound scared him… he looked up, and laid eyes upon a black crow that was looking at him, and… had red eyes.

"*caw!* *caw!*"

It cawed two more times after that, and looked to be raising itself up and down as it was standing on a tree branch, and continued to yip and give out small little chitters that were aimed directly at him.

"Red eyes?" He thought. That single characteristic was the first thing he noticed about this bird, and it completely threw him for a loop. And the reason behind it? Well, somehow… he remembered something that Qrow had told him a long time ago, on the night of his birthday...

" _If you see a black bird with a red eye looking at ya weirdly… then it may just be something else. So remember Gage, you need to keep BOTH eyes open."_

The main reason why he was so focused on that specific trait… was because Qrow told him this after he asked for a way to try and telegraph Raven's presence, in a sense. That realization did indeed hit him… but it didn't have that great of an effect on the ghost.

Because if it was Qrow, he knew that he had been sent by Yang and Ruby, and if it was Raven… then he had to be hallucinating from dehydration, or something. Or, maybe it could have just been a regular Crow.

The animals of Remnant were weird in general anyway, so this wouldn't be an oddity either. So with that also being an option, Gage turned back around, and walked away, now fully unknowing of how this day could possibly go.

...However, this would turn out to be a crucial mistake of his to even notice and think about the bird. As everyone who really understood the shapeshifting drunk, knew that this Qrow was nothing more than a Bad Luck Charm.

"*sigh* ... _Damn it Gage_ …"

…

 **Later...**

…

The group of marauders, and their captive, walked for around twenty minutes on their way to the abandoned village of Tsuro. This was mostly because of how slow the older men were walking, and talking… and it was enough for Gage to try and block out their voices in his own head.

But who wouldn't, right? Anyway, as time passed, he was eventually given some charity by Orin and was given water as a fucked up kind of reward for wanting to get this hike over with.

It was honestly the best feeling Gage had during the past few days, that drink. So good even, that he secretly tried his best to drink less as to try and conserve this for himself, so he could keep on going.

He didn't say anything for a while either, mostly because his voice was scarce and dry, and also because he couldn't find anything to say. Soon enough though, Greed smiled at him, and nudged his prosthetic arm as he approached the ghost from behind,

"Hey, so tell me man… where you from?"

The lackey asked him this, as he rested his secondary weapon, an AK-74u, on top of his shoulder. "...Atlas" Gage answered, blankly.

He thought that being short and vague with his answers could destroy any potential conversation from continuing, but Greed still kept going… almost like he was intent on trying to dig up some type of dirt or something. "City, Academy, or just the kingdom?"

"Main city."

This all happened while Orin and Owen smiled and watched the haggler push and prod a little bit until he got that second answer, and somehow… that was enough for him to come up with an insult that perfectly pushed all of the wrong buttons.

"Pfft, no wonder. With an arm like that, i bet your daddy paid for it after cutting it off himself. Probably what gave you the edgy-white kid vibe i'm getting from you right now!"

He said this with enough sarcasm and the right amount of toxicity to make Gage stop in his tracks, and look down at the ground while he turned halfway towards him, and continued to hold Mistletoe with his hand of flesh.

"Alright…" And… even if the thug didn't know the truth about Gage and his father, something else strange happened that Greed didn't even think he could predict. The ghost simply chose to… smirked back at him. "Heh… Alright, i'll take that."

This reaction was the opposite of what he wanted, and it caused the lower-tier skinwalker to tilt his head and stare at him like he was crazy. "W… Why are you smiling?"

Despite his slightly visible and faded black eye and bruised face, Gage let out a tiny chuckle, walked even closer towards Greed, and raised his metal arm in a joking manner while his shotgun remained at his side,

"I just think it's funny that looking at shiny objects seem to get you riled up. If anything, i'd think they would distract you-" He was soon cut off however, as Greed punched him in the face so hard that some spit flew out of his mouth, and he almost toppled over as well.

"Ooohoho!" The joke and the response was enough to make Orin laugh outright while Owen hollered and did the same. "...What? *cough* ...Can't take a joke?" Gage coughed as he stood back up, and looked back at his assaulter with another smile.

Greed didn't think that this was funny at all, and sneered at Gage before he grabbed him by his collar, and pulled him close enough to the point where the ghost could smell the haggler's putrid breath, "Smug-ass kid, you better shut your goddamn mouth before i tear your other arm off and shove It down your-!"

That was until Orin bonked the back of his head with the tip of his chained cricket bat, though not hard enough to do some real damage. "G, don't get mad over a good comeback. It's your fault for starting it in the first place." He said, with an unfamiliar fatherly type of voice.

"*sigh* ...You better hope that you get to make the first move next time."

"I'll remember that."

"You two good now? Because i was actually enjoying our little walk." Orin then waited for some sort of reply from the two of them while they kept their eyes locked, and when Gage broke off his gaze, the old man smirked again, and continued onwards. "Good! Now, why don't you go on about yourself for once, kid?"

Gage stopped again, and stood there looking at the road in front of him once he heard this unexpected request, which ended up actually making him become a bit tense. "...Do i have to?"

His reaction was priceless and amusing in Orin's mind, so much so that he scratched his chin and tried to think carefully about his response, though it wasn't hard to guess what it would be,

"You know, i think i'm going to actually say yes this time." He chuckled, with yet another yellow- toothed smile aimed directly at his captive. "So… Yes Gage, go on, tell us something about yourself."

Gage only got quieter after that, and stumbled with his words a bit, more with forming them than speaking them. He just couldn't think of what to give away…. But he knew which one would be the better option.

"Trust me, if this was a road trip, i'd have the radio blaring. But it ain't and talkin' is all we got, and i'm sure you wouldn't rather sing a little song for us, now would you?"

He remembered what he thought yesterday, after he saw Riley begin to tear up at the sight of that bludgeoned faunus. That using someone's past against them was scummy, and the last thing he wanted to experience.

However… sometimes it's better to be emotionally beaten than physically… so he chose the latter, sighed, and hesitantly turned his head back halfway towards the old man again, "Fine, i…"

Gage chose to talk about his father and their time in Atlas together, since it was the only relevant subject to talk about. He already hated himself with a passion, and he figured that he could just hate himself even more later,

"...Yeah, i'm from Atlas. But i wasn't some 'rich white kid' either. I worked, and my dad worked all the time to put myself through some shitty community college, and keep our house standing."

When he first started off, he could hear himself soon begin to go off into a rant that pretty much expressed why he hated Atlas, Ironwood, and the Atlesian Military as a whole.

But of course, Gage had to get the conversation past his main obstacle if he was to truly be able to speak about everything passively. "Those Atlas elitists aren't just racist, they're cheap as hell. Heck, he might've work himself to death if he hadn't gotten blown up by The White Fang…"

That was when Orin let out a weird sigh that sounded like he relieved, but also had been holding it in for a very long time, "So that's why you hate them, eh?"

"...It took a lot more than just that."

Thankfully with the elephant in the room taken care of, it was enough for the ghost to become calm again, with the fact that he was able to change the subject so quickly holding him over, "Still though… his job planted a target on his back, and i could see it coming right before it did. I just… wished his higher ups actually gave a shit after he was gone."

"Who'd he work under?" Owen asked him.

"Ironwood, and Polendina. Those are the only ones that are still alive at least."

His voice was cold blank during this part of the convo, but it still was the sad truth about it. Death rates were always increasing every year for Atlas workers, which was a little known fact Orin was somehow unaware of, "Damn, i didn't think the White Fang were that thorough!"

"They wouldn't have if one of them didn't turn out to be a traitor, and compromised everything by spilling every military secret that they had… funny enough though, it's what got the traitor killed..."

"...Thanks to me…"

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

As the four of them continued to walk down the road towards Tsuro… Qrow remained nearby, and kept flapping from tree to tree in his bird form, tailing them the whole way since they began their small trek.

He was thankful that the road was covered on both sides by tall and thick trees, but after he scouted ahead and saw that it was at least two and a half more miles until the group would make it to the Grimm infested village. The old drunk cursed at himself once he realized that he didn't have a lot of time now before they reached it, and it just looked like a death trap.

He didn't come out here to watch his niece's lover get mauled to death, so he knew that he was out of time and options. Qrow knew he had to get his hands dirty, but it wasn't like it was beyond him, and like these thugs didn't look like anything special either. "*caw!*"

"*caw!* *caw!*"

Now, he was looking down at them all, as he had just landed on another tree branch, and made sure that the tree he had occupied was ahead of them, and it gave him just enough time to plan out his attack as well.

The drunk figured that two of them all seemed like heavy hitters, Orin and Owen, while Greed would be the first to go because of his smaller assault rifle, and since his first attack couldn't possibly be detected, he saw this as foolproof.

Just a swoop down, shift, and diagonal slice with the sword form of his scythe, and the rest he'd leave to his pure skill with his scythe form… even had a backup plan if Gage were to attack him too.

Everything seemed to be in place, so after he set his eyes on his first target… Qrow leaped off of his tree branch, spread his wings, and dove straight towards the group, with his red eyes traced on Greed's figure.

"... _Gotcha."_

He could see Gage standing there, still walking and entirely clueless of what was about to happen, and who was about to rescue him. The ghost moved out of Qrow's vision not that long after, and his target became his main focus as he moved lower and lower towards him, with the wind ruffling his feathers and the sound of it drowning out everything else.

The drunk eventually reached the amount of distance he needed for his reveal, so he slowed himself down, glared down at Greed once more, and was about to finally shift back into his physical form…

...Until he suddenly heard something loud and ear-piercing break it's way through the sounds of the wind, and he just turned his head to see yet _another_ bird that was headed straight for him.

Strangely though… this one looked just like him. Black feathers, the red eyes, and that same amount of self awareness. The only thing different about it was how it was how its body was built/structured, but that didn't matter.

This bird still kept barreling towards him with no intent to stop, and obviously, this wasn't just another angry crow. Qrow knew this bird, and it was something different than himself... It was a Raven.

"SCREEECH!*

…

"And… I think that's all i have to say about that." Gage mumbled to himself, as Greed just rolled his eyes and walked ahead of him while Orin shook his head with a smile after he finished the story of how he killed Cordelia. "Damn, sure glad i made sure to wound right you before we met."

"Hmhm, for a doctor, he didn't seem all that smart." Owen said with a smirk.

"Hey, surviving is winning. Not my fault he was a sore loser..." A few seconds of silence then came after the ghost said that, and in that small amount of time, Gage heard a… wind chime out of all things, along with the sound of a few chirping birds.

"Wh..." He stopped and looked behind himself, only to realize that there was an absence of any chimes or sparrows in any of the nearby trees. It didn't even seem like anyone else heard it either.

The funny thing about it too, was that the noise seemed to have a small echo, and it managed to keep droning on until the echo faded… despite the fact that it was hot, the air was dry, and there weren't any wind currents that could be felt by anyone there.

So… was it in his head? Because right after, he felt the side of his skull randomly pound only once, causing him to grasp the area that hurt with a silent wince. "Pfft, what is it now? The heat too much for you kid?" Greed asked him, insultingly.

"*huff* ...NO." Gage replied as he glanced back at him, sighed once the pain quickly went away, and tried to think of some sort of excuse. "It's just… now that i think about it, there was this other guy that my dad knew."

"...His name was… 'Merlot', or something weird like that. But... he went crazy a long time ago, so yeah, he's probably dead too."

Orin's eyes opened up a little bit more, along with Greed's since that name became pretty well known over the last few years due to what... 'experiments' were associated with that same name.

However, Owen stopped as well and just squinted at Gage like he was the new face of crazy within their group, "Hey so… Is it weird that it looked like it hurt when you were trying to think-"

"*CAW!*"

"*SCREECH!*

"*POOF!*"

And somehow, something else managed to take all the attention off of the ghost as all four of them heard… what sounded like two birds screaming at each other until they were suddenly silenced, and disappeared.

An impact was heard as well, but it was kind of soft too… so it confused everyone, since they weren't actually able to see it.

Instead, Gage just looked up and saw that there was a bunch of black feathers in the air before he watched them as they slowly floated down onto the ground, with one of them landing on top of his head.

"...Excuse me, but did those two birds just crash into each other?" Orin laughed as Gage took the feather off of his head, and stared at it intently before he just looked off into the treeline to his right…

"*sigh* ...Let's just keep walking…"

…

Raven and Qrow did actually crash into each other, (with their aura protecting them) and luckily the sister managed to have so much momentum that they were thrown far into treeline together, still in their bird forms.

Eventually they hit the ground, and their small bodies began to tumble into a small ditch that wasn't that far away from the main treeline, with both of them making cute grunts as they continued to roll.

When they slowly reached the bottom of the ditch, the siblings both turned back into their normal physical forms before they both hit the ground, and collectively groaned in unison.

Qrow landed on his back, with his weapon landing with it's blade stuck into the ground right next to him, and he gripped his lower back in pain while Raven was lying face down into the leaf-covered ground next to him.

"Agh! Wh… What the hell was that?!" He tried his best to stay silent, but also screamed at his sister as quietly, and painfully as he possibly could. "Jesus christ, six months of nothing and this is how you greet me-?!"

"Brother!" Raven ignored his question however, and gasped as she leaned up off of the ground, and crawled over to her brother before she grasped the collar of his shirt, and pulled him up so she could be face to face with him, "*pant* *pant* ...I found him!"

Both of their red eyes were in line with each other, and it caused Qrow to just stare up at her like she had gone completely insane, "Y… Yeah, i found him too! Rrrgh, we both just saw him didn't we?!"

"*sigh* ...Qrow, I'm not talking about Yang's little ghost!" She hissed back at him, angry that it seemed like he had forgotten about the last conversation that they had… even though that was six months ago. "Then who the hell are you talking about?"

"...Who else have i been looking for all of this time?"

"W… Wait… Prodigy?" Her question confused him for a second… but then he actually remembered her personal objective, and his red eyes lit up like a traffic light instantly, but with a scowl to go along with it. "H-How? Where'd you find him? Buried in a graveyard?!"

"He. Is not. Dead!" She growled through gritted teeth as she pressed her brother back down onto the ground with the remaining strength she had left… which wasn't much. "I found him, and i saved him, but he won't last much longer without your help!"

That was when Qrow leaned back up, and could see that part of Raven's clothes were tattered, there were bruises on her arms and neck, and she looked visibly exhausted as well. "...What happened to you?"

"The White Fang have been tracking us for days, and i can't move far with him weighing me down!" She replied as she let go of him, stood up, and… looked away, feeling disappointed in herself. "I… I can't save him by myself."

"...So you came to me for help. Hehe, that's a first." Qrow chuckled as he just laid there on the ground, and put his hands behind his head with a smirk. "Get off your high horse Qrow, and just help me!"

"Why don't you get your future son-in-law to help you? He's right over there, and i'm sure he'll just _love_ to be introduced to your walking corpse."

He said this, and just gestured over towards the main road with his thumb as he smiled, finally stood up, and stretched his back a little bit, which angered Raven even more by how calm he was because of everything that had just been said. "I can't, and you know exactly why!" She almost screamed.

"No, i don't actually…" That was when the old drunk shook his head, and peered up at her with one eye as he patted himself for his flask, and eventually found it. "...Not unless it's another one of your manipulation games."

This small comment caused Raven to become silent, and just stare at her sibling as her anger seemed to have dissipated, and was replaced with a very small expression of guilt, all while her brother took a small swig from his flask, and continued.

"You know you can't fool me. I know exactly why you were trying so hard to find Prodigy, and if he actually is alive… then it ain't so he can get his old life back." He said, with a smirk as he smiled too, and turned around to look off into the forest blankly. "It's because you want him to be your replacement, isn't it?"

His question irked her in an oh so very wrong way, and Raven was sure that he was aware of the gravity… and the reason behind it. But just in case he lost a few of his brain cells to his drinking since the last time they met, she chose to remind him of what that reason was.

"When Yang started to become closer and closer to finding out about the Collectors… i had to do this. " She then sighed and looked to her right, to where she thought Gage's current location was. "She just wouldn't see it as good of a reason for my absence from her life…" Her answer was still enough to get a laugh out of Qrow however, and he did just that.

"You mean as good of a reason for you abandoning her, and Tai? Hehe, Yeah, because co-founding a secret organization made to protect Remnant from Salem isn't a good enough reason either..." But even after that, he went for something that he knew would get a better reaction out of his sister. "Not to mention abandoning said organization for a tribe of killers-"

"ENOUGH!"

Raven actually yelled this, and she closed her eyes angrily and stared daggers deep into the back of Qrow's head. "The point of me being here is that i need you to help him, and if you don't… Prodigy _will_ die. And if he does… _EVERYTHING_ your ghost has _lived for_ since Yang found him will be meaningless!" She continued, with her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"...Relax sis. I didn't say i wouldn't help you, now did i?" Qrow said with raised hands as he looked down, pulled his sword/scythe out of the dirt, and put it back on his back afterwards.

"So… you will?" His sister asked, feeling unsure about him being sincere. However, then came something that she had been expecting from her brother, as he nodded, and raised his flask with a smirk.

"Yeah… but on one condition."

There always had to be a catch with him, and considering he had to do this to her now frustrated her endlessly… yet, she still stayed silent as to listen to his demands, barely. Luckily enough for her although, Qrow knew that she would do anything but do… well, the obvious and confront Yang herself, and he did this because actually did need 'Prodigy', alive for… reasons.

So instead, he went for something that wasn't hard for her to do, and that was also still a very relevant subject. Gage's… second act of Desertion, in a sense.

"You have to stay behind and look out for Gage, since he's the reason i'm out here in the first place." He stated, as Raven sneered at her brother in response, and slowly picked up her grimm helmet while staring at him, "And why, would i, want to do _that_?"

"Because if you lose him, or he dies… then you'll be the reason why Yang won't' be getting the wedding that she deserves."

That was… a _very_ new development to her, and she honestly couldn't have expected it… at least with what Qrow was implying, since Yang did actually spill the beans to him, and him only, right before he left Beacon.

But it still was burned into her mind, and caused her red eyes to enlarge to a very alarming size… at least for her. "Sh… She's engaged?" Raven thought to herself as she raised her helmet back up, and looked into its eyeholes with… some regret, out of all things.

She stared at it, and realized that this… this mask that she was holding really was her true self, and her own face… that was her true mask. Or, it would end up being it very soon.

This was because Raven knew that going to Yang's wedding, if it ever was going to actually happen, was her last chance if she was ever going to actually try and get back into her life. It was a scummy, and frankly shit plan of trying to reconnect with her daughter, and Raven knew it… but it was the only thing she could anticipate for ever since she knew Yang turned eighteen.

"So, that a fair deal Raven?"

Qrow asked her this, and watched as she stood up, unsheathed her odachi, and did one overhand downwards slash as she turned back towards her brother, and didn't appear to be in a talking mood anymore.

The drunk saw the slice as it generated a shockwave, and he took a step back right as it passed him, went ahead further, and formed a vertical cut in the trunk of a tree that wasn't that far away from him.

Then, the red outline that was accompanied with the slash stretched horizontally, until it became circular and flashed red, forming one of Raven's signature portals. This one however went exactly where she had left the prisoner,

"...Just go Qrow. And hope that your semblance hasn't affected him yet."

The drunk just stared back at the swirling red vortex, looking unimpressed by how easy it was to see that coming from her. "Hmph. *sip* ...So, where am i taking your friend's body?" He asked with a swig of his flask.

"*sigh* ...Our old safehouse." She sighed once again, and just watched as the drunk put his flask away, placed his hands behind his head, and started to walk backwards towards her portal. "And be quick about it. I don't want to spend the rest of my day stalking a teenager…"

"Aw, what? Coulda sworn that you were a professional at it-"

And that was when Raven decided she has had enough of her brother for one day, and she pretty much screamed at him as she pointed her odachi at Qrow, and her red eyes began to flare angrily… just like her daughter's would do every now and then,

"GO! NOW!"

Qrow chuckled once again, and simply gave her a small final wave as he walked into the portal, and made sure to smirk and utter his farewell as he did so, since he knew that it would be a while until he saw his sister again. "Nice seeing you too sis!"

Then, once he disappeared into the portal's blank, and dark red swirling nothingness… it collapsed in on itself and dissipated, thankfully leaving Raven all by herself yet again. "How could she… already?!" She asked herself, with a seething rage slowly washing over her already pissed off expression.

Her anger was shifted towards her daughter… and then Gage. Did he push it on her? Do they even know what they're getting into? Why did _he_ have to be asking the question now, she's barely even an adult!

These thoughts ran through her head and made her become tense, angry, and… surprised with herself. Mostly, because the way she was thinking at the moment… was the way any other mother would think during a time like this.

But then, she realized that Qrow was out here to find Gage, and take him back to Vale. As to why he was out here by himself with the Skinwalkers, was a very odd question she'd like to ask him herself… but she couldn't.

Raven knew just as well as you guys, that if he was to see her again, Gage would immediately get into asking why she was here and why she had left Yang all those years ago. So… she of course decided against it.

Instead, as she sighed and put her Grimm helmet/mask back on again, the mother made up her mind and chose to just follow him in her other form to look out for him... like Yang, and Tai would want her to do.

...Gage was her future son-In-law, after all.

"*sigh* ...I'm running out of time."

…

 **One Hour Later…**

…

After Raven changed into her bird form again, she went down the road that Gage was on, and in the direction that he was walking to later find, and watch as he, Orin, Greed, and Owen were all standing in front of the old and abandoned village of Tsuro.

She perched herself up into a tree, and rested as she watched the four of them take in the sight of the town… only for Gage to look kind of disappointed by the sight of it.

Tsuro, looked nothing more than a… average marketplace, not even a town or village really. It was pretty much just a single, two lane road that went down for a while, and it also had a row of multiple buildings on each side..

A grocery store, clothes store, trader shop, liquor store, two inns, a restaurant, and a few other things on the other side of the main road. With every building seemingly made from red brick.

None of them were more than a single story high though, and the whole place was surrounded by a crappy excuse for a wall, that looked like any Grimm could break down or jump over.

"Man… what a dump!" Gage said aloud, again looking disappointed by how bad everyone was talking about it earlier. "No wonder it got abandoned, people didn't want to stay for when it got breached by the Grimm… i mean, even a Boarbatusk could get in easily!"

"To be fair, it wasn't really meant for housing. Kind of a… rest stop type of place really." Orin replied, as he walked over towards what could be considered as the, 'front gate'. Which was just a bendable chain-linked fence with a door that had a lock on it. "And it had a pretty good guard system too… but still, shit happens."

"Clearly..."

Owen then walked towards the gate with Orin, and looked through the chain links to try and see if there were still any Grimm trapped on the inside… but before he could confirm anything, an… unfamiliar sound was heard. Unfamiliar to Gage at least.

First, there were the loud howls of Beowolves, but something else followed afterwards. It started off as a sort of… chitter at first, before the octive raised even higher, and the small noise turned into what could be described as a deranged woman screaming at the top of her lungs.

This… was the yowl of a Grimm that the ghost had yet to be told about in Professor Port's Grimm Study class, but just from the tone and delivery of the scream… Gage could tell that whatever it was, was between the size of a Beowulf and an Ursa.

"Yup. There's Grimm in there no doubt, but they ain't coming over to our side just yet… so maybe they're just becoming aware of us." The red-haired man whispered to everyone else.

"Well then, let's get in before they start swarming us." Orin nodded in response, and just looked over towards the lock on the door of the gate with his cricket bat still slung over his shoulder.

Then, right as he was about to grip the lock and start jiggling it, Gage quickly moved past him with Mistletoe in his arms, and he just slammed it's stock down onto the lock and made it disengage instantly, before he tore the chain off and kicked the door open for him.

Orin stood there with his hand still outstretched as he did this, and he just smirked again as Gage was the first to walk inside, and Owen and Greed went in afterwards.

The town was more open to them after that, and as soon as they started to look around for somewhere to go… the massive pack of Beowolves on the other side of the small town turned back and growled at the four of them intensely.

But… they didn't go and charge at them right as they made visual contact. Instead, four out of the nine pack members started to slowly saunter towards them with caution, and just continued to watch them from afar.

They were… waiting for them to make the first move, it seemed. And Gage looked back at them too, with his red eyes looking back into theirs as he put his hand on Javix… but before anything else could happen, Orin patted his shoulder and fast walked past him, to a building to their left.

"Kid, it's better to worry about the Grimm _after_ the looting is done. Now come on, the gunsmith is right there!"

The ghost looked at the structure after that, and saw that it actually was standing right there to his left… and that the rest of the members of his group were already halfway inside of the building.

So he did make haste, and followed them inside as well… but couldn't shake the feeling that there was another reason why they came here, and that they purposely disregarded that odd Grimm scream from earlier…

…

After Gage got inside the gunsmith store, Owen shut the door behind him, locked it, and barricaded it with the security plank that was attached to the side of the door, throwing it down horizontally so that it would prevent it from being opened.

That, was when everyone laid their eyes on the inside of the store… which had a lack of weapons, but was still stocked to the brim with ammo and dust, both crystals and powder vials.

This made Orin chuckle with excitement as he walked over to the dusty glass counter, which the dust was stored in, and just ran one of his hands across it with a large smirk forming across his lips. "Boys, I think this going to be a very lucky day for us!"

Owen smiled at all the leftover riches just like their leader did… but Gage chose to shrugg them off and went into the two aisles in front of him, to look for some actual rounds, while his group proceeded to smash open the display case.

"Hey, you think they actually have normal ammo here?" The ghost asked the three of them, while he held Mistletoe with only one of his hands and used his metal one to push off any boxes of rounds that his weapons didn't take. "Or at least some slugs?"

The haggler then chimed in, and asked the most obvious question anyone else would in that moment. "Why don't you just take the dust kid? Regular rounds aren't gonna do shit these days." He also seemed generally baffled by this, but Gage of course had a reason behind this.

"Trust me, it still works well."

Orin then turned and squinted at the ghost as he held a burn, or fire dust round in his hand… looking at their captive like he was an idiot. "That may be, but… You still didn't answer his question." The old man noted, suspiciously.

Then, he threw the crystal at Gage's feet, only for him to nearly eat shit as he dove downwards onto the store's floor tiles, and barely managed to catch it with his prosthetic hand.

His reaction made both Owen and Greed laugh out loud, because that crystal obviously wouldn't have exploded unless it was shot directly, and ruptured… which is something Gage actually managed to forget.

Thankfully though, that kept him from screaming at Orin and calling him a psychopath, and he instead let go of the round and pressed his head downwards against the ground with a sigh of relief, and embarrassment.

He wasn't exactly that well acquainted with dust actually, as he wasn't taught to use it when he was younger… and was also told that it wasn't essential to a Huntsman's arsenal… despite the history behind dust, and he honestly regretted not learning about it more when he was still at Sanctum.

"Hehe, come on kid… you've got to have a reason behind not using it." Orin laughed as he leaned over the other side of the counter, and took out a box of twelve gauge shotgun shells. "It's what got us out of the dark ages for christ's sake!"

Gage's face was till pressed against the floor… so the man in chains just shook the box, and watched as he lifted his head up and looked at the small box with yearnul eyes.

Once he realized that he wasn't going to let go of the rounds until he confessed… the ghost looked away with a frown, and soon started to stand up again while he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "It's just…"

He stuttered, and only made Orin smile more after that while his two lackeys just watched in amusement. "Come on now, just spit it out. You're still a killing machine to me, doesn't matter the type of ammo you use." The old man reassured him.

"Well… it just doesn't cause anything game-changing for me."

"Um… what?"

All three of the marauders were now looking at him like he was mental, or had been shut out of society for a few years… which wasn't exactly false. But, it more or less confused them, but not to the point of laughter.

He expected this type of reaction though, which is another reason why he kept conversations about dust to a minimum when he was back at Beacon…. For a pretty big reason,

"The only thing it does to me is that it gives an elemental hue to my aura, and… that's pretty much it. It barely even affects my semblance too."

Now though, he didn't exactly need to keep it a secret. Because in reality… he didn't care that much about it, "It just... makes my targets dissipate after i'm finished with them." He revealed, as he raised his right hand up and used his semblance to make it partially invisible.

Yet… as he did this, the part of his hand that was half visible was also glowing red as it looked like his hand was slowly crumbling, or something close to that. And it did this because he still had the red burn dust round in his prosthetic hand.

Actually, the effect that the dust had on his hand of flesh looked more like… when a gust of wind would blow the petals off of a flower, or dandelion. "All that useless power for an extra price, since our world needs to use it _sooo_ much, rather than trying to figure out a way to preserve it…"

He then sighed, and put the dust bullet in his pocket lazily before his right hand returned to normal, and he just walked over towards the back right corner of the store. "Man, he really is an idjit..." Owen said under his breath.

The ghost ignored that last comment since he knew that would be the general consensus for those who rely solely on dust for an ammo source, and just went on with looking around… until he went into that corner, and looked up.

There, he saw a small hatch in the roof, with a small ladder that was connected to it, so while everyone else still continued to look at him weirdly, he glanced back at them and signaled for them to follow him up there.

"Now come on, you guys can belittle me more when we're _not_ being stalked by the Grimm."

…

The three older men still remained baffled and amazed by how stupid they thought he was, but still followed him up onto the roof in silence anyways. And there, they finally were able to see the desperation of the people who use to live here.

As Greed finally climbed up, and closed the hatch behind himself, he turned to see that Gage was standing front of… what looked to be a decomposed corpse, which was sitting in a lawn chair that had a bolt action rifle laying on the ground in front of it.

"*cough* ...Jesus christ." He covered his mouth and nose to block the smell of rotting flesh, and just looked away as he could hear the flies and maggots buzz in the air around him. "And you guys said you were here recently?"

Orin just patted his shoulder, smirked, and used his other hand to throw the lawn chair upwards… so he could knock the bone corpse off of its final resting place, and onto the ground, with its skull cracking apart immediately on impact. "Heh… I never said that we got in." He murmured.

The old man snickered, and just started to walk to the right side of the building, where there appear to be a… wide plank, that was set down on the edge of the store's roof, and created a path that connected the structure to the roof of the other one that was next to them, a general store.

The piece of wood also looked pretty durable to allow for all of them to cross, so Owen went ahead and did so as Greed followed… without noting of how easy it looked to knock the thing off, and down into the gap that was in between both buildings.

Gage didn't pay that much attention to it though, as he was currently looking down at the ground, and at what looked like a final sentiment from who use to be the pile of bones and flesh on the floor. It was one simple line of text that was engraved in the stone roof with a piece of white chalk, and it had a few splotches of blood splattered a cross it as well...

 _I may have died here, but this ain't my grave. Don't let it be yours either._

That was when the ghost thought back and… didn't even want to try and wonder if the body's skull had a hole in their forehead, he just shook his own head and walked away over towards the plank-bridge, as Orin rolled his eyes and stood on the thing while Owen and Greed made it across.

"Be glad kid, he was at least useful after he passed the torch!" And then he started to walk across the plank, and Gage followed with a blank stare, that soon turned into a scowl aimed towards his captor.

But before he could say anything or push the man off of the small bridge… he heard the same Grimm from earlier generate that heart-wrenching scream he had heard already, but this time it was a lot closer… and it made Orin smile.

That was because he looked at the building across from them on the other side of the village, which was a diner, and he grinned even more as he watched an unfamiliar Creature of Grimm slowly creep out of the shattered glass window in front of the restaurant.

"...Can someone tell me what's making that noise so i can shoot it?" Gage asked everyone, in a whisper as the head skinwalker made it across the plank, and he still stood on it. He obviously didn't see the creature, which soon started to make its way towards them.

Owen chuckled to himself, and leaned over the front right side of the building he, Greed, and Orin were standing on now so he could just point downwards at the beast, "See, that right there? _THAT_ , is a Manticore. Lioness of the Grimm!"

"Wh… a Lion?"

"Look for yourself. It's right down there in front of you."Orin added as he pointed right below Gage, in the small gap between the buildings that they all had just crossed moments ago. "But… I'd back up first."

Right when heard heard the words, 'below you', the ghost's blood ran ice cold, and his heart began to beat faster and faster until he finally lowered his gaze… and laid eyes upon the Manticore, as it was now sitting right below the plank he was standing on… and was staring upwards, right at him.

It of course had the body of a lion, but it's fur was black with its tail being a mix between black and white, with a small dot pattern. However... the end of its tail looked like a ball, with spiky bones or quills sticking out of it, which resembled that of the ball of a morning star.

It also had a white colored mayne, and strangely… it had armor plates on its face and lips that were white, with red and yellow lines outlining it. And the plates on its lips were jagged and vertical, resembling that of a bear trap since it looked like it the plates could snap together, like intertwining fingers or teeth.

Yet, the strangest thing about it was the lack of its eyes. No eyes could be seen. They were absent, and it wasn't even staring at the ghost directly at the moment,so… it appeared to actually be a Grimm that relied on smell and hearing.

"Oh SHIT!" And since Gage didn't even hear the thing approach him or get a look at it's grotesque face beforehand, he jumped and nearly yelped as he aimed the still unloaded Mistletoe, but lowered it again once he remembered there wasn't any ammo. "Wh… Where's its eyes?!"

"Haha, relax man! She doesn't have any! Best part about these big fuckers!" Greed said, while he continued to laugh and look down at the Grimm like it was just some oversized alley cat. "Why do you think she was making that creepy noise earlier? Cuz' Echolocation, or some shit!"

Suddenly, the Manticore chittered again and began to sniffle a bit, sniffing the air around itself before it turned towards the wall of one of the buildings, stood on its hind legs, put its front paws against the brick wall, and slowly turned its head so it could just stare at Gage. Again.

This only made the hair on the ghost's neck raise, as it just gave him the feeling like he was trying to be hunted. "Christ, now I'm more creeped out than I was before. But… It still doesn't look that much like a lion to me." He whispered, while leaning down towards the creature for some reason.

He honestly felt really intrigued by its appearance. With the red and yellow colors on the armor plates looking like someone just painted fake eyes on there, and the spiked tail as well… but it didn't look that similar to the animal it was based on to him.

So much so, that Gage lowered his weapon, and squinted his eyes as he was trying to figure out what else it could resemble. "Without the mayne, ' _she_ ' would just look more like a Jaguar, or a Panther. Something like that." He mumbled.

"What? Like a Puma?" Orin asked.

"...Yeah man, there you go-"

Then without warning the Lion Grimm roared at the ghost before it just jumped onto the wall, embedded it's claws into the brick wall, and used it's position to launch itself towards Gage and Orin. Looks like it was just trying to get an accurate read on where they were.

"*YOWL!*

It screeched at them, and shocked them both so immensely that the ghost tensed up for a second before he could move... but for some strange reason, Orin grabbed onto Gage's metal arm and pulled him back hard until he fell backwards, and landed next to the old man's feet.

He was already on the roof of the other building the small bridge was connected to, so both ended up safe from the beast's sudden attack. However, it managed to grip the plank they used to get across, and it broke in half almost instantly.

Their pieces of wood fell into the gap between the buildings with the Manticore, and caused enough noise to draw the attention of the nearby Beowolves… and then the blind Grimm let out a loud whimper, alerting even more in the surrounding forest to come and join the party…

An orchestra of howls and grunts came from the front of the building the four men were standing on top of, and the only thing the three marauders could do was look down at Gage with a new-found anger now fueling them. "Aaaand just like that, we're all fucked!" Owen yelled as he unsheathed his red machete.

"It was an accident! And what do you mean 'we're fucked'? I honestly doubt you guys _don't_ have enough ammo to kill all of these things. Not to mention the rounds you stole off of me!"

Gage shouted back at him, and huffed one more time as he stood back up, and took the small knapsack full of rocks off of his back before he turned the pack upside down and just started to pour them onto the floor.

"Also could have used all this space here if you really needed to, but no!" And yes, he had been carrying that thing with him, on his back the entire time just in spite of his humility. "You guys just _had_ to go ahead and handicap me, after all the shit I dealt with yesterday!"

"Lock it down, both of you!" Orin commanded them both while grabbed Gage by the back of his neck, and pointed at Owen angrily. "You keep letting your anger get the better of you, then these Grimm are gonna get all riled up! So just… calm yourselves."

He then lifted the ghost up onto his feet and pushed him only a little bit while the red haired lackey exhaled heavily and just went to go look down off the front of the roof they were on. And soon enough, most of the Grimm within the small town began to creep their way over, and slowly began to surround the store they were on top of.

The beowolves were the ones to basically create a wall around the building, and they began to growl and bark at them as they also stood on their hind legs, and kept scraping their claws against all three sides of the store in a poor effort to try and climb up it.

These ones were tired, and haven't eaten in a long time thanks to the Manticore who looked down on and remained the head of the Grimm pack ever since the Tsuro fell.

...And now, they were _very_ hungry.

Eventually, they even managed to fill up the medium sized alley on the left side of their building, which was where Gage ended up wandering over to, with his Mistletoe in one hand, and the rock filled backpack he was given in the other.

A few minutes of silence passed of him just throwing those rocks down at the Beowolves, with him occasionally hitting one on purpose, but not too close to their face to piss them off.

Orin kind of wandered, and stood next to him so he could watch the Grimm fuss and wine, but then he sat down on an AC unit that was on the roof… while Greed and Owen slowly started to move closer towards the ghost.

"You know, now that I think about it… this whole thing got me thinking about you, Gage." Orin said this completely out of the blue, and caused Gage to turn slightly towards him. "Even with after all of this shit, you could have ran away easily, especially with a semblance like yours… so why didn't you?"

All the ghost really did was just shrug and drop another stone into the beast filled alley, but honestly wondered the same exact thing. "Nowhere else for me to go really, and besides that… I don't know."

Although, it wasn't that hard to come up with some explanation… even if he didn't like it. "Maybe it's just that I can actually see myself sticking with you guys since I'm not really that different… not anymore at least." He said, with clear dissatisfaction with himself.

"And what got you thinking like that?"

Now that question… that made him think back, and a very long time ago as well, for me and you at least.. Specifically… three months ago, during Christmas morning after Yang had woke him up. "...There was this man that I knew. He was smart, old, caring, but realistic-"

"-And i I looked up to him, was even hoping to call him family... But then, one day he said something that made me think, a little too much."

He remembered having some… horrid dream, and waking up to have a sort of heart to heart talk with Taiyang that ended with the father telling him something that seemed kind of hard to grasp at the time… but still ended up doing some damage by saying it.

"He told me that… 'Ain't nobody's hands are clean in what's left of this world', and that 'We're all the same'. Something weird and soullish like that. But… I guess that I took it a little too seriously when I look back on it now..."

The Grimm below then became angrier, more rabid, and hungry as the ghost finished his sentiment. They wanted the fear and sadness that he could barely even hold back anymore… and Orin could see this as bright as day.

So since he already had a plan in motion before this little expedition, he saw this little situation of theirs as a… 'shortcut' in a sense that had the same outcome as what his intentions were. For their captive to be eaten alive.

Yet, how could that happen if the things that were to do the job for him were restless, tired, and too weak enough to fight for their next meal? By feeding them his own negative outlook on himself and life, of course...

"Yeah, well either way… you're still not the same as us." He boasted, with a serious but still also very fake glare slowly replacing his current expression. "You don't know what we've had to go through, or how fucked up we really are, and… honestly, you should have walked away the night we found you."

"...And why's that?" Gage questioned him, with a concerning stare that hid the fact that he was beginning to pick up on a red flag planted accidentally by the old man, who only went on to run his mouth even further. "Because us, the ones out here… we don't care who you are, who you were, or what you're going to be… it just doesn't matter."

The ghost turned to face him, and noticed that Greed moved next to him, and Owen seemed to be looking tense as well as his fingers moved and danced against the foregrip of him machete, almost anxiously.

As for Orin, "We'll hunt you. We'll find you. We'll try to use you… and then we'll try to kill you." Well… he made that statement, closed his eyes, and reopened them only to stare back into Gage's red orbs, which seemed to reflect some distress because of how close the three men were to him now.

"Hell, we measure you by what we can take… and that right there, that's why _you_ should have killed us when you had the chance!" Then he chuckled yet again, and turned his back to their captive, but only enough so he could glance back at him with one of his faded green eyes,

"That doesn't mean I'm not above letting you go though. Just depends on what you can give."

"Oh… I get it." Gage laughed too, but sarcastically. He saw this coming, he really did. He just thought it would've taken a bit longer until they pulled that card on him, but Orin was desperate to give the ghost a false sense of security.

The whistler even went as far as to shrug his shoulders, raise his arms in defense, and give him a fake look of concern before he frowned, and lowered his bat so it was against his side, to make it appear that his own distress was genuine.

"Come on kid, i told you. I may be a sociopath but I also have people to protect, and nowadays… your own people are the only thing in this life that's still worth a damn."

"...You guys really want to know?" He asked them all as he put Mistletoe on his back so it's rifle strap was going across his chest diagonally, again.

The three of them nodded immediately, and Gage's reaction to it was very… different. Instead of denying it outright, or just turn invisible to start off some escape that would probably be a waste of breath… he exhaled.

Because the way he looked at it now… the Collectors were a thing of the past. He got what he wanted from them, to find out the truth about who killed his father. That's what Raven promised him when she gave him the invitation to become a member.

She told him that would be what he they would help him find, and the only reason he would decide to stay after he would find his answers… was to help Yang find her mother.

Now, that was… likely impossible to do now, or for a long time at least. Other than that, his one mission or reason to stay with the Collectors has been fulfilled, and he didn't think that keeping silent about what he's done with them was important anymore.

...So, in a way… he believed himself to be rogue, but only because it seemed like it wouldn't be too long from now until the rest of the world finds out what's really been going on. "...Alright, fine then." He replied, in a gruff, but quiet tone of voice.

"The White Fang aren't the only problem anymore. There's humans, the Chaos Syndicate, helping them, and for the last two years… the Huntsmen , Huntresses, and the people I work for, the Collectors… have been at war with them."

"Vale, the outer kingdoms, Patch… all of it's in danger, and what's going on now, is only the beginning." And then… he finally decided to lay the truth on them. Since he honestly didn't think that they had that long of a life left. "It's only a matter of time until Legends Scatter, and the world becomes filled with monsters worse than the Grimm… again."

Silence was the only thing that came after that, and Orin looked only a little unphased, but his two lackeys paced a few steps… yet still had their eyes locked on the ghost, or Owen did at least.

Greed simply sneered at him for a few seconds before awkwardly moved past Gage, and stood at the edge of the roof with his back turned, so he could just look down at all of the Grimm that were whining and moaning from below them.

"Kid-"

Eventually though, Orin looked looked down at the ground for a few seconds, lowered his cricket bat… and started to take Gage's knapsack off. Then, uncharacteristically, he took the pack off and threw it down right in front of their captive's feet, who looked up at the man feeling bewildered by this sudden change of heart. "-That was all i wanted to hear."

"...Wait, what?" Gage looked both absolutely confused and puzzled by this turn of events, but was quickly nudged by Greed, and took a step towards his pack with caution… like he thought it was about to explode or something. "Go on. Before he changes his mind!" The haggler whispered.

The ghost's eyes kept looking up at Orin and down at his knapsack for a few seconds afterwards, and when he thought that this whole thing wasn't some bullshit prank or trap… he slowly reached down, and picked it up, to feel that it was actually heavy for its size.

Soon enough the three marauders began to watch as he zipped it open, and rummaged through its contents to see if everything actually was there, and if there had been anything that he actually had forgotten about…

...But it was all there. Cynica, his throwing picks, a few grenades that he had kept after he and his friends had raided The Archive, his black Collector scroll that Orin had took… and even the two other pictures of himself and Yang that had been taken from him. All of it.

The old man wasn't lying for once, and it shocked the ghost to the point where his figure slouched as he saw all of his stuff, and he slowly closed the bag as he zipped the bag up, finally put it on his back next to Mistletoe, and looked back up at Orin, expecting him to pull something from behind his back.

"Should be all there." Yet, he didn't. The only thing he did after that was turn his back to his captive, and slung his cricket back over his shoulder once again… seemingly embarrassed by his act of kindness. "Well, all the stuff you didn't drop at least."

That was when Gage remembered Yang's ornament, and frowned again once he figured out that they hadn't taken it from him… but that expression went away as quickly as it came, because now he could go back and look for it all by himself. Or at least he thought so…

"Well… I guess there's only one last thing for me to say now."

Orin took his silence as a thanks, mostly because of how amazed Gage seemed based on the look of his eyes, and the whistler let out another small breath as his head lowered a bit, and he said one last thing to his captive… which would unknowingly create another spark in the ghost's subconscious, that would alert his mind's second occupant...

"Gage… Thank you."

" _G-Gage... T-Thank -You-u."_

" _-ThAnK yOu!"_

His red eyes went wide, his ears rang, his heart seemingly stopped… and something decided to come back to him. A distant, yet horrifying memory that he had since forgotten about, and wanted to keep buried deep inside of his mind so it would never see the light of day again.

And what it was… turned out to be the nightmare of himself and Yang that he had way back in December, during Christmas morning, and right before he had that talk with Taiyang as well.

Beacon was burning, the Amity Coliseum was in ruins, Atlesian ships were crowding the fiery night skies, and the Grimm had become an infestation… right as Gage listened to Yang's sobs, and showed him her own severed right arm.

She cried, and he did too… only for her to thank him, before darkness shrouded, surrounded, and consumed her whole, turning his beloved into a creature of darkness that would turn against and ultimately kill him.

But… that was when Gage opened his eyes again, and came to realize that the world of Remnant had stopped again… just like it did the night he fought against Doctor Cordelia, and discovered Blake's true secret.

The ground, buildings, and trees were white, the sky was bright red with the moon being a darker shade of the same color… and everyone in front of him looked to be of the same color they were portrayed to be on the inside. Owen was maroon, Greed was mint, and Orin… he was pure black.

Darkness looked to be emanating off of his body, and it looked even worse than the shade of the nearby Grimm, except the worst thing about his figure now… was that it had no face, or anything else recognizable.

No clothes, skin, facial features, indications of a build, none of it. All it looked to be was a dark mass of nothingness that was in the shape of a man… that was now aiming a weapon right at Gage.

This was when the ghost realized that his dream wasn't indicating that Yang was going to turn against him… it was telling him that whoever this black mass turned out to be, would come kill him and cause the events he had foreseen in the dream.

He wouldn't be there to try and prevent it, he wouldn't be there to save his Taiyo-chan, he wouldn't even be there to make a decision on what to save and sacrifice. All he would be… was dead. Torn to bits by the Grimm and eaten alive. Nothing more than flesh by the end of today.

...Only if he would lose to this person however, Orin Sable. And thankfully… he had Summer to give him a second chance to be ready, like he knew she was doing right now at this very moment. He just hoped that her efforts would not turn out to be for nothing.

So when the colors faded from the world of his trance, and Remnant returned to its natural shade, Gage finally had control of his own body again, became reacquainted with his surroundings, and realized that the one that would save him was currently standing right beside him, looking clueless as ever. It was Greed.

" _gAgE_ - _tH_ ank you."

The moment Orin finished his sentence, he turned around to face the ghost, kept one hand on his cricket bat, and transformed the huge stick into a boom-stick, as it turned into its double barreled shotgun form right as he tried to aim it at his captive's head.

However, Gage had already started moving before the old man could turn completely around, and in that amount of time… he managed to wrap his metal arm around Greed's upper back, and used his other hand to sock him right in the groin, to stun him of course. "AAGH!"

The ghost then roared at them all and since Greed was facing Gage at this point, it looked like he was pulling the haggler in for what seemed to be a one armed embrace… but would soon turn out to be a death hug. "WAIT, NO-NO-NO!-" Owen screamed this as he went to forcibly lower the barrel of Orin's double barreled shotgun.

He was still too slow enough to save his friend although, as the old man pulled the trigger, and sent _TWO_ rounds of buckshot through his lackey's aura, and into his lower back with a thunderous discharge for all things living and dead to hear,

"*BANG!*"

The force of the blasts pushed them both back a little… to the point where Gage's feet were beginning to brush the edge of the roof. He also had blood on his neck and cheek, as Greed started to cough up some… but somehow, was able to smile and try his best to push the ghost back.

And why he did this, was because below their captive was the alley filled with all of the Beowolves they had angered from earlier, who were now barking and jumping just to try and grab the ankles of their long-awaited meal.

The fact that the ghost's human shield was taller than him didn't help him either… but he was still able to hold him back from knocking him off of the roof, barely. "*cough!* ...If I'm going down, then I'm at least taking your smug-ass with me!" The half-dead haggler managed to croak out, through small breaths.

A struggle did go on for a few seconds after this, one that Gage looked to be winning at first, and right when Orin realized that he had shot Greed instead of their well established target, something other worldly happened. A little something called…

…'The Branwen Effect'.

The edge of the roof that Gage's feet were on suddenly cracked, and after a few brief moments of silent breaths coming from both men in the deadly embrace… the old stone shattered from beneath them and both of them tripped and fell backwards, separated, and landed right smack dab into the horde of Grimm.

The ghost's wide and frightened red eyes met with Orin's one last time before he went over and felt his body as it slowly became a victim of gravity, and fell for a few brief second before he put one of his hands under him to break his fall.

Then, Gage hit the ground and felt something snap or… disconnect itself from him as he landed on his back, and watched Greed as he fell on top of his lap… but it wouldn't take long until the Beowolves got to them.

There was no way out. Nowhere to go, and no more aura left for the ghost to use his semblance with. All he could do was try and crawl away as he watched the Grimm pounce on top of him and his victimized enemy, who lunged towards Gage and tried to shake him, screaming, 'get me out of here!' As frantically as humanly possible.

But… it didn't matter, as one of the wolf's claws dug into one of Greed's legs, and two nails from another paw got inside of his mouth as a third wolf just used its teeth to bite down on his shoulder before he let out a muffled scream… and all three of them pulled him apart.

They literally tore him to pieces, and ate him off of Gage. Limb from limb, tendon from tendon, with some of the dark creatures fighting over certain parts that had more flesh left on them while the ghost screamed, felt blood begin to stain his body again, and let tears run down his cheeks for the first time since he left Yang…

...And then he started to think about her, in his desperation. He simply cried out, and laid his head back against the ground so he could look up at the bright and yellow sun above him one last time… right as he felt the Beowolves as their claws rubbed against his skin, and began to tear at his clothes.

He… simply kept his eyes planted on the one thing he wanted while his expression became blank again with his tears continuously running down from the sides of his eyes, and came to rest on the concrete his head was laid on.

That was until the Grimm swarmed, and eventually stood over him as they descended onto his body with growls and munching heard all around him, and they soon blocked anything else from being seen by his now silver eyes. The sun grew smaller and smaller until it looked like a light at the end of a tunnel, and then it was blocked out completely. It just disappeared.

The light faded and died, and now the only thing that was left for Gage to witness, was the darkness… again.


	38. Rise Up

**Author's Note:** Not going to say a thing about that last chapter, no siree, instead I'm just gonna give a shout out instead, which will be my last one for a while since I don't want to add a second A/N at the end of any upcoming chapters.

The author of this story has been a fan for while, and i honestly should have shared his story before i chose to temporarily stop doing shoutouts. But besides that, if y'all like OC & Team stories, then i'd highly suggest for you guys to go ahead and check out _**RWBY: ENRG**_ by my friend. _**Arrekusu**_.

This story tells the adventures of Evan Attai, Neel Calfuray, Red Calfuray, and Grey Brenin-Llwyd, along with Team RWBY at their side. Btw, he has 15 chapters so far, so i'd go ahead and check him out before that number gets any bigger!

Oh, and not to pull away from that unexpectedly, but I have to say this too, and I know I'm late on doing this…

R.I.P. Chester Bennington.

I've been listening to your music throughout my years as a teenager, and I hope that whatever troubles you had before have been put to rest. You'll be truly missed by many others than just myself. Also just to bring more light to that, I've even hidden some of the lyrics to one of Linkin Park's songs throughout this specific story, as that same song is the chosen song for the final chapter of Desertion: Part Two.

 **Song:** Through The Valley by Shawn James

…

~ _Where are those happy days, they seem so hard to find… I tried to reach for you, but you have closed your mind…~_

Back at Beacon, Yang was in Gage's dorm, sleeping… in his bed, and on his own side too. She did this because she had just finished her classes for the day and didn't want to go back to an empty dorm that was usually full all the time, as the rest of her Team were out looking for him this very second…

She would of course be out there too if it weren't for the injuries she sustained, and the fact that General Ironwood's Atlesian Knights pretty much kept her from leaving the Academy.

So instead of doing that, the blonde chose to stay behind, compile all of her teammate's class assignments that they would be absent for, attend her own stressful classes with her injuries, and she of course had to keep on the whole, 'happy but still lonely' girlfriend act for everyone else who didn't know about her current situation.

It was unbelievably painful just to lay there and close her eyes without shedding a tear, but she also had to keep her reputation in tact… so she was happy she still had Gage's own dorm to herself for some private time, even if it did break her heart everytime she didn't see him in it there with her.

Now, she was of course still sleeping in Gage's bed, but she was also still fully dressed in her school outfit and was listening to _S.O.S_. by _Abba_ on her lover's old scroll while a single metal crutch was leaned up against the bed frame… and the brown stuffed bear Gage got Yang for her birthday was laying right in front of her.

~ _Whatever happened to our love?! ...I wish I understood. It used to be so nice, it use to be so good…~_

She had sat it down in front of her earlier on the opposite side of the bed, and just kept her eyes on it as she fell asleep to his own music while it blasted through her earbuds. Soon enough though… Yang began to wake up again, thanks to the music.

"Mmm…" she stirred a bit, and soon enough she found herself opening her eyes again to the sight of that same brown stuffed bear, which could probably be interpreted as her current, 'substitute' for you know who. "Damn it, why this song out of all things?"

The blonde was laying on her side with her arms in a position that pretty much made it look like she was trying to hug herself, while her legs were slightly bent and her shoes were off.

After her lilac eyes blinked one more time, she turned her attention towards the stuffed brown bear in front of her, reached over to it's small left arm, and gripped it gently as she let out a tired sigh.

Funny thing about the bear, was that Gage had decided to wrap it's left arm in duct tape, and just colored it with a dark green sharpie a few days before he had left her, saying that it 'looked more authentic' when Yang asked him why he chose to do it.

"...Why did you have to do this to me? First you die and come back to me… only to do this afterwards..."

He always did have a weird sense of humor when it came to his missing arm, but he was still able to take any insults about himself better than Yang ever did, and that was one thing that the blonde like about him so much.

Not that he was able to joke about himself freely, but that he was able to control his own actions better, and was also able to help her do the same. But, that fact made Yang very angry, a lot more than she would usually get too.

Because in that sense, him leaving her was something that he thought about, _over and over again,_ in that small amount of time that he had, until he became certain that it was the right thing to do.

So he left her. He left his awestruck, scared, and injured girlfriend behind to try and cope with the aftermath of that night all by herself, while he went out on a soul-searching journey alone, or something just as equally stupid in her mind.

And now, because of what Gage did… her Care-bear was somewhere in the vastness of the Valean Countryside, alone with god knows who going after him along with her uncle Qrow, and both parties mostly likely had a bone to pick with him.

Yang covered her eyes then, and let out a small breath as she finally leaned up off the bed, and chose to sit criss crossed in front of the small smiling Care-bear… while it just kept looking ahead, absent of any type of consolation that she needed.

~ _So when you're near me, darling can't you hear me? S. O. S. ! The love you gave me, nothing else can save me-S. O. S. !~_

The song fit her current feelings perfectly, too perfect in fact, and Yang hated every second that she had to listen to the thing… it making her think back to him, and all the things he did with her, and what she wanted to do with him after they were to come back from the Archive.

Maybe Gage would have finally given into her demands and decide to take a break for three months like she had asked him to back january, and thus opening endless possibilities for them both.

Their first Valentines Day, maybe a day at the beach and a potential beach chapter from me to go along with it, sleeping safely with him during the night, him possibly creating another at-home date for that wouldn't result in drunken escapades, or maybe even watching him as he went on to get that team he had been wanting for so long, or just… anything else that made them feel normal again.

That was all Yang wanted to do with him after their last mission, and there was still a lot more things that she had thought up since before she realized that they would most likely not happen… because he was gone.

Those lost potential memories filled her with rage as she sat there on his bed, with his present just sitting there in front of her and watched as the blonde's hair glowed, and it's ends looked like they had caught on fire, all while her lilac eyes turned red… and a growl started to emanate from deep within her lungs.

~ _When you're gone, how can i, even try to go on?! When you're gone, though i try, how can i carry on?!~_

"Y… You're…" Yang shut her eyes, gripped her knees tightly as her hands rested on her own kneecaps, and soon just ripped out her earbuds before she gripped the stuffed bear's body tightly, "...YOU'RE SUCH AN ASSHOLE!" And then she threw it at Gage's closed closet doors.

She threw it over handedly with an unbelievable amount of force while her palm caught on fire thanks to her aura, and the stuffed animal eventually hit the closet with a loud, "*WHAM!*" echoing throughout the room.

Somehow, the toy managed to dent the metal closet door and fell onto the floor with the right side of it's body singed and slightly burned, with it being slightly on fire, but not at an alarming size. Though, what Yang didn't know was that the bear had a small voice box in it's stomach, which would play a recording that Gage had left for her to hear every time she squeezed it's belly,

" _Love you_!"

It said that back to her, in his voice of course… and it snapped the blonde out of her rampage instantly, causing her to open her eyes again and look down at the stuffed bear. "SHUT-"

And she lowered her voice right when she saw that the flame that was slowly burning the bear was starting to spread, which brought her red eyes to turn back to their normal shade before she quickly shuffled over to it, and picked it up off of the ground.

The blonde picked it up and held it like a baby while she used her other hand to frantically pat the flame before it went out, and she just sighed heavily and sniffled yet again as it faded. "*sniffle* ...Shut up…"

When the stuffed bear seemed to be safe again, Yang held it in both of her arms and looked down at it sadly as she frowned, and closed her eyes again as she hugged it for the first time. "Why did you have to do this to me? ...i can barely be without you for a week, and you know this!"

"...You don't have to be a hero for me." The blonde stood still there for a few moments afterwards despite the pain in her leg, and continued to hold her lover's now slightly- blackened present as she still held it against her chest tightly, "...I'm okay with it, because i know that you think that i'm one of the good things in this world, and that you need me to change you, but…

"...I just wish you could realize that you're one of the good things too. That's why I need you to come back, so you can be there in case I become anything different..."

" _Agh! L… Love you!_ "

During her rambling, she managed to hug the thing hard enough to the point where it played another recording… but this one sounded different than the one that had played for Yang only moments before.

That, was because this one sounded like how the ghost would respond to one of the blonde's killer bear-hugs, with a caring, appreciative, but an also painful-sounding 'I love you', which… thankfully made her frown go away.

"Hmph…" She soon found herself holding the bear out in front of herself before she wiped one of her eyes, and just shook her head as she booped the stuffed bear's belly with the tip of her index finger, "...You're lucky that I think that's funny." She whispered to it again.

The toy still kept smiling at her, so Yang just pressed her finger against it's stomach one more time before she tossed the thing back onto her bed, crossed her arms as she looked over at Gage's closet, and felt… a new feeling wash over her.

It wasn't sadness, or guilt. No… it was something in between, like she knew that there was something alarming going on that was beyond serious, but it wasn't happening to her, she could only feel it's presence.

A few more minutes of this went by, and the feeling of paranoia went away as well, but she could still feel that presence… not of something, but someone. Someone, that she was _very_ familiar with.

Whoever it was seemed to screw up her sense of direction as well, and soon enough the blonde found herself turned towards her lover's closest and staring at it only to see one thing, and one thing only hanging inside of it.

It was Gage's old sage leather jacket. The one he always use to wear before his accident, before he lost his arm at the hand of both the White Fang and the Chaos Syndicate. It was also the same one that he chose to stop wearing afterwards, even though Yang and Pyrrha tried their best to fix it up for him.

It just hung there, stiff thanks how long it had been without anyone to wear it over their body, even the blonde herself… but that was only because he had ceased to wear it ever again.

She remembered wondering why he had stopped doing such a thing when it was favorite color, and it could have been because of the cold weather if Gage hadn't worn his suede jacket out all the time right before his departure, when it was starting to become hot outside regularly.

It was weird to her, even now when she looked at it up and down. It looked perfectly fine to her, but only when it was in the closet, as after she took it out and held it in her arms… she could see a big reason as to why would choose not to wear it anymore.

There weren't any stains, burn marks, and it certainly wasn't completely rugged looking. But… it was almost missing its left sleeve entirely, since it had been ripped off and bloodied in the explosion that had blown Gage's arm off.

At the time Yang and Pyrrha had made the decision to not re-attach the sleeve because they thought it would be easier for him to tie up in case he wouldn't get a prosthetic from the Atlesian Military, but obviously that wasn't what happened.

So Yang thought about it for a little bit, and put on the jacket before she limped over to her lover's old desk and opened its bottom drawer, where she had put the piece of fabric after it was recovered and washed profusely.

But when she opened the drawer with her left hand… she saw that what remained of the left sleeve barely even covered her left shoulder, and it was uneven. It would look absolutely stupid on someone, like a half vest or something.

...And it would draw attention to that specific arm. Gage was also adamant about not drawing attention to his missing limb when he first got out of the hospital, so now… it was obvious as to why he didn't want to wear it anymore.

It would have shown everyone his prosthetic, nearly make it a highlight, or just a very noticeable feature on his figure, and on top of everything else… it was a constant reminder of his failure, and even his death. Who would want to remember such a thing every single day?

Yang realized this, and immediately took the thing off as she held that under her right arm, and the separated left sleeve in her left palm before she gripped it tightly, and looked around the room one last time before she spoke to it openly… like her lover was somewhere inside of it, hiding from her.

"...You're not even here and I'm still going out of my way to do this for you! So you better be damn appreciative of me when I find you!"

The blonde knew it would be a little bit until she would be able to go out and search again… but not that long, as she had Weiss look up and order something that would later help her if things were to escalate within the next week or two.

However, it has yet to arrive, so all Yang could do now was limp over to her single crutch and put it under her left arm as she looked over at Gage's stuffed bear one last time, and started to slowly make her way over towards the dorm's front door.

"*sigh* ...And you're welcome in advance, dumbo..."

If only she knew how much her lover was suffering at this moment…

…

 **Back In Ts** **ū** **ro...**

…

"*BARK!* *BARK!*"

"*GROWL!*"

The sounds of the Grimm were still very audible to Orin and Owen as they both looked down at the creatures of darkness from the roof of the diner where Greed and Gage were also standing on top of only a few minutes ago.

Now, half of their group was down in that small alley and were absolutely silent as the Beowolves could be heard chewing away at open flesh and bare bones, feasting on the two meals they were given... Or at least one of them.

"He's… gone." Owen sighed as he looked down at the bloodied wolves, and was beginning to mourn Greed, while Orin did the same in his own way, "I mean, sure he deserved something like that… but not this soon."

"And it was an accident… *sigh*"

They both just stood there with their weapons held at their sides respectively for their fallen friend, not even thinking about Gage at all. Though, it wasn't like they were going to stay up there any longer.

Orin soon just exhaled, shrugged, and put his double barrel shotgun on his back as he turned towards the other side of the building, where there were no longer any grimm thanks to how much noise the Gage and Greed made during their fall, "Welp, time to make our escape!"

Strangely though, Owen didn't think about leaving. He wanted to stay and maybe take his frustration out on the beowolves, along with numerous other things for him to deal with personally….

"You go. I'm going to make use of that dust we took, and make sure that the kid still isn't in one piece!"

"Good luck 'O'." The head skinwalker smirked at his persistence, and just chuckled as he jumped back down in the middle of the small gap that was in between the diner and gunsmith, and started to lightly jog away towards the front gate of the small town, "And don't take too long, gotta get the others moving towards Keji the minute I get back there!'

Then once he was sure his voice couldn't be heard anymore, the old man busted through the gate and was headed back down the same road that they were on nearly half an hour ago, towards Ileana, Riley, and Alizarin's small camp so he could inform them of the 'bad news'.

As for Owen? Well, he just unsheathed his red machete once again, and jumped the gap between the two buildings so he could open the hatch on the top of the gun store's roof, and climb back down inside of it…

…

…

…

Gage's eyes flurried, but still couldn't see anything than the color black while his ears rang, and he stood absolutely still as it felt like the Beowolves were purposely playing with him… since he felt their claws graze against his right arm and face more than once, making small but not serious incisions.

He… was in shock, to put it lightly. He was hyperventilating with those dried tears in his eyes, and couldn't even bear to look down at himself, as he could feel something red soak into the lower half of his black shirt.

Hell, if he could last five more minutes in this state, he would probably begin to laendede tune to _S.O.S._ as well… but he didn't plan on it, as he couldn't feel any pain coming from his lower half.

He just couldn't move for some reason, even though he wanted to fight back this very minute. "H… Horror." He whispered, hoarsely with a slightly open mouth and wide silver eyes that… slowly let a small droplets of blood seep out of them again.

"...The horror..." Gage thought he was trying to say something different, or at least stay quiet before the Grimm could finish up with Greed's remains and move onto his body. He couldn't even control his own actions anymore.

All he could do was watch as the darkness seemed to slowly fade out, and he was finally able to see that there were only two of the wolves near him, but they were turned away and were nearly crouched on top of both his legs while they were peeling the flesh off of two separate bones…

...But that, and the loud noise that came afterwards, was enough for him to blink, lean his head back up, and snap him back into reality. "Sh...

"*YOWL!*"

The screech of the Manticore then echoed through the alleyway he was in, and the sound of it made him jump… along with the Beowolves, as they lowered their bits of Greed and roared back at their alpha at the same time.

It sounded like… they did it in protest. Like a child whining at an adult or ruining their fun. This caused the pack to stand up off of Gage, who immediately started to back away from the creatures of darkness once their backs were turned.

The ghost panicked, turned his body so his chest was against the ground, and was about to use both of his arms to push himself off of the ground… but he couldn't get up. His leg wasn't broken, and he hadn't been disemboweled either. Gage's upper and lower body were perfectly fine because the blood that had covered him wasn't even his.

The only thing that _was_ wrong with him right now… was that his prosthetic was lying on the floor with his knapsack, right next to his feet. That was the thing he felt snap and disconnect from his body, so now he only had Javix, one hand, and a stump to fight these creatures off... Thanks Qrow.

"...SHIT!"

Once he realized this, Gage frantically planted his one arm on the concrete under him, and pushed back on it so he could be launched upwards and onto his knees as he turned his head around, and stared at the two Beowolves as they too looked back at him, and made eye contact.

Then, they watched each other intensely for a few moments, with the two pairs of eyes blinking twice before the two Grimm let out a loud roar… but were immediately interrupted, as Gage flinched, gritted his teeth, and let his silver eyes turn back to their red color as he put his hand on Javix's handle, and unsheathed it.

The one on the left went for the ghost as soon as he pulled his kukri out, with it swiping one set of it's claws towards his face… but he was ready for it, and turned his body to the right so he could dodge it, and cut the Beowulf's snout off with a downwards slash as it passed him.

"*GROWL!*" It yelped in pain and put its paws in front of its face before Gage huffed, changed his knife's position in his hand, and just stabbed it in the back of the head, killing it.

He didn't have time to stop and make sure that the previous blow was a killing one, and the ghost breathed heavily again as he turned towards the second Grimm and combat rolled under it as it tried to grab onto his shoulders.

Missing an arm made him a little bit harder to latch onto, but it also made it hard for him to keep his grip steady on Javix's hilt so it wouldn't fall out of his grasp by accident.

That didn't deter his adrenaline rush however, and once he passed under the beast's arms, the ghost turned and slashed it's ankle in half before it fell flat onto the ground in front of him, and he just finished it off with a downwards stab to the top of its skull.

After he pulled it back out, his two kills were already beginning to dissipate, so he exhaled and was about to start to feel at least some relief… until he looked up, and only saw _MORE_ Grimm begin to spill into the alley.

Three more beowolves came in to be specific, with the rest of the pack waiting outside… like they wanted to watch rather than have a chance to try and catch their prey, and the sight of them only agitated Gage even further. "Rrrgh…"

Obviously, the Grimm didn't listen, as two more only came towards him while the third blocked the exit to the alley… so these ones were clearly smarter, and older than any of the dark creatures the ghost has encountered before.

But he still couldn't stop now. He had to keep fighting, even if the odds weren't in his favor. So Gage panted and shook his head with a narrowed brow, took one step forwards, and then another as he started to charge towards the two dark monsters, him now choosing to go on the offence.

The ghost moved closer with his Kukri at his side and just when he thought he was close enough to launch himself at the thing, he launched himself to the right of the creature on the same side, and somehow curved and planted his feet on the right side of the alley wall so he could run along it and push himself even closer.

He got an inch or two off of the ground before he felt the bottom of his shoes slide downwards against the brick wall, but that small amount of height was all that he needed.

Gage launched himself towards the beast, and sliced it's face horizontally as he passed it and… the suddenly creature stopped dead in its tracks, and leaned it's head to the side before the top half of it's skull looked like it was peeled backwards, and fell backwards onto the ground.

And once it's body titled and flopped onto the floor, Gage turned around so he could go for the other Beowulf… but was stopped as it pretty much backhanded his face with it's paw, and sent him flying back into the front of a dumpster that was located at the end of the alley.

He groaned in pain, and turned to lay down on his chest again as Javix landed on the ground next to him, and he just tiredly picked it before he lifted his head off of the ground, and looked up at the Grimm as it slowly moved towards him.

It probably thought that this was an easy meal, that the fight was already said and done… but that wasn't the case at all, as the Grimm only managed to get about half of the way towards Gage before he groaned in pain, changed Javix into it's revolver form, lazily raised it until it was leveled well with the wolf's head, and just blew it's brains out.

He knew he only had around eight revolver rounds left to use, but he couldn't let himself be out of commission for too long, or else more Grimm would come in without being noticed. Frankly, he just stopped caring about conserving.

The now brainless Beowulf fell forwards with a thud, and the ghost took in a deep breath to try and compose himself… but it didn't work, so he just used his one hand and pressed Javix's barrel against the ground so it could be easier to help himself get up again.

After he was able to get back on one knee, the ghost looked ahead at the entrance to the alley and could see the third wolf of the second wave waiting there, with it's two paws pressed against both sides of the alley, to block him from leaving.

This Grimm's head was exposed though, and Gage was feeling more than ready to waste another one of his rounds again… but before he could raise his revolver, another ear piercing screech was heard and then something strange happened not even a second later.

The final Beowulf turned it's head to it's left and barked rabidly at something for a few more seconds before another Grimm rushed, and used it's head to ram the wolf out of Gage's view, like a rhino would do to small boar.

But this Grimm was no rhino. It let out another screece as the wulf whimpered and was pushed away, and then… the bigger creature turned it's body towards the alley, and stared into it, it's eyes planted directly on the ghost. That, was when he saw that it was their alpha, the Manticore

Gage stood up completely and stayed absolutely still, almost as stiff as a board while his heart rate and breaths started to increase rapidly. It was so bad, that he moved and turned his hand so he could cover his mouth with the back of his one hand, while he still held Javix in it as well.

In his mind, if he stayed still then _she_ wouldn't see him for a little bit, and he was still covered in Greed's blood so it would be harder to smell him too… but the lion could still sense Gage's grief and fear.

"...*chitter*..." The huge creature started to take slow steps towards the ghost, and he was about to cautiously aim his revolver towards her skull until he remembered that she had armor on the upper half of her head.

"I'm fucked… I-I'm so fucked!" He thought to himself as he tried to keep his mouth shut, and his teeth from chattering due to his anxiety.

Gage knew he could kill it… but not with Javix. Going for it's brain was pointless now, and slicing The Manticore's throat would be too risky, not to mention it would only die slower. The place he needed to go for was the back end of top of her mouth, right under the front of the brain.

To do that with his kukri though would be impossible. He would have to purposely allow for her to pounce on him, and use the beast's momentum to stab upwards into her mouth. That was too much effort for him right now… but it wouldn't be if he used Cynica, which… was still inside of his knapsack.

He looked down and to his right to see that it was next to his right foot, and he planted that on top of it so he could pull the pack closer towards himself, which he did… but not without attracting even more attention towards himself.

Javix was holstered briefly, and the ghost made sure that every single move of his was as quiet as possible while he crouched down and began to unzip the bag slowly.

When he got it partially open, he looked up and saw that the Manticore was still over by the mouth of the alley, and that it was still sniffing the air so he was safe for the next few seconds, which he used to slowly reach inside of the bag and… accidentally grasped Cynica by it's blades, cutting his palm deeply.

"RRGH, FUC- ...*sharp inhale* … *shaky breath*…" He whimpered.

The ghost bowed his head and became closer and closer to crying out in pain as he grasped the thing tighter, and slowly took it out of his knapsack as he got down on both of his knees now… however, he also managed to set his other foot right on top of his prosthetic right before he went to stand up.

It scraped backwards against the ground and made him stumble forwards, causing him to accidentally press his right arm down onto the ground to catch himself thanks to his muscle memory, and he pretty much slammed his hand back down onto the blades as a result. Again, thanks Qrow.

And that, was his breaking point. "AAAGH! FUCK!" He screamed this at the top of his lungs and nearly broke his voice as the blades cut his hand open, and blood started to pour down past his wrist. He couldn't even try to stop it either, because it was his _ONLY_. _USABLE. HAND._

Gage honestly could have cracked his teeth because of how hard they were gritted, but he quickly realized that being stealthy would no longer help him, as the Manticore instantly caught onto where he was when he screamed.

"*SNARL!*"

The Grimm's bellow nearly made the brick walls surrounding them both shake and vibrate, and once its mouth closed… it started to charge him with both its teeth and claws bared. The ghost let out a few panicked gasps as he painfully drew Javix again and frantically managed to fire two shots off, even though he knew it would end up doing nothing.

As predicted, the two bullets were caught by the lion's boned face armor, and it just pounced at Gage ferociously as he took a step back and fell onto his back, with his fear finally beginning to take its toll on his body.

The back of his head landed right in front of the dumpster, and both of the Manticore's paws slammed down onto the top of the trash container, barely blocking it's claws from making any contact with the ghost's flesh. Thankfully, the sudden episodes of Bad Luck weren't restricted to just anyone.

That didn't deter the large beast either though, as she leaned her head down and started to rapidly snap her jaws at him in an attempt to rip his head straight off of his shoulders, but he wasn't going to let that happen, as he was now beyond scared straight. Straight back into action, that is.

He huffed, wrapped his thumb, pinky, and ring finger around his revolver's grip while his index and middle finger was pressed against the side of Javix's barrel. Then, he shouted back at the thing, and smashed the bottom of his pistol's metal frame against Grimm's armored fangs that were already protecting its mouth.

They were smashed into pieces, and bled all over the ghost, with some of the lion's slobber mixed in there. She was beyond angry now, but wasn't blinded by her rage entirely just yet, which allowed her to take note that this human was already injured, as it was already missing an arm... So why not go for the other one?

She roared at him with malice, blood, and spit spewing from her teeth, and waited until he swung Javix at her again. Then, she lifted her head up, and sunk her actual teeth deep into his forearm.

The manticore didn't just dig into his skin either, she shook her head while her teeth were still embedded within the flesh of his arm, and the Grimm also managed to get one of her paws free before she clawed at his chest, and scraped her nails lightly, and diagonally across him from his left shoulder and to the lower right side of his stomach.

"AAAAAH!"

Gage could feel the teeth inside of him, and the blood on his arm only became thicker as he clenched his fist and wrapped his legs around the beast's head before he squeezed and pushed it's head back with his thighs in a desperate attempt to pull it's fangs out of him.

Somehow it would actually work, but the Manticore retaliated by using it's other claws to dig into the ghost's right thigh, but at this point his adrenaline numbed him so he wouldn't feel it until later.

Still though, he got his arm free again, and the second the lion's teeth became unlatched from his skin the ghost growled loudly and blindly fired a second round from Javix, which turned out to be aimed right at the Manticore's chest.

This caused the Grimm to struggle her way out of the grasp of the ghost's legs before she took a few steps back from him as the monster looked away and tried to walk off that bullet by walking in a small circle while it just let out two small whimpers, that soon turned into loud and vicious snarls once again… like it was building itself up for one final attack.

However, Gage was able to get back onto his feet again the moment the large Grimm was able to break free, and he just stood there for a few seconds as he caught his breath, and stared down at Cynica and picked it up so he could place it on his one, blood stained arm.

And the gauntlet didn't look anything special either other than the two jagged,slightly curved and retractable spring-blades that laid on top the user's hand. It was pretty much just a frame of one with a small open top that went over the user's wrist and forearm, with it not even reaching halfway towards his elbow.

All it had other than that, was two small leather straps that would go under the user's arm and be tied over the top, like you would a belt. It also had four little rings at the front of the gauntlet that he would have to slide every finger into, aside from the thumb, and it's metal frame outlined his whole right hand since there were no armor plates whatsoever.

None of this mattered though, as Gage had it set and painfully locked in place on top of his wounds… but that wouldn't stop him from doing whatever had to. This was a battle for his life that was not that far away from ending, and he knew that if he's able to kill this one Grimm, then the rest of the nearby pack wouldn't dare to challenge him thanks to their age and intelligence.

Now, the two of them both just stood in line with each other at each end of the alleyway.

Gage was still standing at the back of the alley, slouched in his combat stance with a slightly ripped-open shirt while he was panting and felt exhausted as small droplets of blood fell from the fingertips of his one arm, and the Manticore just stood there on all fours at the alleyway's entrance… watching him.

"*pant* …Do it!" This small cease of action went on for longer than it seemed though, and it made the ghost angry again, thinking that the big dark dumb cat forgot where he was standing before. So he just glared and huffed at the Grimm so he could get her attention yet again,

"*pant* ...Come on! Kill me! Kill me right here, right fucking now! I died once already, and I'm not afraid to do it again!"

The beast subsequently let out another roar as her response, and that was when she scraped her front right paw against the pavement before she set it back in line, and began to charge the ghost with all of her might. Yet, this just urged Gage to tighten his jaw, and shout at the Grimm once again as he took a step back, "COME ON!"

"*ROAR!*"

The Manticore ran at him, with her teeth and claws bared yet again as he felt something wash over him, something that he had felt before, but only very recently. It was confidence, and clarity… but this time it wasn't his own, as he was feeling the exact opposite way before that instance.

He even began to feel rejuvenated, like his bleeding arm wasn't in absolute pain at all anymore. It was numb instead and the reason why this was happening… was because Summer's White aura was beginning to flow over and outline his body as that same white glow started to reflect off of him, the same one that consumed him right before he dismantled Cordelia's Atlesian Paladin.

The color white looked to have set him and his aura ablaze, and he didn't even notice it as his skin became pale and his red eyes glowed even brighter, all while he looked ahead and watched as The Manticore was now half the distance from him, and soon launched itself off of the ground so it could try and pounce on top of him again.

This was exactly what he had been waiting for. This was the angle he needed to deliver that killing blow that he had planned, and it seemed like his bad luck was finally beginning to fade, or it just rubbed off on this beast instead.

So… Gage's eyes enlarged, and he roared back at the beast as loudly as he possibly could before he stayed completely still, and clenched his fist. Then, the Manticore slammed into him, sinking it's right claw into his left shoulder and it's left into his back, but this didn't stop him from doing what he had to so this fight could finally come to an end.

Even if he would have to lose his other arm as a result of the battle, he didn't care. He just had to keep doing what he's been trying to do since the start of his new quest… survive. The Manticore had a tight grasp on his aching body, which was exactly what the lioness was trying to achieve after all of the intense few minutes of their struggle.

She was now face to face with the ghost as her nails dug into him like six small oversized needles, and she let out another loud screech aimed directly at him before her mouth opened even wider than that of a regular lion or person, like a something straight out of a nightmare, revealing her big pearly white fangs to Gage as she leaned in towards him closer.. and closer.

But, of course, this was what he had anticipated. It was exactly what he wanted from her, and she may have been smart about carefully stalking and wearing down her prey before killing it…

"RGH-" Yet, that choice would end up being the Manticore's one fatal flaw, as Gage soon just clenched his fist as hard as he could, and caused Cynica's two blades to extend outwards before he turned his arm, and went in for the killing blow by throwing his fist upwards in an uppercut type of motion, so it would be sent directly into the Grimm's mouth. "-GRAAAGH!"

The ghost sent his fist inside of the Manticore's oral cavity as far as he possibly could before Cynica's blades made contact with the roof of the creature's mouth, and they went right through the middle half of the lion's skull until the ends of the two bloody blades emerged out the top of her head, which was enough to breaking her face's armor plates and scramble the front part of her brain.

And the result took effect on the monster instantly, as Gage suddenly felt both of her paws go limp and release her grip on his body before they fell and he watched the Manticore stop moving completely. Then, he pushed his fist up higher until he could feel his knuckles touch the top of the Grimm's mouth, and only that was when he chose to retract the gauntlet's blades.

...The beast was slain, and the small fight was over. The Manticore just let out one tiny squeak before it fell and laid on it's side for a few seconds, allowing for the ghost to stare down at it and gasp tiredly with relief as it pretty much exploded into black smoke, and eventually dissipated from existence entirely.

It was dead… but Gage couldn't process it correctly at first. His head kept spinning and spinning, and it wasn't because of the fact that he had just survived an attempt on his life with literally one hand. The ghost just couldn't comprehend everything that he was experiencing right then and there.

He was scared only a few seconds prior, and now he was safe again, relieved that the thing was finally dead… but that was until he looked up from the ground and saw that the walls and floor had been coated with Greed's blood and guts, with some of his innards even sticking to the walls.

He wanted to throw up because of what he was seeing… yet, he also wanted to cry because of the shock, scream because of his pain, and lastly, he wanted to go and kill Orin for the hell he had just planned to put him through. But, Gage still continued to stand there within that bloody alleyway, shaking, panting, sweating, and bleeding from what felt like everywhere… until all of that created a boiling point from deep inside of his soul. "R-R… Rrrr…."

It even drew him to madness as he felt Summer's white aura flared blindingly and glowed like a dying star as Cynica was dropped onto the ground, and he just clenched his fist as hard as humanly possible before his red eyes reverted to their silver color again, and he let out one final cry of angst and anger as his pupils nearly outshined the sun.

"...ERRRAAAAAAAAGH!"

Some sort of blast followed this cry, echoing throughout the village, and all that could be seen by the ghost was a blinding white flash before he felt his body finally give out from stress, and soon enough... everything went black for him, yet again.

…

 **15 Minutes Later…**

…

" _Gage?! Gage, can you hear me?!"_

Time passed while Gage remained unconscious, but eventually he heard Summer's voice make its way back into his mind, which caused him to hyperventilate with exasperation as he opened his eyes again and could see that he was still inside that same alleyway he was trapped in.

"*pant* …*pant*" He was laying in it, sat down with his back pressed against the dumpster while Cynica, Javix, his prosthetic, and his knapsack were all lying on the ground in front of his feet while his head was tilted a bit and his arm remained limp in a small pool of blood. "...Summer?"

" _*sigh* ...Thank god."_ Him questioning her name earned a sigh of relief from the motherly phantom, and they both started to feel relieved as her courier's heartbeat started to become regulated once again, despite his injuries. " _I thought I almost lost you to that… thing."_ She whispered to him.

Then, she took note of their surroundings, as Gage looked ahead and saw the bloody mess the Grimm had still left behind from earlier, which made her think about and reflect on the ghost's current amount of distress. Summer didn't even want to try and remember it herself, and she didn't even experience it.

" _Whoa... Gage, what happened here?_ "

Gage felt groggy, and his eyes were feeling a lot more tired than they usually would when he would wake up from small cat naps, but he was still conscious enough to remember the horrors of what happened not that long ago, "I-I… I don't want to talk about it..." He replied shakily, sounding like he was close to have a panic attack by just thinking about it. " _Okay..._ "

"...Where did you go?-" He asked this in return and tried to lean up from where he was sitting, but was immediately thrown off by how much damage his body had sustained. "-Agh!"

" _I had to retreat, in a way. That whack to the head rattled you a little, and may have… knocked a few of my own screws loose too."_

He thought back a little and did remember a few strange things come from her before her voice disappeared, like calling Raven a bitch, rambling about how their own debacle would affect Yang, and… her mentioning Ozpin as well.

"And here I was, thinking that _I_ was the crazy one…" Gage mumbled audibly through small pants. That was when he finally looked down at himself, and was expecting some sort of bloody mess or that he was mortally wounded… but there was nothing of the sort. " F… *huff* ...Fuck!"

Most of his visible skin was stained with dirt and grime while his black short was pretty much one tug away from having the front of it opened completely, as there were three diagonal tears in it that had been made by the Manticore.

Besides that, the bottom of his right pant leg was ripped along with the left shoulder of his shirt, and it also looked like his prosthetic had some of the sage colored paint scratched off of it, revealing the faded silver color of it's metal casing. He also only figured that out after he fell onto his side and pretty much crawled so he could reach for it.

" _Yeah well, you're also welcome for not bleeding to death due to the after-effects of your semblance."_ Summer replied, with her voice sounding like she would be crossing her arms at this moment if Gage could actually see her. " _Because believe me when I say this, if I hadn't stepped in, then you would have died the night we met Orin."_

That small sentence made the ghost stop in his tracks completely as he lifted his prosthetic arm off of the ground, and lowered it so he could look down at his right arm to see that it had somehow stopped bleeding. "W… Wait, you cured my semblance defect?" Gage asked her, feeling confused by her previous words.

" _What? No! Instead I just… tried my best to let my astral form take your pain, even though that obviously wouldn't work well, or even at all. But hey, it still reduced the effects! ...Kind of."_

This earned a sigh from him before he put his prosthetic arm once again, and winced as he could feel it make contact with his body's nerves like it had done numerous times before, though this time it hurt a lot more than usual.

"*huff* ...Sounds like you've been busy..."

" _Not as busy as you."_

The ghost went to raise himself off of the ground with his wounded hand, and nearly screamed again as it felt like the limb was one blow away from breaking due to how powerful the jaws of the Manticore were against his flesh. The wound may have stopped bleeding, but the bone had still been damaged by force of the beast's bite.

And when he felt it, he switched arms and got back onto his feet before he stood up straight and turned his right arm so he could just stare down at the open red bite mark on his arm, and the cut on his palm as well.

Gage didn't think it was anything serious on the outside, as the beast's two bottom fangs thankfully didn't actually sink into his arm, with them instead scraping some skin off the side of his forearm. And the Grimm weren't really known for transferring anything through the bites they would leave on their victims. (at least to my knowledge)

So he just grasped his wounded wrist tightly, and figured he'd need a cast and a rabies shot as soon as he got back to civilization, whenever that would be. However, that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

"Hey… *exhale* ...What was that flash that happened before i passed out?"

What he didn't know though, was how… big that specific question would turn out being in the long run, for everyone. Me, you, him, all of them, it was unclear. " _ **That…**_ _was the gift of the Silver Eyed Warriors."_ But Summer didn't care about this, and she answered without nearly any hesitation.

Silver eyes? He didn't have silver eyes, the only people he knew that did were Summer and Ruby, and even then he'd never heard anything similar about the trait, other than it was a very rare trait… though, Gage only heard about that through personal history lessons since he had a secret interest in the old-world legends and the supernatural.

Because of that however, he knew what the Silver Eyed Warriors were and who they use to be, at least from the old legends that were told about them.

Before the time of the Huntsmen and Huntresses, and the Great War, those born with silver eyes were always said to live the life of a warrior, a Silver Eyed Warrior, and that because of that trait… they would be the ones to help bring humanity out of Remnant's dark ages with the discovery of dust and the eventual formation of the four kingdoms and the Huntsman Academies.

They've been here since the beginning, and their numbers have been dwindling throughout the years, making their iconic trait become even more vast in its rarity… but that was all it was. A trait, something one was born with… so how did Gage have this now when he was one year away from being in his twenties?

"What?-then, how… I... I don't have silver eyes!"

" _...You might want to check again_."

Her response made Gage shake in place for a few seconds, feeling like he was being played with or that this was some bad joke that the phantom managed to pull on him… but what would be her reason for it, he thought. So the ghost did the only thing he could.

He painfully reached down for his pack and unzipped it, took out his black Collector's scroll, and wiped his screen clean from any dirt or dust so it was clear… and that was when he saw his his own eyes. His bright, partially glowing silver eyes. Hell, they almost looked white by how bright they were!

" _G… G-Gage… w-why are your eyes like mine?!"_

Gage could remember Ruby asking this the night he left them, right after he had his first out of body experience, but originally he just thought that the stress of the situation was screwing with her head, or his, or something of the sort. But now he knew what she was _really_ talking about...

"F… Fuck…" His injured hand started to shake after he saw himself and he dropped his scroll back into his knapsack as he lowered it, and covered his eyes as they started to bleed again. "...Why are you doing this to me?! To Me and _Ruby!_ "

Summer predicted this type of reaction already, and when his vision cleared from the redness, and he was able to see again… she was right there, and stood in front of him as she took a step forward and put a hand against his cheek. The cloak, red hair, silver eyes, pale skin, short stature, it was all there. "Shh…"

Her hands glowed brightly as they were pressed against his skin and scruff even though she wouldn't be able to feel him at all, with her own aura outlining her palm and fingers with a small fluorescent glow as she seemed to calm him. "I didn't have a choice with her, and it's my one regret. Her being cursed with my life, and the one she's destined to live through herself…"

"...But i need you to have this. You said you wanted to protect them, and the only way that you were going to do that was with this trait i gave you… I'm sorry Gage, but there was just no other way."

Gage's hand moved away from his eyes at this point, and moved his head so he could look up into her silver eyes while his pupil's shrunk, and went back to appear docile… and it felt like she was an angel with how fast she made him feel at peace.

However, when he became composed he let out a hard breath and stepped away from her as he zipped his pack and put it on before he reached down to grab Mistletoe, completely brushing off what Summer had said. Though she knew he couldn't unhear her.

"Gage, i wouldn't have done this if i didn't trust you to be able to uphold my own mantle. And so far… besides our current debacle, you haven't given me any doubt to go back on what i did. But like your friend, 'McCree' said to you… trust goes both ways."

"So i need you to trust me to get you through this, capisce?" She asked as he just put Mistletoe on his back next to where the knapsack would be, and picked Javix up off the ground with his right injured hand while he held onto his wrist with his prosthetic hand.

Gage didn't want to stick around long enough for the Grimm to try to come back to the alley and feast on him again, and he didn't really have a choice on whether he could keep Summer inside of his head or not… so he gave into her demands, but he still didn't like it. Not one bit,

"...Fine. But the next time I'm all screwed up, you better warn me before you go silent on me again!'

"You have my word." Summer replied with a smile before she lowered her hand, and soon dissipated from existence again, but only to begin talking inside of his own head right after. " _And uh… just for the record, I'm sure that your silver eyes aren't as powerful as any other pair, since you weren't born with the trait_." She added, a little soothingly.

That calmed Gage even further, and he just let out another sigh as he looked down and checked Javix's chamber so he could load in three more rounds, him now realizing that all he had left were those six that were in the chamber, and two more rounds. One extra I'd he included the round that Orin had tossed down onto the floor earlier before his betrayal.

" _Heck, I'm even sure that their power will be nothing compared to what Ruby could do, even now at her age_."

The ghost was pretty much half there when the phantom finished her sentiment, but her point was pretty clear. Ruby is a much bigger flight risk with those eyes of hers than he is, or ever will be, and he was fine with that… but now he was a lot more worried for the rose's future.

"Yeah… so if we ever do see her again, make sure to remind me to never to piss her off. Like... ever." He replied tiredly while he jerked Javix's chamber back into place, and pulled it's hammer back slowly as he started to head towards the exit of the alleyway. " _...Have you done it before?"_

"What? -N-No! I-I..." Her question was asked with a very 'momma-bear' type of tone, and it made him feel threatened since she pretty much had control of his senses… but thankfully, fate finally had his back after that earlier string of bad luck.

"...Jesus." As Gage made it out of the alleyway, a new scent made it's ways through his nostrils and blocked out the smell of flesh, replacing it with the scent of smoke and flames instead. When he made it out there, he saw that Tsuro had been set ablaze, probably by Orin and Owen.

A thick cloud of smoke passed by him, and he first looked to his left for the source of the fire, but was instead met with the sight of all the remaining Beowolves from the pack he fought as they retreated from the alleyway slowly, but not out of fear it.

Gage figured that they wouldn't attack him again unless they randomly built up some new found courage, which was highly unlikely considering he had just killed their pack leader. And these Grimm were old and smart too, so it was obvious that they knew better. "That's right, back away…"

Then, he turned to his right and walked into the smoke towards where he thought the main gate was when he came into town the first time, and he did so with Javix at his side, having one finger on the trigger, while his metal hand just wiped the sweat off of his brow.

However, when Gage thought he was already close enough to the end of the black cloud that engulfed the town… he started to hear footsteps coming front somewhere in front of him. Heavy ones, along with the scraping of a blade.

This made him stop dead in his tracks and stay completely still since he was already prepared enough for whatever ended up coming through the smoke… but what he wasn't prepared for, was _who_ he saw make their way through the fog of cinders.

Two more heavy steps followed before an apparition of a body could be seen, and then the whole figure came through as the smoke parted with each other, like it was forming a passageway just for that socioeconomic person… and that was when Gage finally laid his eyes on him.

...Adam Taurus.

He was standing right in front of him, walking along the same path towards him gently as the bull had his shotgun-hilt Blush on his side, and his chokuto named Wilt in his left hand with it's blade pressed against the edge of a wall while sparks began to fly because of the friction of it's metal edge.

But… Adam wasn't wearing his respirator mask. Instead, he just had his regular mask on while the gaping, bleeding hole that the ghost had left him during their last encounter remained visible to the world, all while smirked, and let some more blood run down from his lips.

" **...** _ **Did you forget about me?**_ "

He croaked this out in a horrid, gurgly tone of voice while Gage just took two steps back and began to breathe heavily… but strangely, his eyes didn't remain their new silver color. Before he knew it they became red once again, and matched his inner rage as he watched his nemesis continue to take long strides towards himself.

The ghost's blood began to boil by the bull's presence, so much that fearing him was thrown out of the window almost as immediate as it came to him, and soon enough… Gage found himself raising Javix's barrel up towards Adam's head, and squeezing it's trigger before he could even think about choosing not to.

He fired two shots at him, and both instantly made contact. The first seemingly hit Adam's head, and caused him to crumple and fall backwards as the second hit him in the abdomen by mistake due to the ghost's shaking right hand.

Adam eventually came to lay flat on his back and stayed absolutely still, having dropped Wilt when the frost shot kit him, and that small pause was long enough for Gage to blink and think about if he should inspect him or not… which he did.

He let out another deep breath, and cautiously stepped towards him until the ghost stood over him, and was finally able to look down on the apparent corpse of his enemy. That, was until the smoke suddenly faded from his vision and kept it from obscuring him. Then… the corpse started to move again, and speak even!

"OH MY GOD! MY EAR!" Right when the black cloud faded, Adam's face, red hair, and body was replaced by none other than Owen, who had chosen to stay behind and keep their captive from leaving the now burning village alive. "Y… YOU CRAZY SON OF A BITCH!" He screamed loudly.

Gage jumped from this realization, and questioned how fucked up he really had to be on the inside for his mind to hallucinate and play these sick kind of tricks on him… and he also wondered how coincidental it was that Owen looked like a countrified version of his father's killer…

Owen writhed back and forth on the ground as he had one hand on his stomach, and moved the other to cover his right ear, which was looked to be blown off from Javix's first initial shot, just as his own red machete laid on the ground next to him, which the ghost looked down towards next.

" _W… What was that?!"_ Summer asked as Gage growled angrily, and just kicked the red machete away from the Skinwalker as he looked up at the ghost like he was expect him to _not_ shoot him. "Shut the fuck up! Shut your goddamn mouth right now or else I'm going to make sure that your body ends up worse than your friend back there!"

"D-Don't shoot!" Javix's barrel was then pressed against the lackey's temple before he could blink or protest, and the sight of the gun just made Owen shut his eyes and look away as he extended his hand outwards in a submissive type of gesture.

"...D-D-Don't shoot me please! I-I Just run with these assholes for protection and a chance at some pieces of tail! H-Hell i didn't even cut off my _own_ tail myself! They had to hold me down-!"

"I said SHUT UP!" The pistol's hammer was pulled back again too, and Gage just covered the man's mouth as he looked behind him, and saw that the Beowolves were beginning to creep up on him again, though only slowly.

That was when he let go of Owen, and just looked around for a few seconds and soon just grabbed onto the back of his jacket's collar, and began to drag his body away from the alley.

However, the skinwalker began to struggle and protest in return, kicking his feet while screaming for the ghost to let go of him and to not hurt him at the same time, and now Gage was wondering if he was actually able to hear anymore.

After Gage managed to drag his own new captive all the way to Tsuro's front gate, he let go of him and flipped him onto his stomach, only to look up from the ground and stare down Javix's barrel yet again.

"Your 'pal' ...Where's he going?" The ghost asked him gruffly with yet another red-eyed scowl.

Owen was hesitant to answer at first given the consequences he could face if he came out alive but… he knew he wouldn't if he kept silent. "K… Keji! To finish what Al started!" And of course, he also needed a way to keep himself useful too. "B-But this time, we can stop him! I can help you! I-I swear i will!"

His pleads were near incomprehensible due to the minion's stuttering, but the ghost got a pretty good idea of what he could do to stop Orin. He had to get back to Alizarin's campsite before he did and take care of him.

The old man had already left thirty minutes ago, so intercepting him would be hard, but not impossible. He was older after all, and the whistler was probably so sure that his prisoner had died, that he most likely chose to walk back with ease.

But, Gage knew he had to leave right this second if he was to run and make it there in time. So with no other choice, he lowered his revolver and sneered downwards at the lesser skinwalker yet again. "...You want to help me?"

"Fuck it, whatever keeps my brain inside my head!"

"Alright." He blinked once, and just took a step back towards the gate behind him as he looked ahead and waved Javix's barrel back over towards the black cloud of smoke, "Look over there, close your eyes, and count to thirty. Slowly." Gage ordered.

Owen took a double take as soon as he heard the command, looking back and forth between the ghost and burning village while he looked both confused and scared for what his captor was planning. "...Why?"

His question didn't even have time to be processed before he saw an unfamiliar white aura consume the ghost, and ironically, once he could feel it's heat, the lackey felt shivers move all across his spine. "Why? Because i'm the one with the loaded gun!" Gage snarled back in response.

"Alright! Alright I'm closing them!" Owen finally complied with his demands and shut his eyes after that, and soon enough started to count up to thirty slowly with quivers being heard in between each number he could utter. "O-One… T-Two…"

Not that long after he started, Gage took two steps away and presumably started to work on… something at the gate. This was only figured out by the red-haired hostage after he began to hear the fence being shaken along with the rattling of some chains as well. "T-Thirteen… F-Fourteen…"

He tried his best to put his finger on it, and all he could think of was that their old prisoner was taking the chains off to the front gate so he could use them to either restrain Owen or choke him to death, with the second option being more likely

But the counting still went on, with the ghost's struggles becoming quieter by the time the red-haired man got to twenty five, and when he got to thirty… he still stopped and kept his eyes closed after he was done.

That was when he heard a small click, and another shaking of chains before he heard Gage's metal hand bang against the link fence twice, and he spoke again. "You can open your eyes now."

Owen jumped by the two bangs, but exhaled heavily as he opened his eyes, held his breath, and turned around, expecting to have a bullet lodge itself inside of his skull or be lunged at by the ghost… but he wasn't there.

Instead, he was standing there on the _other_ side of Tsuro's gate (the side that was Grimm-free) while it's door had been completely sealed off from anyone who would be trying to get out from the inside.

It was held shut by the chains, and Gage even managed to use the same lock that he had knocked off earlier with Mistletoe again to keep the chains together, and it was just tight enough so that no one could shake them off of the gate.

Owen saw him and stood up immediately before he walked slowly over towards the gate… and suddenly processed what had happened as he slightly tugged at the gates door once. "Wh…"

The skinwalker pulled on it a second time, and when he figured out that it wouldn't budge, he started to shake it violently, with his arms thrashing back and forth as his old captive took a step back from the fence, and just stared back at him blankly.

"...W-Wh- What the hell?!"

He banged on the metal door twice and growled as he pressed himself against it in an attempt to use his body to get it open, but that didn't work either. All it ended up doing, was alerting his position to the remaining Grimm within the small village thanks to both his noise level, and the distress he was emitting.

Then, Owen screamed something inaudible and just pressed his hand and face against the chain link fence, so he could sneer and scowl at the ghost again. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He shouted at him.

In reality, Gage knew _exactly_ what he was doing. He did this because he knew he needed to hurry, and the presence of another person or some Grimm would only drag him down. So this, was the perfect answer for both problems. To feed the rest of the Beowulf pack himself…

"...You said you wanted to help me." The ghost then smirked, and turned his body partially towards his bait as he just holstered Javix again, and let his white aura's glowing cease. "And that's what you're doing, so… thank you."

He then waved at him with his injured hand, and watched as the lackey proceeded to curse at him with nearly every offensive term in his vocabulary that made sense, and also beat the crappy wall with his hands until his knuckles and palms began to bleed. "Y… YOU FUCKING CUCK!"

The moment he raised his voice and began to release his anger, the rest of the Beowolves crept out of the black smoke that had been left by the burning buildings, and soon every one of them began to crawl towards Owen on all fours, merely snarling at his presence.

"WE'LL ALL FIND YOU, AND YOUR LITTLE BLONDE WHORE TOO! WE'LL FIND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND MAKE _YOU_ WATCH AS WE TEAR THEM ALL APART LIMB FROM LIMB WITH OUR BARE HANDS, AND THEN WE'LL MAKE YOU EAT THEM UNTIL YOU CHOKE UP THEIR INNARDS-"

"*GROWL!*"

The wolf pack's growls only increased Owen's frantic cursing, and he did pause for a few moments… but only when he looked up again and watched as Gage just turned around completely and looked into his eyes one last time, only saying one last thing before he chose to leave.

"...You should start running." And before Owen could begin to shout at him again, the ghost turned and just started to walk back down that old lonely road once again as the Grimm came from behind the skinwalker, and nearly surrounded him.

"NO! GET BACK!" He turned and tried his best to bolt past the Grimm only to make his way inside of the black smoke crowd once again while they pursued, and even more screaming could be heard as every other wolf disappeared into that dark fog as well. "GET BACK!-AAAH!"

However, Gage didn't stick around to watch him die or hear his final screams. He had already started walking away when he gave his last piece of advice to the man, and he just kept moving ahead, seemingly feeling unaffected by the loud cries and roars that came from the village behind him.

But that didn't mean that he wasn't thinking about it. Not about Owen specifically, but the person Gage had hallucinated him to be… Adam.

He closed his eyes, and just tried his best to imagine him to be the one that had been left to be eaten alive by those evil creatures. That was how bad he wanted the bull to be gone, and ridden from this world so that he wouldn't anyone the ghost loved like he had promised.

Daydreams and… cruel fantasies that he enjoyed began to form and linger deep within his thoughts. It was so bad now, that Gage was beginning to wonder... if he truly was starting to become the one person he wanted to kill more than everyone else he hated within this cruel world...

" _Gage… Do you believe in Destiny?_ "

"...Fuck Destiny."

…

 **Later…**

…

Riley was still laying on top of her sleeping bag with her eyes shut, but couldn't fall asleep because of the intolerable heat that was beating down on everyone else within that are.

She had even thought about stripping down a little… but being a half-naked teenager in the middle of the woods would mean certain death if a masked killer was to make their way through the surrounding brush. So the heavy chose not to.

But a killer still managed to make their way through the trees and to their camp, except this one wasn't masked. "Rye? Ah hell, the three of you get out here right now, we gotta get moving!" Orin yelled as his sudden presence made Riley jump with fright,

"Aah! Wait, what?!" She asked as Ileana and Alizarin both made their way out of their separate tents, with Al being the only one armed out of the three of them. "Orin? Wait, where's everyone else?"

"They're dead, and we will too if we don't get the hell out of here!" Ileana nearly dropped her bow as she exited her tent with it in hand, and Al's eyes just widened even more as he took a step towards the old man. "...D… Dead? H-How?!"

"The Grimm, what else?" Orin snapped back at him while just Riley growled, and stood up as she used her hands to grasp the sides of her head hard. "I told you it was a stupid idea to go to Tsuro!"

"Well, shit happens! Now hurry up and pack! We have to get back to Keji before the Grimm catch up with-"

"HEY!"

A loud and familiar voice came through the treeline, and a figure followed as well, limping through the brush that was located behind Orin until it stopped right at the entrance of their small camp.

It was Gage, and he looked a whole lot worse for wear than he did the last time Riley, Ileana, and Al saw him. His skin was pale, almost looking grey thanks to the dirt that had stained him during his struggle with the Manticore.

That wasn't even mentioning the blood that had stained him, with his injured arm being covered in it along with the patches of skin that could be seen through the two claw-shaped tears on his shirt.

"The hell!" Riley even began to crawl back once she saw him, and soon picked up her machine gun that was lying next to her in the dirt before she stood up, and aimed it at his head. "Gage, is… is that you?" He looked so weathered to her, that he looked as if he had died and been reanimated.

Like he was a zombie, and the way he paused and scowled after his single shout didn't help her think of him any differently either. Zombies wouldn't know how to use guns though, as Gage had his metal hand on Javix's revolver holster again, and eventually spoke again as he tilted his head at the blonde girl, looking beyond riled up.

"*pant* ...Shoot me again, i dare you!"

The ghost's voice made everyone there flinch, as if they all thought he was an actual reanimated corpse. Though, Orin was the only one who hoped that he was really dead.

He didn't ask how he got away, or try to shoot Gage the moment he saw him. No, the only thing he could do then was stare and let his eyes do the talking, as the ghost slowly walked towards him with death reflecting off of his red eyes,

"...What Orin? *pant* ...I know people call me a ghost, but you look like you're staring right at one."

His voice was threatening, exhausted, and cocky, all in on deep exasperated tone that meant business… even when he was in the vicinity of a foe he had yet to face or even witness in action, and that conviction just brought a wide smile to Orin's lips. "Hehe… man, you really are one stubborn little millennial now aren't ya?!" He chuckled.

"First you kill those White Fang puppies, and then my own boys after that…" The head skinwalker mumbled that to himself and turned his head towards the ghost slightly, revealing that he looked beyond pissed off, but also exhilarated at the exact same time. "...And now you just won't die."

"So you tell me, right here and now while everyone's here watching us-" Orin then shifted his cricket bat into it's double barrel shotgun form, and continued letting it rest on top of his shoulder as he turned towards his old prisoner completely, "-Just who in the hell do you think you are?!"

Gage didn't respond however. Not at first, because instead of doing that, he just used one of his metal fingers to flick Javix and make its bullet chamber spin before he switched hands with it, and holstered his revolver once again.

"...Son, don't do this." Alizarin knew exactly what was about to take place, everyone pretty much did, the signs were just all there… and he couldn't let the ghost get his body blown to bits because he decided to get up and fight back after all this time of obedience. "It won't end well for anyone!"

"Al… shut up." Orin said outright, as Ileana and Riley could only stand there and take a step back away from the gap that began to form between the two armed men. "The kid's trying to stand up to his daddy. So, you might as well grab a front row seat to watch him die." He boasted with yet another cruel smirk.

The old man's words filled the ghost with dread and angst, but it was still nothing that would bring him to his knees like he was when the two first met. It never would after this day... Not now, and not ever again. Not to this man made from darkness.

"Got nothing left to say? Heh, I guess it makes sense that way. You really _are_ nothin' special."

" _Gage_ …"

Gage's hand still shook with pain and instability, but a fire inside of him kept burning. One that he hoped to see again after this day, and for the rest of his life… but first he would have to find _her_ all over again. And this man, was the last thing on Remnant that was going to keep him away.

Now they both stood in line, facing each other with their fingers only inches away from their respective fingers, and it seemed as if no other sounds could distract them from their stare down. Not even Raven's cawing from above them, as she had just perched herself up there on a branch so she could watch.

"*Caw!* *Caw!*"

The colors red and green were interlocked, with both men giving each other the blankest scowl ever seen by the world since Clint Eastwood started his acting career. But even then Orin couldn't keep his mouth shut, "So… any Last Words for you kid?" And was still met with silence.

This disappointed him, to the point where he let out a long exasperated sigh, and looked back at his three other followers while he gripped his shotgun tightly, pulled back both hammers for the two barrels, and gave them all one last final shrug, "Welp-"

Then, Gage suddenly drew Javix from his holster again, leaned back a bit, and held down his trigger as he fanned three loud and rapid shots off with his palm, right as Orin turned his body around and was hit by all of them before he could even pull the trigger.

"*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*"

Both of the first two rounds made contact with his body and shattered the man's black aura into pieces, and ended up clearing a straight path for the third shot as all three puffs of gunsmoke were blown away with the wind.

The third round went straight through the right side of the Skinwalker's chest and out his back, crippling his entire right side with pain… but the gunshot was only enough to make him scream his lungs out, and stumble a bit as reeled forwards in pain.

Orin somehow was able to stop himself from tumbling over, and that was when the ghost froze in place and watched his foe as he was still barely standing with his shotty in hand. But that was when he fired both rounds from its two barrels, and leaned to his side so he could finally fall onto his side.

"WATCH OUT!" Riley screamed.

Gage put his metal arm up in an attempt to block his face from being blown apart, and he closed eyes… only to hear the sound of the buckshot slowly clattering onto the surface of his shoes seconds later while something else around him made a... whirring noise of some sort.

He tried to lower his arms slowly, but strangely couldn't control them or his whole body, and since it felt like he was frozen in space the ghost just reopened his eyes slowly, only to see that Riley had taken a few extra steps forward… and she had both of her arms outstretched towards him.

The heavy's hands were open, and they were glowing her aura's cream, beige type of color. This, was because she chose to use her semblance on Gage's body. She used her own aura to rebuild his own and locked him in place with it, so she could take the bullets in a way, and prevent the shotgun shells from blowing him to bits.

When he came to realize this, Riley exhaled loudly and let her figure slouch as she released him from her semblance's grasp, allowing him to move again… but he didn't have time to question why she chose to save him.

Gage raised his head back up, and just looked over at Orin as he was lying on the ground, and clutched the right side of his chest as Alizarin suddenly sprang into action, and punted the old man's shotgun out of his hands.

Then, Ileana glanced at Gage as she put Riley's arm around her, and she just tilted her head slightly over towards where Orin was lying. It looked as if she was trying to tell him to get to the man before Al did something rash, but the ghost didn't have to be told to move.

With Javix still griped in his right hand, he sighed angrily as he took slow but loud steps towards the head Skinwalker before he stopped, sneered at his injured foe, and finally aimed his hand cannon's barrel downwards at Orin's head…

"Yours, not mine… asshole."

A click came from the revolver's hammer as it was pulled back, and Al just stood there opposite to his new friend, staring down towards their shared enemy as he put his foot on the old man's left shoulder, and pushed forwards so he would come to lie flat on his back.

But… even after his plan had failed, he had been humiliated and injured by the one person he took captive, and betrayed by the remaining people within his group… Orin looked right up at them both, and laughed in their faces painfully.

"Hehehe… Hahaha!" He raised his body upwards, and snickered once again before his laughter increased it's volume, and intensity. To the point where it was surely maniacal, and maddening."...HAHAHAHA!"

And as his laugh became ear-piercing, the old man's aura finally showed his true colors. His body glowed the color black and it consumed him whole, with the darkness being so resilient, that it began to branch out to whatever it could grab!

Small tentacle-looking tendrils spreaded from Orin's body and spread itself across the two men's feet, but only managed to crawl it's way up to their ankles before Gage pulled the trigger again, and Al yanked his foot free. "What the hell?!"

The bullet didn't even kill him either, because as soon as it made contact with the old man's forehead, his entire body burst into a black cloud of smoke and carried a loud demonic evil laughter with it as it rose from the ground, compacted together, and slithered through the air like a snake before it disappeared into the distant treeline.

"...I'll be back for you boy…~"

That was the last thing that came from the large black cloud before it faded away into the forest, and allowed the sun's bright light rays break through the trees above the four that remained.

"Man, I'm… not even going to try and question that." Gage, Riley, Ileana, and Alizarin all stood there, with Gage being the only one who looked absolutely horrified… well, that was actually a lie. "But... at least he's gone, right guys?" He asked the rest.

Al gave him a fake nod of comfort and he honestly tried to appear to be okay with what had just happened… but he clearly wasn't. None of them were, and Riley suddenly became absolutely livid. "You… You've killed us all!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"...What?"

"D… Dumbass-" The heavy eventually pushed herself away from Ileana, and stumbled towards their 'savior' for a few seconds before she lunged herself at him, and randomly chose to sock him across the face, hard. "-We needed him to get back in!"

"Riley!"

Both Ileana and Alizarin rushed to pull her back, and stop her from outright try to kill Gage, who had been pushed back onto the floor by her blow, "NO!" They both grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back, while she kicked her legs angrily in protest. Thankfully for them though, her shorter height made it a lot more easy to restrain her.

"HE JUST FUCKED US DRY!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Gage yelled back at her as he leaned back up and sat there on the ground while he covered his right eye gently, and glared back at her with his other red eye, "The fuck do you mean i fucked you?!"

"S-Shut up!" Riley's face became even redder due to both her anger with Gage and the embarrassment she felt with what he had accidentally shouted at her, "Yeah, I guess it's a bad time to tell you that none of the teams Orin takes with him are let back inside unless he's with them…" And since she was at a loss for words, Alizarin chose to explain for her.

"Well what was i supposed to do, let myself get shot? Again?!"

The heavy was eventually let go, and she just started to walk back over to her sleeping bag without even saying anything as Ileana turned to Gage and raised her palm at him, indicating that he should slow his roll.

"Gage, just… chill." She whispered softly as she approached him slowly, and extended her other hand to him so he could be pulled back onto his feet. "Why don't you tell _her_ that-"

But before he could grasp her hand, his eyes widened once more, and Gage began to crawl away from the spider-faunus… but he wasn't looking at her anymore, as his eyes were now focused on something behind her instead.

"*CH-CH!*"

She tilted her head in an odd way, and heard a very… distinct sound as looked back, and just watched Riley as she armed herself with her M249, cocked it, and started to walk back towards Gage before she aimed it down at him, _again._

He immediately panicked, and laid flat on his back as he quickly raised his two hands in the air, trying his best to back down before she could light him up with her SAW, "WHOA,WHOA, WHOA!-OKAY I'M 'CHILLIN!" He screamed with desperation.

That was when he was able to get a more… finer look at her machine gun. It was a silver, bronze, and golden-colored M249 SAW, but it also looked different than the standard military models, which could be assumed by its paint job.

Aside from that, it had a lighter appearance and looked less bulky, an extended barrel, a drum magazine, and lastly the most noticeable difference was that it's bipod was folded up, and it's two limbs were replaced with... golden, semicircle-shaped axe blades?

"Riley, don't!" However, Ileana soon jumped in front of Gage and blocked her best friend from turning the ghost's body into a hole-riddled corpse. "He's the Huntsman in training, remember? We can't afford to lose him right now!"

"And to be fair, out of all of us, he's the only one to come close to killing Orin." Alizarin added, as he was now just standing a little ways away while he leaned against a tree, and calmly lit another cigar to smoke.

Gage nervously nodded in agreement and pointed over towards the old sheriff as he looked back between him and the crazy machine-gun-wielding blonde… and that was when watched her lower the weapon slowly, and let another growl escape from her lips. "...Grrrgh!"

She closed her eyes and looked away with a clear rage beginning to pulsate throughout her body, as she began to shake with anger growing even more… but Ileana surprisingly sighed with relief, like she already knew that the heavy was done with her small outburst.

Then not even a few seconds later, Riley shut her eyes and lowered her weapon as she chose to hold it by the grip with her finger still on the trigger. After that she used her other hand to grasp her machine gun's stock as she pulled it back and it extended, causing a chain reaction which… began the weapon's shifting process

It's barrel extended while the parts surrounding it moved forwards along its muzzle, and flattened in place so it could form a thin rectangular box around the barrel as the golden bipod blades turned horizontally with one being pointed to the left and the other to the right, and then the two blades slowly began to travel upwards to where the gun's muzzle would have been.

Meanwhile, the rest of the weapon from the barrel down rotated once to the left as the the grip and trigger became one with the weapon stock, which soon extended outwards even more. Mechanical whirs could be heard generating from inside of the weapon's frame, and soon enough all the pieces shifted back together, connected magnetically, and formed a large rectangular axe grip that still had the weapon's drum magazine connected to the middle of it's large handle.

The two axe blades on both sides soon reached the peak of the large handle as well before they became centered, and finally shifted together completely along with the rest of the weapon, which ended up forming a large, silver, gold, and bronze colored medieval double-edged battle axe… which was named, _**Bronze Bess**_.

"-Rrrrgh… FUCK!"

Riley cursed at the ghost again not that long after her weapon's second form was revealed, and she quickly turned around so she could huff angrily before she swung her axe vertically towards the nearby treeline, and cut down five trees in her wake.

"A thing to remember about her, you're safe as long as she's loud. Whenever she's quiet is when you should watch out!" Ileana whispered this to Gage as she forcefully grabbed him by the wrist and finally pulled him up from the floor.

He didn't protest at all, mostly because he was still staring over at Riley as she lowered her axe and was panting, so he just looked back at his brunette friend and nodded, showing that he understood.

"So… what now?" Alizarin asked him that once he and Riley both calmed down a little bit. That wouldn't last long though, as Gage reaffirmed his own intentions. Which, were kind of surprising. "*sigh* ...We head to your village, and get your people out of there before we end up killing each other!"

"Really? Even after everything that just happened?" Even Illie was surprised by this, mostly because she didn't expect him to be wanting to get right into another battle right after he looked to have barely survived the last one,

"It's not like we're gonna forget about 'em. I know I'm not." Al mumbled this but made sure that it was loud enough for everyone else to hear… which prompted Riley to snap again, but only at him this time.

"Al, you're the most likely the smartest out of all of us, and you're still going to go follow this dipshit's lead?!"

"...Yeah, i am."

His answer was blunt, and gave off a 'no other choice' type of vibe as he lowered his cigar and exhaled before he looked back at the ghost and narrowed his eyes at him while remaining silent.

The sheriff was already pretty confident in the ghost's abilities because of how he was able to escape from one of Orin's evil plots, and he's never known anyone to fall victim to one of them and come out alive.

Also, he seemed to be the only one to remember that Gage was able to clear out an entire prison filled with White Fang soldiers with six teenagers. So Al was sure that the ghost, two other teenagers, and himself would be able to liberate a village protected by a gang of some racist wanna-be Hell's Angels.

"We're so dead…" Riley obviously wasn't happy with this, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't do it.

And once she facepalmed and stormed off, Ileana sighed before she changed her annoyed expression into a smile, and just watched Gage as he inspected his injured arm again,

"Well then, what's the plan scruffy?" She asked with a smirk while crossing her arms humorously, "You going to try and use your ' _charm'_ on the guards?"

Her remark made him chuckle a little, and he soon turned to Alizarin again as they both made eye contact, "Not mine-" Which ended up making the older man look down and groan in annoyance of what the ghost implied. "Ah, hell…"

"-But… i'm sure we can still persuade them to let us in, since I honestly doubt the rest of these 'Skinwalkers' are as smart as Orin..."

"And if they keep us out of the place anyway?"

That, made him holster Javix again and stare at all three of his new companions with a very confused expression. He thought that what came next after that would have been obvious… they would have to fight.

Maybe it was because he was unsure of their skill, or they were still unsure of his own, but to him it still seemed like they hadn't been prepared for this type of conflict. Even when their intentions were to rid Keji of Orin's Skinwalkers. Though, it was most likely because they didn't want any harm to come to the innocent villagers.

But, he had to get his message across. Not all conflicts can be handled peacefully, and they had to be ready for that, and to be ready to conquer their enemy completely if need be. Doing this would be the only way that the four of them could survive the impending fight, and he knew that.

So he made sure to reinforce this idea to all of them, as he took Mistletoe off of his back with his right hand and flip-cocked it before he slung it over his shoulder, turned back to Riley, Ileana, and Alizarin one last time, and smirked as he gave the spider-faunus his one and simple answer…

"…Then we'll just take it from them."


	39. Conquer

**Author's Note (IMPORTANT):** Hey guys, I'm not dead. Sorry about the wait, but I don't think I can lie about the real reason behind the slowness of uploads this year… and frankly, it's because my drive to continuously work on this thing every day of the week has dwindled. That isn't mentioning my slight-depression (nothing serious), housing problems, and social stuff. Yeah lol, i actually have irl friends now. I have the time to write this, i just procrastinate now. Ain't that something?

This one chapter is hopefully the only one that takes forever to upload, because this one is pretty long, and I hope 20k+ words, a battle, and some character development is enough to make up for my absence. But, if you feel that some certain moments seem rushed, then just know that the quality there was sacrificed so this chapter could get to you guys quicker. I just hope it doesn't show easily.

Adding to what i said in the first paragraph, there's also the problem that i'm not exactly in love with the source-material for this story anymore, or at least not as much right now. Yeah, i'm saying it. I don't like RWBY as much anymore. Volume 4 was what Season 2 of The Walking Dead was in my eyes, (Boring with barely any memorable moments. Just there to bridge the gap between seasons really. This is just my opinion)

I honestly enjoy my own works more than i do the actual show, currently at least. Heck, i still try and search for OC stories that take place between Volume 1 and 3 because of how much i hate the change-I also only read oc stories btw-And i'm a person that can usually deal with change well, but this one not as much for some reason.

*sigh* ...Listen, I'm not going to go in-depth about my dislikes, and again, sorry for the long note. But i am writing this right after Volume 5 Episode 3, and so far V5 is pretty damn good in comparison to last season. It even gave me a boost in interest to finish this a lot quicker so… that's a pretty good sign for the future.

Now don't worry, i'm not going to stop the story or talk shit about the show. I still love it for a lot of reasons, like the music, characters, lore, and the world of Remnant as a whole. I mean i wouldn't have stuck around this long if i didn't enjoy RWBY at all, so what I say now can change down the road. And I do have other things motivating me to keep going, i just wanted to properly explain what's been going on with me.

Anyways, i'll just say this as an ending note for this chapter. Desertion's **Three Year Anniversary** is on November 15, and I know I won't be able to upload by then. If I do, it will be a goddamn miracle.

So as an apology for that and as a way to celebrate, I will not being making an Author's Note for the next chapter, chapter 40, because that will be our OFFICIAL, 100TH CHAPTER OF DESERTION. _(Holy shit, that coincidence right?!)_ And instead… i'm going to make something small, but it'll hopefully be a special start to Desertion: Part Two's third act.

I will also begin production on Búcsú Testvér chapter two as well, so look out for that, and I'll see you guys whenever the next chapter comes out. Oh, and in celebration for our 100th… make sure to tell me what your favorite moment has been so far in the Desertion series, whether it be review or pm! And please don't say the lemons! XD

(Also as a little fun fact, I listened to the Volume 5 intro song 'Triumph' the whole time I wrote the main conflict in this chapter… so there's something fun to do!)

 **Song:** Somewhat Damaged by Nine Inch Nails.

…

The sun was still raised ever so highly in the sky, and was beating down on Alizarin's head as he walked endlessly alone through the brush of a forest by himself… until he approached a clearing, found himself standing in front of a wall, and was shaded by it's large, rusted gates.

This, was the entrance to the Village of Keji.

He sighed with bitterness and banged on the piece of metal once before he took a step back, kicked some dirt around for a brief second, and looked up at the top of Keji's sealed off entrance to be met with the gaze of two others.

These two men were Skinwalkers themselves named Kory, and Reno. Two lesser known people who have been apart of the village's leathered guard, as they came to be known by the ones they were protecting… the leathered guard was also another name for Orin's group.

The gate and connected wall were around fifteen feet tall, and bordered off the entire village so that any sort of attack would have to be made from the front gates… even though they would soon enough be opened,

"Well, your group took their sweet ass time… heh, that means that you must've found a shit ton of stuff though, right?"

"...No. We lost it all."

This first man, Kory, who looked a lot more older and unkempt than Al, just shook his head and leaned forwards against the railing that was laid across at the top of the wall so the guards wouldn't fall off by accident.

"To what, the Grimm? Jesus, why hasn't Orin killed you already!" He asked while rolling his eyes, and as he unholstered a Beretta M9A3 semi-auto pistol, holding it casually in his hand.

"He's dead Kory." Al said this and raised his hands in defense immediately afterwards, but of course the leather-wearing keeper didn't believe him. "Yeah right, as if i'd believe your sorry ass…"

"You can send a group out to Tsuro if you think i'm lyin', because there's still three fresh corpses spread throughout the entire town!" The sheriff yelled in response.

That small plea was enough to finally get the other guard interested, and he hesitated a bit… but eventually stared down at Alizarin, looking very saddened by his words. "...Owen and Greed too?"

"Don't give him that shit Reno!" Kory shouted at his partner while he lightly slapped his shoulder, and raised his gruff and grainy voice even more. "Clearly he's lying, he doesn't even have Magna to prove his shitty fib neither!" Magna, being the name of Orin's treasured cricket bat.

...And, they made it very, and _abundantly_ clear that it was worth more than a single person's life, which Al knew would become the go-to topic eventually. "...I can bring you to it-"

"No, you ain't! And we aren't going anywhere until you bring us physical proof!"

The other guard, Reno flinched and brought up a SPAS-12 Combat Shotgun, with the stock folded up, and he just aimed it down at Alizarin. He cocked it, but all that did was cause the old sheriff to sigh and lower his head along with his body as he shrugged and shook his head with complete annoyance.

"...Look, if you just let us inside i can tell the whole story." He repeated again, this time with even more anger while he clenched his teeth, and looked up again as Kal squinted down at him with confusion by what he said. "'Us'? What, your girls are still alive too?"

"Yeah, and this other guy we found too! *sigh* ...It's a very, _very_ long story, arlight?"

"Oh i'm sure it is…"

They went on to haggle the gunslinger even more, just to see if he could slip up and admit to it… but that wouldn't happen, as this was all part of the plan. Because right then, both guards had an orange set of eyes planted on them, which belonged to Ileana.

At that moment, she was sort of… perched, or hanging from a tree rather that was located in the treeline that surrounded Keji, but made sure to remain well hidden within the brush.

She had her feet planted against the bottom of a tree branch, and hung from it upside down like she had done before thanks to her semblance. All while she hit her bow in her hands, with it's string pulled back and the arrow aimed up high.

Meanwhile, Gage and Riley were taking cover behind a different tree located on her left side, standing right below her as they all were listening at the conversation Alizarin was having with the two Skinwalkers,

"*sigh* ...This is never gonna work…" The heavy sighed, while covering her face with her left hand. Ileana even hissed at her so she would stay quiet, but that just prompted her to ask a follow-up question, "Illie, just level with me… what if you miss?"

"...I won't. Don't jinx me please!"

The spider-faunus said this with utmost confidence without even turning to look at her best friend, and only increased her focus even more… as her pupils split in half, and made it look like she had two of them now.

That made Gage kind of become tense, so he instead just put his hand on Riley's shoulder and nodded over towards their village, gesturing to her that it was their time to shine, "Come on, we need to get into position!"

"Yeah yeah yeah…"

…

 **Twenty Minutes Earlier…**

…

"Jesus, so you fought off a Manticore with one arm… and you lived?" Alizarin asked Gage, as he was trying his best to bandage the ghosts injured arm and see if looked like it was going to be infected or not.

"Trust me, i'm just as surprised as the rest of you..." Gage replied with a wince as Al poured peroxide on his wound, causing him to shut one of his eyes due to the immense pain. "*sharp inhale* ...But who knows, maybe my luck really is looking out for me!"

They were still in the same campsite from before, and had decided to take about a ten minute break to rest and reload since Gage and Orin's duel ended not that long ago.

And in that small amount of time, the ghost thought he could get some much needed info before he could actually come up with an attack plan, but it didn't seem that hard to do either way. "Yeah, well you're lucky that we won't have to amputate your other arm, I'll say that much..."

Gage shrugged it off and just continued to watch the peroxide begin to foam and bubble a bit on the bit wounds before he soon began to worry again… but for something that was considerably minor than the peroxide.

"Hey, so… you think I'll be needing a rabies shot?"

"Not unless you want to become a walking corpse." Al mumbled this to himself and was about to stand up again… until he saw the ghost shut his eyes a little bit and look away a bit sheepishly, "... _YES,_ you'll be needing a rabies shot…" He confirmed it.

His look of disappointment and hatred of the word 'rabies shot' completely threw off the whole, 'confident leader' vibe he was giving off five minutes ago. It even made Riley snicker a bit as she came to them with a bottle of water,

"What? Heh, you afraid of needles or something?" She asked him, mockingly.

Gage had nothing to say and was about to reply with a grunt of annoyance, but luckily enough for him, Ileana had his back this time around. "Hey, as long as he isn't afraid of bullets, i won't judge!"

"Thanks…"

His face reddened a bit as Riley handed him her water bottle, and he poured it on his arm before he took a long sip from it, lowered it, and began to bandage his arm slowly once Ileana handed him some medical bandages, "A-Anyways… what kind of stuff are these guys packing?"

The sheriff then finally stood up, and walked a few steps away so he could pick up his Ak-47, and cock it's ejection port lever before he just started to list off their armaments,

"Semi and 'matics, explosives, AP rounds with a bunch of dust to go along with it, bunch of leather and motorcycles, and even an old-world Humvee with a fifty-cal on top of it, so…"

"They're well armed..." Gage interrupted him as he finished bandaging his arm, and closed his fist while he made sure that the whole thing covered his entire hand, except for his fingers. However, the ghost didn't look worried at all, because of one simple fact that anyone could have realized. "But, they're still nothing compared to the White Fang."

"That's one way of looking at it…"

They didn't have mechs, or armor, airships, Atlesian and military grade-weaponry, and they weren't as organized as the cult were at all. Who, didn't even have much coordination to begin with.

"And that's going to keep us from getting killed?" Riley asked him sarcastically before she just picked up her M249 again, and pointed at herself, "I'm sorry, but i'd rather not have a hole in this pretty face by the end of today."

This just made Ileana sigh, grip the bridge of her nose, and roll her eyes due to the unnecessary sarcasm. "*sigh* ...We still have the numbers either way. They just don't know it."

"You mean you have people on the inside willing to fight with us?" Gage questioned her as he stood up, and was reassured with a quick nod from Alizarin. "Yeah. Sixty plus population with a… sixty-forty difference. Orin's people being the forty percent."

"Wait, then… what kept you guys from taking Keji back before you found me?"

"You can't plan a coupe with low morale, poorly-trained fighters, and little kids running around constantly…" The heavy mumbled under her breath.

"Maybe… " This urged Al to grumble to himself once more, but not before he also chose to give his own input of what he thought would be best. "...But, a surprise attack should catch those bastards off guard long enough for the rest of us to get situated."

The ghost was starting to try and figure out some sort of way to do this without making any sort of contact initially… but he knew it couldn't be done.

His semblance couldn't last forever and it would strain his aura incredibly if he had to stretch his abilities out to three other people, not to mention that his aura still hadn't been fully regenerated since his fight with the Manticore.

So in his mind, Al's plan of attack was the smartest and pretty much the same thing he would have came up with, but how they get inside Keji was probably going to be the hard part. "That's the direction i'd take, other than asking nicely to be let inside."

Gage said this while he picked his prosthetic off of the floor since he wasn't wearing it at the moment, and looked over at Riley before she could insult him again for no particular reason.

"Yeah… asking isn't exactly my strong-suit either." She replied, nonchalantly. Luckily for the two of them though, they both finally seemed to have something in common, which made the ghost smile at her for the first time. "Hehe, that makes two of us."

"...Three." Alizarin stated as he just walked in between the two with his assault rifle in one hand, and his M1911 in the other, now seemingly itching to get this whole rodeo said done with. But It wasn't like it was going to be his last either, "You gave me a reason to kill these psychos, so I'm not gonna keep myself from 'em anymore."

Although, this only began to worry Ileana even more because of her own concerns for the other villagers being caught in the crossfire, the ones that were unable to be rise up and help in the fight with the rest of the Skinwalkers. "...What about the others?"

"They'll be fine. I made sure to tell everyone the keyword we picked out, and what it means."

"Keyword, so... like a safe-word?-" Gage was only halfway through his question before he could feel Riley's foot kick against his rear, and it made him jump a bit with a painful scowl afterwards. "Ow! I wasn't trying to go for _that_ type of joke! Or one at all!"

"*sigh* ...Can you just focus on thinking of a way to get inside right now rather than some more stupid questions?" The sheriff huffed angrily while he lowered his head, shook it, and facepalmed.

"Trust me, we've already got a way."

"Besides that… all we need is a distraction to get things started-" The ghost tried his best to seem both vague and informative, even though he couldn't shake off the pain very well. "-And what would be noisier than killing a few guards?"

Yet, he was still vigilant enough to use the awkwardness to get his suggestion across… somehow. "Questions? Concerns?"

Riley was still standing there holding her LMG by it's barrel/forearm area looking unimpressed while Ileana had her hand on her bow's strap, and Al just pulled down his hat a little before he just smirked deviously, and walked past Gage and into the brush in front of them.

"...Nope. Let's do it live!"

The sheriff even began to arm himself again before he disappeared into the treeline, and the three teens were left amongst themselves for a few seconds until they began to follow slowly.

Illeana just smiled about by her guardian's reaction… but blankly, even though she still sighed with some relief, "He's always been ready for this-" She said as she turned back to the heavy and the ghost, "-But are you two good to go? Because i know i am."

Right as Riley went to nod 'yes', Gage pretty much just interrupted her as he painfully reattached his prosthetic arm, and regained his control of it before he just gave the two girls a thumbs up with it,

"I'm, 'Armed and Ready'!"

Yeah. Haha, _soooo_ funny… and of course his shitty pun immediately made Riley glare blankly over towards the ghost as she started walking ahead of him and Ileana, and did not look amused at all. "...You're gonna get shot for that." She replied.

Gage of course became a little tense after her possible joke, but then he thought of Yang's impact on him again and just sighed as the heavy moved on with her machine gun at her side. It was almost like these blonde girls had it in for him now...

The spider faunus saw his sudden change in emotion and went from stifling a giggle because of his terrible pun, to looking over at him while he became quiet again… appearing to be a little surprised by his quick swap.

He looked a little annoyed and embarrassed at the same time, but not in a good way… and it was very noticeable to Ileana, so she sprung into action immediately by tapping on his shoulder as she was walking in pace next to him,

"Look at it this way, if we actually live through this and save everyone, then i'm sure that Riley won't be harassing you anymore! ...Probably."

"I guess that's something to look forward to…"

The ghost pretty much had a, ' _this bitch'_ type of feeling whenever the heavy would approach him to say the least. However, he also had the same type of mentality when it came to Weiss… at least that's what he use to feel like around the heiress.

Either way, he's dealt with someone similar, so it shouldn't be too hard to trudge through all of that relationship-building stuff again, if he decides to stick around afterwards that is.

It was still highly unlikely for him to do that though, but Gage was still appreciative of Ileana's positivity, despite their current situation. He was just glad that he didn't have to project the optimism for once.

"That's more like it! Now come on, we all need to get moving!" She then nudged his shoulder and went on to walk ahead of him a bit, but not without giving him another wide smile which made his own red-eyed glow with passion… until she finished up her words of encouragement for him,

"...Cuz this team can't function without their leader!"

"…Pfft." Was all Gage could process as he watched the archer stride ahead towards the the other two in their group. It even made him stop dead in his tracks, only for him to continue and think deeply about that single word as he watched them all now.

Alizarin was still ahead of the group with his AK in his right hand while Riley remained at his side, but barely as she too was walking with Bronze Bess dangling from her left as Ileana caught up with them. She also had her bow slung over her shoulder…

...Yet, she was still looking back at the ghost, like he was the odd one out as he just stood there in awe, with his eyes looking downwards a bit while his eyes were narrowed, and began to question himself. "A team? Heh, that'd be the day."

…

 **...Now**

…

The two leathered guards named Kory and Reno went on to argue a bit with Al for about five more minutes after seeing him again, and managed to pull his own words back around onto him.

That was to be expected, since these skinwalkers were known to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they wanted, with the sheriff's death being their goal. Though, at this point they were both just wanting to fuck with him a little bit before any conflict could happen.

"Now I'm not going to lie to you, I hate you and everything you stand for." And Kal just continued to flail his revolver with nearly every word that he spoke, "The reason why i'm telling you this is because i'm not lying, but you _are!"_ He said, now pointing the weapon downwards at the gunslinger again.

"I know ya'll get antsy up there doing nothing all day, but is threatening an old man really the best way to get some action?" The older man responded with a rather casual, and slightly irritated expression.

Alizarin wasn't exactly as humble with his replies anymore considering he was being held at gunpoint by the people who were supposed to be protecting his home and other friends, but he still kept his hands up despite that.

However, Kory didn't go back to flailing around his gun after that. This time, he just kept his eyes and pistol-barrel dead on the lawman's figure… because now he was done playing games. Dead Orin or not, he's had it with this wash-up walking back in here acting like Keji was still his home.

So, the skinwalker shook his head, chuckled to himself once more, and just scowled down at the sheriff once more, with a smirk on his face. "No… but killing one should probably do the trick!"

"...Then just do what you gotta do."

Kory went on to pull back the hammer on his M9, and smirked too as the other guard pumped his shotgun and held it closely, just in case if Al wouldn't end up going down without a fight.

Now with a fully loaded weapon traced on his body while another firearm remained primed and ready nearby, Alizarin sighed quietly and just lowered his hands so they were at his side again.

He may have looked solemnly composed on the outside, but soon he began to sweat a little bit as a long silence came upon the three of them, with the sheriff only becoming more and more tense as he looked up and stared at the two Skinwalkers.

"Illie, if you miss then I will make god-damn sure that I come back and haunt you till' the end of days!" He thought to himself as he began to breathe a little more quicker than usual.

His eyes soon drifted over towards a row of wooden, hand-crafted stalagmites that outlined the front of the entrance, and all he could do was stare at their pointed bloody tips, One of them even had a white-winged butterfly perched on top of it.

It just rested there for a few seconds as the winds breezed on by him and deafened Al from hearing anything else as he went on, and just watched as the beautiful creature let itself go by letting the winds carry it back up into the sky...

...And it made him smile. A little bit because of the irony, but mostly because of the hope it gave him. At this point, he didn't care if this attack would work or not. Just being able to get here, to be finally have that chance to rise up against these people… it was all he ever wanted.

But now, it was time for him to get busy dying. "Wait... *sigh* ...Shit. gimme a second." Kory suddenly spoke up again and lowered his weapon a bit, looking a little disappointed himself as he rolled his eyes, "...I can't kill you. I have too much beef with you, and i can't be too sinful today! So-"

Then, he smiled and turned to Reno, who was… staring straight ahead at the treeline for some odd reason, "-He'll do it for me! Right old pal?-" Right before something light made contact with his head, and caused him take a step back due to the impact of the object,

"*THOKK!*"

His body became tensed off after that, and Kory just patted his shoulder a second time to get his attention again. "Hey! I'm trying to... let you have some fun…." His words soon began to slow and release any enthusiasm they had, as Reno just turned to look back at his friend, and was gave him an image that no one could forget.

He stood there with his shotgun in hand, and smirked back at Kory while… an arrow had lodged itself deep inside of his left eye socket. It went right through his skull, with the arrow tip going out the back of his head as the back of the bolt, or the nock, was protruding from that same eyehole while a thick line of blood rolled down Reno's left cheek.

After that, the man opened his mouth and tried to mumble something that was supposed to express acknowledgement, but nothing came out of his mouth… and he soon just became deadpanned on the inside, and the outside as he leaned to the side a bit, and fell off of the guard post.

Kory stood there in shock and just watched as his friend become impaled on the spikes below, but he could only look down for a few seconds before his wide eyes drifted back down to Alizarin. "Y-Y-Yu… R-Reno…"

This, just prompted the gunslinger to look back up at the man with an absolutely care-free shrug and a smirk to go along with it right as Gage de-cloaked next to the guard, and planted Mistletoe's barrel against the Skinwalker's eardrum before he whispered his condolences, and just pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"...I'm sorry it had to be this way-"

"*BANG!*"

What was left of Kory after that initial blast was blown back by the force of the single shot, and even more of Gage's skin was stained by the color red, and a little bit of Al's too as a few droplets rained down onto him. "JESUS! What's with you and completely obliterating people?!" He exclaimed as he pulled the front of his hat down a bit.

"*gag* ...It's not like I enjoy it!" The ghost stood there for a few seconds afterwards, in the same position and stance, but mostly because he had been blinded by that same crimson color, causing him to turn his head to the side and cough as he lowered his weapon, and wiped his eyes slowly. "Riley, just open the gate! *cough!*"

"On it!" As soon as Al heard the heavy's voice, he hastily made sure to get out of the way from the front of the village's entrance, and it made Gage smile as he watched from above.

Everything was going according to plan, as he also managed to sneak Riley inside Keji's walls as well thanks to his own semblance, and soon enough a barrage of bullets came flying through the large wooden gate.

The rounds made a very wide and disorganized line across the large door, and when the line was complete, the bottom half of the large door fell forwards onto the ground.

And the moment it hit the floor, Alizarin ran inside and just patted Riley's shoulder for a few seconds before he unholstered his M1911, and ran past her with nothing but a devious smirk across his lips,

"Now move like you've got a purpose!"

He went on to charge ahead towards a small weapons crate where two other skinwalkers were sitting, and they pretty much just watched their village's invasion begin before the old sheriff ran by and shot them dead, without any words being spoken.

Not even a few seconds passed before Gage dropped back down from above and landed next to the heavy, only to lean his head up again and watch as the gunslinger disappeared over the hill.

...Only then did the ghost finally lay his eyes upon the _real_ village of Keji. "...How the hell did they hide all this behind such a crappy wall?" He asked this, because the place looked like a total gem in his eyes.

The way it was structured was very similar to Tsuro's own layout, with the town pretty much being a few rows of buildings, but having four rows of them instead of two, which also had a clear center in the middle and appeared to have more of an… old-western type of vibe to it. Hell, it could've looked like that village straight out of _Django Unchained_ if it wanted to.

Another thing about the place was that it was also more open and… green. Aside from the clear dirt roads that were plowed as pathways throughout the main town and up to the main entrance, the rest of the place was surrounded by green grass, with a few farmland crops outlining the east and west ends of the main wall.

However, the one thing that stood out above everything else in Keji, was the large estate-looking brick home that was located at the very back, or southern end of the village, and it was sitting at the top of a short hill. For a village that was supposed to be thriving outside of Vale's walls and housing seventy people, while being under a dictatorship type of rule… it looked pretty damn beautiful.

"They didn't." Riley soon turned around to face her home as she let her MG's smoking hot barrel hiss quietly at her side. "They just used it to trap whatever prey that thought it looked pretty… like me-"

The ghost had his head halfway tilted towards the heavy as she spoke, but their little moment was soon interrupted as Ileana came sprinting inside the broken entrance, and stopped right behind the two while panting.

"*pant* ...Crap, am i late to the party already?" The spider-faunus huffed lightly.

Riley was already praying for something to get in between them, and luckily her prayers were answered. "Pfft… Don't worry Illie, Al's just lighting the candles." She answered with a small downwards wave.

As for Gage… well, he just chose to drop it for now. Not because he wasn't interested, but more that he just was appalled by her sudden openness, even if it was small.

"Yeah… And nice shot by the way Ileana."

"*pant* ...Awe, thanks!"

He followed up with a reassuring nod, and took a couple steps forwards without saying anything else to the two girls. Mostly because he suddenly became fixated on the weapon cache that Al had pretty much left behind for them.

So when he approached it and pushed the two dead bodies off of it, he opened up one of the crates and scavenged everything he could. Shotgun rounds, revolver speed loaders, some gravity dust, a grenade or two, and… an old-world 60mm dust mortar of all things?

Gage held it up, and brought it closer to himself a little bit so he could stare at it even more. Parts of the metal casing being rusted along with a few parts that looked clean, and it was even dented a little bit, but the explosive still looked usable.

"Hey… they don't happen have a bar down there, do they?" He asked the two girls ominously with narrowed eyes, while the mortar was still in his hand.

Riley could see the fire in his eyes, and she knew just as well as he did what type of damage could be done with the thing, if it doesn't end up going off in his hands prematurely that is.

"Ohoho yeah..." The heavy answered with a nod as a devious little smile crept across her lips. "A lot of the skinnies' usually run the place dry almost every day, so... it shouldn't be too hard to spot."

"...Good." Was all that the ghost uttered afterwards, and that was when he decided to keep the explosive. Because if war movies and games had ever taught him anything, it was how to prime one of these with your hand instead of using a launcher.

He just hoped that the dust in the thing hadn't lost any of it's destructive power, because since they clearly weren't in a position to fight civilly, they would need every last bit of chaos they could use in combat.

But that would come later. Now, they had to make sure to move and plan accordingly… or Ileana wanted to at least. "Well, what's the game plan scruffy?" She asked Gage with crossed arms.

That was when he finally broke his gaze with the old explosive, and he quickly turned to face the spider-faunus with barely any time to pause and think, as he had already made sure of what their next step into battle would be, "Blow Through."

"Me and you will be following Al into town, with me on the ground and you on the rooftops so we'll have someone covering us." He said that to Illie, and then he pointed back at Riley immediately with a sort of deadness inside his red eyes, "And you'll take care of any guards near the wall. Most of them'll be attracted to the village center, so that way we'll be able to box them in-"

"*BANG!* *BANG!*

Right when he was about to finish his statement, two pistol shots suddenly rang out down from within the center of the town. This made all three of them flinch and turn towards it with concern, but Riley was the first to move as she just nodded again and patted Gage's should before leaving,

"I'll be sure to make some noise. Now get going before our plan goes to shit!"

"Right!" The ghost was about to say something similar before she best him to it, and once the heavy broke off from their group, he went to turn back and face Ileana… but she had already started to run towards the main town without him.

After that, he made sure to put Mistletoe on his back and started to charge after Ileana with Javix drawn instead this time, all while he just hoped that they would be successful today.

Because maybe, just maybe after this fight was finally finished… then maybe Gage could start thinking about seeing Yang one last time if and when he would make it back to Vale. Maybe...

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Alizarin ended up sprinting the whole way towards the center of town, and slowed down more and more once he began to see a few familiar faces on the way there.

He expected them to try and stop him to have a conversation, but only when they saw that his gun was when they stopped looking at him entirely, as what was going to happen next became obvious.

So the minute he came around to where their saloon was, the old sheriff just continued on with slow steps as he pulled back the hammer on his M1911, and soon became face to face with two more skinwalkers.

They were on the deck of a building on the row of structures to his right, and could see the two ex-faunus holding up an older man and his teenage daughter, with a bowie knife being held against the kid's throat while her father watched.

Incidents like these tend to happen every other day and would usually lead to nothing, but occasionally it would result in a death for a very stupid or immature reason. That, would only happen while Orin was gone though, so Al knew this wouldn't end well,

"Now Jared, you best make your little gal apologize unless she wants to sound like a smoker for the rest of her life, and you wouldn't want that, now would you?" The thug with the knife asked the father.

"Baby… just do what they say-"

"No! They need to know that we're not afraid… t-that i'm not afraid anymore, of them!"

The girl's clear bluff was hilarious in the eyes of the two men in black leather, and it made the one with the knife lightly slap her across the face with a smile."Is that right? Haha!"

But before the situation could escalate even further, the sound of two spinning spurs could be heard coming from behind the four men, and the sound eventually stopped once the Alizarin stood behind them all with his gun still drawn,

"...Let go of the girl Derren." He demanded as the teen and her father turned to look at the gunslinger.

The two skinwalkers came to look at each other when the older man threatened to end their 'fun', and simply laughed at his suggestion. "Or what Al? You gonna kill us?" The second one chuckled.

"...Well-"

Then again, it was their own fault for thinking that it was just that, a suggestion. Which unfortunately, resulted in them both being rid from this world, as Al shrugged again, and fired two random shots at the two men.

"*BANG!* *BANG!*"

A split second passed before the man with the knife flinched and fell backwards due to one of the bullets being sent right through his forehead, and the second bullet merely incapacitated the second lackey's leg.

But that was enough for the teen to grunt, and take the bowie knife out of his dead mugger's hand before she just grasped it, turned, and plunged it deep into the other man's throat."-EGH!"

He choked and sputtered while some blood poured down from his neck, and all he could do was silently scream as the young girl slit his throat from ear to ear, and pushed him off of the deck and into the dirt of the main road.

Alizarin kind of stood there in awe for a few moments, but shook himself out of the shock once he saw the girl look back up at him for guidance along with her father, who only started to panic more now that his daughter was freed,

"What the- Al, what the hell is going on?! Is… Is it time?"

The sheriff looked down for a little bit, enough so that his hat would block out his eyes. Then he smiled, and stared back at the father ominously before he nodded reassuringly, and replied with only a few words being spoken...

"Heh… Yeah. Now, go forth, and _CONQUER._ "

The girl and her father stood there wide eyed, almost appearing to be completely thrown off by what they had just been told.

Their small pause wouldn't last forever though, as they soon just smiled as well, picked up two pistols off of the two dead skinwalkers, and raised them in the air so they could cry out that single word for the whole village to hear,

" _CONQUER!_ "

That small incident went on to start something else. Because not that long after, more residents began to come out of the woodworks. They were old and young, male and female, and both human and faunus. But despite their diversity, they all were doing the same exact thing.

They shouted that same word, _CONQUER_ , together as those who would want to fight armed themselves from hidden armories, or just stole the weapons from any random skinwalker they came across and killed together.

Only then did the fighting really start, with the civilians instead firing the first few shots, and inciting the first few attacks rather than those who were to be _their_ conquerors.

Gunfire, screaming, war cries, and of course chanting of the word 'conquer' became the overwhelming noise of the village of Keji. The streets and town would soon be painted red, but for now, it was still up to Gage, Riley, Ileana, and Alizarin to make sure that happens.

As the small revolt began however, some of those who weren't exactly aware of the situation only thought the sounds of battle were nothing more than a ruckus, those people being specifically the skinwalkers who were in the aforementioned bar from earlier.

There were around… fifteen of them still in there, so almost forty percent of their forces to be exact, and they still just sat there while the gunfire began. Either at the bar, or the multitude of tables that were inside the main room of the saloon. Some even continued to play a game of pool at the table in the far back of the room.

The bartender just stood there, serving a man wearing the gang's leather attire, and he was beyond wasted at this point, badgering the old man behind the counter to fill his glass more and more while a nearby jukebox was playing some random scratchy tune.

The drunk man just sat there, laughing and sneering at the bartender while he kept a pistol aimed at his crotch so he could keep the drinks flowing. "You best not cut me off! *hiccup* -'Less you want a hole between your legs!" He slurred angrily.

The man behind the counter simply rolled his eyes and continued to wipe a mug down for a few seconds before he put it down, and grasped a bottle of vodka so he could go and fill up the drunk's glass once again.

Something kept him from doing that though, as the shouts and shots finally began to resonate through the walls of the bar just enough so the bartender could hear the word… _conquer_. Just that. _CONQUER_ , over and over again.

He knew what it meant, he just couldn't believe that it was finally being chanted after so long. It was so distracting, that he nearly dropped the vodka bottle and poured the liquid all over the man with the gun,

"*Clink!*"

"Hey, watch it! That stuff's worth gold nowadays!"

The bartender fumbled with it for a few seconds, but quickly grasped it tightly once again so he could finish pouring the drink, and when it was filled… he took a step back so he could stare down at the bottle himself. "You're right…"

He kept the thing in his hands for a few more seconds, and soon chose to drink from the bottle as the chanting began to grow louder and more spread out, not caring about whether or not he got shot for it or not.

Luckily for him, his customer was already guzzling down his drink with the bottom up in the air, so it gave him a chance to… finally do something that he had always wanted to do before, and this time he knew it wouldn't be in vain.

The bartender looked down below the counter, and spotted an old MARS automatic pistol. Something he used to ward off any type of Grimm whenever they would try to Invade Keji back before Orin and his group took over the place.

But now… for him, it was finally time to take his town back. So he placed his hand on the heavy sidearm, and looked back up at the drunk with the gun out while his finger inched it's way more towards the pistol's trigger, "...You enjoying yourself there?"

"*hiccup* ...Very much so. Hehe!"

"...I'm glad-"

"*BANG!*"

A random shot rang out from the old pistol, and the drunk flew back into a table that was occupied by others at the time, while his drink and own pistol clattered onto the floor. It drew the attention of everyone in the room, who all soon just looked over at the bartender like he was a monster for doing so. And of course, they all soon pulled whatever weapons they had out, and aimed them at him.

The man was simply looking down at the dead skinwalker with a grin on his face, and came to smile at his corpse before he put his hands in the air in the manner of shrug, and raised his eyes up to stare back at everyone else in the room.

He knew what was going to come next, anyone would know. But he didn't care, he chose to rise up with everyone else in his own small way, and that was all that he wanted. So, he embraced death for the first time, and chuckled smugly at his enemies.

"Sorry. Hehe… guess i forgot to mention it was his last call."

They gunned him down the second his mouth shut once again, with pistol, and shotgun rounds tearing his body to shreds as he was blown back into liquor bottle display behind him.

Then, not even a few seconds after his mutilated corpse fell to the floor, more random bullets from outside broke through the windows and caused the rest of the skinwalkers to finally come to realize that that all that noise was something to be concerned about.

One of the men in there shook his head with annoyance and just began to stomp towards the front door of the saloon. "What kind of hell is raging on out there?!-"

But when he tried to get through the door, another random gunshot went off, which caused him to scream in agony. After that, he was pulled out of the door, and was beaten on the forehead with something before he was thrown back inside.

"MOTHERFUCKER! MY HEAD! MY LEG!"

He fell onto the wooden for with both of his hands clasped on a part of his body, one hand on his leg that had been shot and the other on his forehead, which had seemingly been slammed into by a metal object of some sort.

Another skinwalker looked down at the other with squinted eyes, feeling confused, and soon walked towards him whilst he scratched his head and tried to catch a glimpse of anyone on the other side of the saloon's front doors. "...What the hell?"

The sound of the two doors opening came near, and it made everyone aim their guns over towards the entrance again… but all that came through it was a small metal mortar, which went across the room and landed face down on the floor. And it was just close enough to the Skinwalkers, that they were all able to be disintegrated by what came next,

"*dink!*"

…

A few seconds earlier, Gage eventually found himself sprinting through the village's own main road, and was alarmed to see that by the time he had gotten down there, a few buildings had already caught on fire and there were already bodies in the street, both belonging to the rebels and the Skinwalkers.

The smoke still obscured his vision from whatever lied ahead of him, but he still kept running towards the center of town with Javix in one hand and his newly-acquired explosive in the other, with the intention of shooting anything that moved and was wearing black leather.

He didn't have time to think about where he was going, but once he made his way deeper into the black fog until he could hear… the sound of thunder, or something else similar coming from the right side of the path, where that bar/saloon turned out to be.

At that point he could see two other villagers on the left side of the main road shooting at the windows of the place while they were inside the building opposite to the one all the Skinwalkers were in, and the gunfire immediately caught theirs, and Gage's attention.

When he made his way into the view of the two villagers, they aimed their weapons at him for only a few short seconds before he raised his metal arm up in a defensive way, and mouthed the word 'friendly' at them both, causing them to lower their rifles.

Silence came again, and the ghost used this to his advantage as he quickly crept back over towards the entrance to the bar and stayed stacked up against the door, but in a way that no one would see him unless they would come outside.

"...What kind of hell is raging on out there?!"

He heard this coming from inside of the place, and waited a few more seconds before that same man came out the front door, and when he did, Gage lunged and threw him off guard by slapping Javix's pistol barrel against the side of his face.

Then as he stumbled, the ghost grunted, looked down, and quickly shot the man in the kneecap so he could plant the skinwalker against the entrance with his elbow on his throat to keep him quiet, but there wasn't really a need for that anymore.

What he needed to do next was to take care of everyone else inside, and with his mortar still in hand, he sighed once again, and slammed the butt of it down onto the forehead of the skinwalker before he threw him back inside of the building.

Gage could hear his body as it fell onto the wooden floor before the man screamed bloody murder, "MOTHERFUCKER! MY HEAD! MY LEG!" He screamed, right before shuffling could be heard from the back of the bar.

The ghost now knew that the mortar in his hand was primed, and it took him a few seconds of clarity until he realized that he could blow off another one of his limbs within the next second if he didn't move quickly. "*pant* ...OH SH-SHIT!"

He peered down at the thing and cursed to himself briefly before he nearly dropped Javix, threw the explosive into the bar with an overhand toss, turned his body around, and tried his best to run away.

Initially, he stumbled out of fear as the mortar detonated, and he would have fallen over if the force of the explosion hadn't end up launching him halfway across the main road of the village, only for him to land in the dirt with a roll until he laid on his side.

Fire came bursting through the front door and the windows of the bar, which had been shattered due to the shockwave, and the roof was nearly blown off the top of the place, but it instead crumbled and caved in on the entire building, which was now set ablaze.

The damn thing somehow managed to cause more damage than Gage anticipated thanks to the burn dust that had been infused into the mortar, as the explosion pretty much vaporized everything on the inside…

The raging flames began to roar, and all it really did was make Gage groan with angst as he used one hand to raise himself off of the ground a little bit so he could look back at the damage he had done. "*pant* ...Why the hell do I keep volunteering for these things?!"

He stated this with one of his red eyes open while his neon green aura flickered with weakness and instability, as it had luckily taken most of the impact from the blast and any shrapnel that would have tried to pierce his body, but it of course still left a lot of pain in his bones.

The ghost laid there on the ground for a few moments in pain, staring at the burning bar as he tried to get his heartbeat steadied again, but that wouldn't end up happening for a while. Instead, it only intensified as Alizarin's voice managed to make its way through the ringing in his ears. "Well, that's one glorious way to get their attention!" He said with a slight chuckle.

Gage exhaled painfully, and looked away from the wreckage so he could watch as Al marched through that same black smoke that he had walked past only two minutes, and he wasn't the only one to come out of it.

Behind him came what could only be described as a small militia of around twenty armed men and women, and they all appeared to be holding some type of rifle whether it was automatic, semi, bolt-action, or a shotgun, it didn't matter.

Then just as soon as it came, a gust of wild wind blew the cloud of smoke away to reveal another ten fighters, adding their total up to around thirty people, not including the son and the father from earlier, and our current main four.

They all stopped behind Alizarin as he looked down and held his hand out to the village's new visitor with another smirk across his lips. "Come on now, this battle is just getting started. So you know that i can't leave you here!" To which Gage laughed at,

"*pant* ...Heh, yeah. You're not!"

The sound of their hands clasping together followed this, and the sheriff pulled the ghost back up onto his feet before he looked turned to look at the surrounding area while he picked Javix off of the ground as well. "There you are!" A random voice said from above the two men.

They, and the rest of the militia turned and looked up at Ileana, who was now standing on the roof of a building that was located next to the now burnt down bar, and she just looked down at them all with her hands on her hips,

"Now not to alarm you guys, but the rest of the skinnies are coming down from the north end of town."

"So… they're basically going to be right in front of us?" Alizarin asked her as she finally equipped her bow, and pulled a single arrow out of her quiver before answering. "If you want to look at it that was, then yes. Anyway, I'll scout ahead, so you better be right on my ass!"

She then made a nearly impossible leap onto another building that was ahead of her, and all Gage could do was question how much power her semblance had on her body, and if she even realized what she had just said.

Either way, he didn't want to be shot somewhere where the sun don't shine, by an arrow or a bullet, he just chose to keep his mouth shut and sighed internally as he rolled his eyes too. "...So-"

"*CRACK!*"

Another rather shot rang out, and it clashed against the metal plates of Gage's prosthetic arm and caused him to stumble to the side a bit, but one of the villagers quickly put their hand against his chest to keep him from falling, again.

This shot turned out to be the turning point in the battle, as everyone else looked ahead of themselves and could see a few random skinwalkers give off some pot shots before they turned and ran, which caused the rest of the villagers to charge blindly after them in pursuit.

The man who caught Gage watched at all his acquaintances let out a war cry and run into the fray without him, and he didn't want to be left out of that one big moment that would allow for the two sides to finally clash once and for all.

"CLEAR UP, LET'S GO!" The man yelled as he let go of Gage, patted his shoulder, and turned to face the Skinwalkers head-on with the rest of his fellow fighters.

The ghost stood there for a few moments with his hand of flesh covering the spot on his metal arm that had been struck by the stray bullet, and he panted quietly as he went to look back at Alizarin again… but he wasn't there anymore either.

He had gone right ahead with everyone else in the militia and left him in the dust to look ahead with confusion. Not because of their reaction, but their drive. Because at this point it seemed like they were just wanting to charge right into a firing squad and get gunned down.

Then again, it wasn't like Orin's followers would be that focused to set up a trap during a revolt… it would still a very interesting sight to see though. Now, all it needed was for the ghost to be right there next to the people he had helped free.

Yet, Gage didn't do that once he realized that he was lagging behind. Among everything else he was feeling, or had felt for the past few weeks, this moment, right here and now… he felt unbelievably anxious. It was nearly unexplainable to him.

Maybe it was the fact that his emotions were constantly conflicting with each other, that almost every part of his body was aching/stained with dried blood, or that he was just afraid of his luck running out now after it had pretty much kept him alive this long.

Hell, he could have died twice within the last two minutes, maybe some unknown force just kept the world from striking him down once and for all. But he didn't feel invincible either. That was what kept him from taking that one step forward. Luckily for him, there was still someone else who would be able to help give that extra push if he couldn't end up doing it himself,

"... _It's okay Gage. I'll say your peace If I have to. Now get up and go to war!"_

…

While that battle was starting to ramp up all by itself, Riley was already having one of her own on the eastern side of the Keji, at one of the village's main guard posts to be exact. It had already been populated by the Skinwalkers, but half of them got up and went to go check out was going inside the main town.

This worked to her advantage thankfully, and things were going pretty smoothly for her… if completely mowing down enemies with a machine gun axe thing could be considered as, 'killing them softly'.

"*BRAK!* *BRAK!* *BRAK!* *BRAK!*"

She ran along the side of a long-going scaffolding, which was really just a makeshift catwalk that would allow the guards to look over the village's main wall, and she was squeezing her trigger finger with a painful amount of force as she decimated five men that were headed straight for her.

The ones that also had firearms didn't even have time to fire back by the time they became pumped full of lead, except for one of them, but all he had to use against her was some weird linked assortment of spiked chains. "*whistle!*" The heavy taunted the man

He grunted with frustration and twirled the chains around like a lasso for a few seconds before he threw them at her, and wrapped the front of Bronze Bess's barrel with them.

It was all apart of Riley's plan though, as she tugged her weapon back hard, and flipped it around so that the gun's blade-bipod was visible. This all happened as the straggler was pulled forwards, and Riley simply kneed the guy in the shin, and rammed the axe blade's down onto the front of his chest.

"AAAGGH!"

The blow to his knee caused him to kneel with that one leg, and scream as Riley pretty much used him as a surface to keep her M249 leveled so she could fire off another small flurry of shots, which ended up taking down two more Skinwalkers that weren't that far behind the group that came before them.

And this second barrage caused enough force that the two blades that were plunged into the first man's chest moved slowly across his body until they slid free of his skin, and allowed him to fall onto the ground, where he would inevitably bleed to death.

Once he was rid of her weapon's grasp, the blonde haired girl sighed again as she started the shifting process for Bronze Bess so it would turn into it's axe form, because she was starting to hear a single set of footsteps come from behind her.

Then almost casually, she flipped her axe around again and swung it backwards, but instead of hitting herself with it, the double edged blade curved around the back of her head and became planted right into the side of the person's skull.

Some bone crunched, and the final Skinwalker stopped moving immediately until she got the weapon free again and caused him to topple over onto his side, which caused her to shake her head with disappointment.

"*sigh* ...How was i ever scared of you guys? Seriously-"

Right when the sharp edge was removed from her enemy's skin yet again, a random and loud explosion rang out from down inside the middle of the town… but it wasn't the one that Gage had set off. That time had already passed.

The blast sounded more controlled and mechanical even, which was soon followed by a thunderous rumbling sound. This made Riley nearly facepalm, and she soon just shifted her axe back into its machine gun form. "Oh fuck, that better not be the damn tank!"

She then exhaled heavily and began to run down towards the center of the village so she could regroup with everyone else, and help in the fight against the…-WHOA WAIT WHAT?! A TANK?!

…

"Push up god damn it! We have them on the run!" One of the armed villagers yelled as he looked ahead, and gunned down another random skinwalker.

He was apart of the group's 'vanguard' and was trying to coerce everyone else to continue charging ahead blindly, as the smoke from the building that Gage had blown up earlier was now spreading throughout the town, and was screwing with everyone's visibility.

Now the ghost and Alizarin were still moving along Keji's main center with their own forces, but made sure to stay behind everyone else. Well, it was more so that the others weren't as cautious as they both were, "No don't! They could be have a trap set for all we know!"

Nothing Gage said could change their mind at this point although, and around ten of the fighters went on to ignore any warnings he could give. The only thing they did in response was to look ahead and blind-fire into the black smokescreen with whatever weapons they had in their arms.

Ileana went ahead as well, and this made the two men sigh before they too went into the dark smog slowly with their weapons at the ready in case anything would pop out at them from the other side…

...But, they never could have guessed at what came next.

"*DOSH!* *DOSH!* *DOSH!* *DOSH!*"

Bullets whizzed through the cloud of smoke and were followed by screams of pain and agony, which caused Gage to stop in his tracks and raise his right hand in the air, as it had been made into a fist in order to signal everyone else to slow down.

"Hold up!" He hissed at everyone In a hushed and angry tone.

The ghost knew that going down the middle would mean death for them all, so he looked back at the rest of their strike team and saw that the remaining twenty had been bunched up. This made him swing at them with his raised hand, but with a cutting motion.

"Split, and take the right and left flanks. We can't have everyone getting mowed down at once!"

And thus the group became split. Ten of the fighters went to the left, while the other ten stayed on the right side of the main road, and Gage and Alizarin just stayed put in the middle as they all now began to inch slowly out of the dark smoke.

But when the world became visible to them again… they found only a few of their fallen comrades that had ran too far ahead, and what ended up killing them was sitting only a few yards away, Which, was in fact an old and rusted M1A2 Abrams Assault Tank.

It was sitting there in the middle of the main road, painted black with two .50 Caliber turrets connected to it's two top hatches, and sounded like it was about to blow a fuse by how loud and broken it's engine was… but it still was beyond scary.

The moment it's metal outer frame became visible, Gage and Al both lowered their weapons in awe. It was mostly because how unbelievably fucked they felt in that moment, and also because they had that, 'deer in the headlights', kind of feeling.

They also stopped, and pretty much acted like if the tank was a T-Rex from the Jurassic Park movies. You know, where the so-called, 'beast's' vision is only based on movement? Yeah, that was how out of touch with reality the two became. "Br…"

Gage was close to muttering something along the lines of, _BRUH,_ but was rudely interrupted by the abrams tank, which sounded like it was powering up by how loud and high pitch it's cannon seemed to whine,

"SCATTER!" The ghost yelled as he pushed Alizarin down and to the left with his prosthetic arm while he too tried to turn and run in the same direction.

The tank's cannon puffed out a small cloud of dust and dirt as the shell was launched outwards and detonated in the center of general area where Keji's Militia group where, so pretty much right behind where Gage and Al were standing.

Luckily the shot was very delayed and everyone managed to backup a little bit more to avoid it, even if the shrapnel damaged their auras slightly. Other than that, no one was injured… mostly because everyone was already standing clear of the middle of the road thanks to Gage's earlier decision to split the group.

He now threw himself down onto the floor and slowly inched over to the left row of buildings along with the older sheriff, who was already taking cover in a small gap between one of the buildings and was currently trying to dust any sand or dirt off of his AK-47.

An unbelievable ear-sore of a gunfight broke out after that first initial explosion, and the ghost was still shaken by the surprise so much that he just laid on his side and kept shooting Mistletoe blindly at the tanks front hull armor.

The rest of their Militia did the same, but were also smart enough to run and form a perimeter around the vehicle so they could suppress it from all angles. Even Ileana, who was now on top of last building on the right row of structure, kept firing arrows at the tank.

Not just randomly though, she instead decided to take aim at the two gunners that were on top of the tank and were using the two .50 Cal turrets that were attached to the tank's two roof hatches. Man, so much for Skinwalkers being, 'unresourceful'.

When the Abram's main cannon turned away from Gage's position, Al eventually came in and grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar so he could drag him into that small gap he was just in while the ghost continued to fire randomly.

"...WHAT THE FUCK. I THOUGHT YOU SAID THEY ONLY HAD A HUMVEE!"

He was beyond furious at this point out of fear and frustration, and the old sheriff kind of rubbed the back of his head once he let go of his ally, whose aura began to glow white once again. "...That's not a type of tank?" Alizarin asked him, feeling bewildered.

" _Really dude?!"_ Summer subconsciously yelled.

The moment he was free again, the ghost just covered his ears, leaned back against the surface behind him, and looked up at Alizarin with his burning red eyes as he opened his mouth and just threw one of his arms up into the air with exasperation,

" _OH!_ WHAT AN ASTUTE OBSERVATION!"

The sheriff sighed and tried to say something to get him back on the task at time, but he was quickly cut off. Gage was beyond done with this day at this point… i mean a tank? A MOTHERFUCKING TANK? REALLY?!

"You could've just said, ' _oh holy shit they have a tank by the way_ ' and I would've gotten the memo! But _NOOOO!_ Just what the fuck man?! A tank is a fucking tank!"

"Rrrgh… will you just quit your yelling and use those grenades in your pack before they fire off another shot?!"

"*huff* ...Fine." So the ghost shook his head and dropped his knapsack so he could get two of his grenades out of it. Then he put one on his belt and crawled up against the wall that was opposite to him in that small passage, where Al was stacked up against. "But tell me, how are we gonna lob one in there without getting torn to bits?"

He asked this as he peeked out the gap and towards the tank with Mistletoe in one hand, and his 'nade in the other. "We just sit here and wait for the right moment?"

"Yeah… whenever that'll be." Al replied sarcastically as he used both of his hands to grip his M1911. They both exhaled with annoyance once it felt like they were going to have to wait a while…

...Even though that wouldn't end up being the case. You see, the tank was pretty much sitting there in the center of the road, but the path wasn't going in a single direction. The road or trail where it sat was actually paved in the shape of a 't'.

Gage and Alizarin were both taking cover on the tank's north side while its eastern side was blocked by Keji's right row of buildings, and half of the other fighters were suppressing it's southern side, or the vehicle's rear.

This meant that there was still a road that was converging into the one the tank was already blocking, and it was located on the tank's western side… where it wasn't currently facing. None of it's gunners were either, as they were focused on trying to pick off the remaining Militia members that were engaged with it.

So, it still had a blind spot, and it allowed for Riley to finally make her entrance as a random Skinwalker, which had his aura under the heavy's influence, was launched into the tank's left side so hard that a dent was made, which also screwed with the vehicle's treads.

It's track was thrown out of whack, and thus it's mobility had been disabled. Now all that everyone else needed to do was to kill the two gunners, push in, and destroy the tank with any explosives that they had on hand.

" _..._ Guess that's my cue huh _?_ "

Gage began to sweat once the realization came, and he looked back at Al to see if he'd quickly stop him from going out there, but that didn't happen. The gunslinger just stared at him with confusion, and nodded.

After this, the ghost rested Mistletoe against the wall he was taking cover behind, and took Javix out as he closed his eyes, sighed, and prepared himself for the sprint towards the vehicle. "*sigh*...Crap!-"

Then he forced himself out of that small gap, made sure to use all of his still weakened aura towards protecting his body, and he started to make a mad dash towards the Abrams tank.

During that same moment, Ileana looked down towards him since she was still overwatching thanks to the high ground she was on, and let out a small gasp before she turned and yelled down to Riley, who had taken cover in the building she was on top of after she made her entrance.

"Riley, get them to focus us!"

The heavy let out a very audible growl as she peered over the large broken shop-window sill she was camping behind and watched the ghost as he pulled the pin off of the grenade in his hand, and pretty much dunked the explosive into the tank's main cannon, since it was being aimed in his direction.

It wasn't able to roll into the vehicle's cockpit or detonate the shell that was loaded, because it had already been fired. Instead it just exploded inside of the cannon and blew the metal tube open from the inside, destroying it. But the reason why Riley sighed was because Gage took a second grenade out of his pocket, and if he was planning to throw that thing into one of the tank's hatches without getting killed, then at least one of the gunners had to be taken care of.

So… she creeped her head out of the window sill and looked across the street to her right to see that a few of the other, about five militiamen/women were taking cover as well, and one of them signaled towards the heavy with a small wave.

She waved back of course and lifted Bronze Bess onto the sill bar so they could purposely watch her cock it before she mouthed the words, 'get ready' to the five of them. That group understood and eventually got the word around to the other squads in cover that they would have to suppress the tank, and Riley got a thumbs up not that long afterwards.

"Okay…" She followed this up with a small exhale, and got her bipod setup for her machine gun in preparation for the bulletstorm. "...Sorry Sheila." She quietly whispered towards the tank.

Once she said farewell to the rusted beast, the heavy narrowed her brow and stuck her hand out of the window again so she could start counting down with her fingers, starting at the number three.

Three...

Two…

...One!

" _SUPPRESSING!"_ Each of the fighters cried as they all finally peeked over whatever they were hiding behind, and began to light up the back end and the top of the tank.

This immediately grabbed the attention of the two gunners, and they both turned away from Gage's direction right as a stray bullet went through one of their heads, leaving the ghost with only one turret to worry about.

He ran and slid on one knee to quickly get out of the way when the tank's main cannon exploded from his grenade, and he quickly raised himself back up off of the ground so he could turn back and climb onto the vehicle's lower half.

"First a Manticore, and now a Tank?!" He thought to himself as he took out his second grenade ,and pulled himself up onto the upper half of the Abrams. Hmph, guess he forgot about the Goliath from eight months ago...

When he finally got on top of the vehicle, he spotted the second gunner, who was turned away and firing blindly at the villagers with the mounted .50 Cal turret.

And taking into consideration that this dude didn't even notice that his friend had been killed, and that the top of the tank had just gotten a lot heavier, the ghost just panted and kicked the skinwalker straight in the back of the head out of spite.

The force of it sent the front of his face straight into the back of the already heated machine gun, making the gunner scream with fright as he held his forehead in pain, and quickly looked behind himself to watch Gage as he pulled the pin out of his second grenade!

"Aaagh! ...Rrrgh, damn kid!" The man hissed at the ghost, and followed with something completely unexpected.

He grabbed onto his turret's frame, which was a revolving circle-shaped piece of iron that allowed the huge gun to turn a full three hundred and sixty degrees, and he just spun it around violently.

It turned right around and caused the already hot and metal-made turret barrel to slam right into Gage's right ankle/lower knee area, and it made him lose his balance along with the grenade, as he dropped it.

It clattered onto the steel surface that was right next to the tank's open second hatch, (which had it's door raised and pulled back) and luckily it landed on the side where safety lever was, and it kept the grenade from exploding that second because of the sudden impact on it. That would only save him momentarily however, as the skinwalker started to climb out of his own hatch so he could take care of his attacker.

Gage fell to the side a little bit and nearly hit his head on where the tank's cannon tube would usually start to protrude from, and since he figured the man was already going to attack him, he turned a bit so he could land on his back instead of one of his shoulders.

This sudden change in his positioning made the pain in his ankle increase immensely, but it also allowed for Gage to quickly steady Javix with both of his hands, look up, and fire a single gunshot through the gunner's stomach before he could try anything.

"*BANG!*" As soon as that last shot went out the cultist's back, he lost his balance as well and fell backwards off the back of the tank.

The ghost didn't even care if he hadn't fallen, because right after he pulled the trigger, he pushed himself to get back up and went on to simply lean upwards and kick the grenade into the small door he had been hovering over earlier, and he ended up bank-shotting it into the open hatch.

"*pant* *pant* *pant* ...Come on!"

Gage slammed his fist down onto his right thigh to compensate for the pain he felt, and tried his very best to get up without being too slow before he threw Javix randomly down towards the dirt, and leaped off of the front end of the tank as the grenade detonated.

He could feel the heat as it spread closer and closer towards the skin on his back as it pushed him outwards until he crashed on to the ground hard, rolled onto his back, and accidentally whipped the side of his head into the hot dirt below him.

Fire and smoke then spewed out of every opening that riddled the tank's weak and rusted shell, but it didn't end up breaking or exploding entirely. It's body just began to burn from the inside and caused more flames to be pushed out of it, which soon engulfed the surrounding area in black smoke, with a shade of brown.

His ears rang with even more intensity thanks to the trauma to his head and the explosion, but even through all of that, he was still able to hear the cheering and cries of joy that came from Keji's people.

Soon they began to chant the word ' _CONQUER!_ ' again whilst repeatingly raising their weapons into the air as a way to celebrate their victory against the tan., right as the dark dirt-colored smog consumed the surrounding area yet again.

However, Gage didn't know what was happening just yet, because now they were no longer visible to him, and it also sounded like they were screaming in pain, like they were dying. Their screams intensified, and that was enough for the ghost to lift himself off of the ground yet again. He stood up and could feel a burning feeling sensation all across his back, along with the pulsation of his now broken aura.

He panted and looked around himself numerous times as the cheers started to gain a sort of… echoey, or angelic tone as the dirt-colored dust and smoke formed a vortex around him. After that, he could barely see two feet ahead of himself, like the explosion had just started a sandstorm or something that only targeted him.

His continuous breaths began louder and louder as he sucked in more of the unclear air and started to cough, as he could barely breathe now. And when he eventually stopped at a single direction so he could try to walk forward… he didn't get far.

Gage's eyes fluttered, and he was only to take two steps before his left leg gave out, and he fell forwards onto the ground again.

He fell slightly to the left and came to rest on his side while laid his down too, and could only look straight ahead as the cloud began to part so someone could approach him.

Unfortunately he couldn't get much of a glimpse of them aside from their feet, and a little bit of their arm… but from what the ghost could tell, the person had brown and golden-colored zip up boots, and black pants with the fabric of one of their knees being colored purple.

Other than that, the person had long golden hair that was barely even visible, and their right arm looked to be… made of metal, and spray painted a shiny type of yellow. They began to kneel down close to his level, and they lowered their metal hand down onto the dirt before sliding it over to Gage's own as he huffed and began to lose consciousness,

" _You see this right? Is this who you want me to become? ...To become like you?"_

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't blink, he couldn't even talk as he glanced upwards out of his peripheral and saw his lover Yang kneeling before him, wearing her aviators and sporting a dead glare that was aimed directly at him. "Y… Yu…"

The ghost tried to mumble her name, and reach out for her hand… but her own metal fingers immediately fell apart, losing their color and turning into something close to the texture sand before they fell onto the ground and dissipated.

Not that much time passed before the rest of her figure did the same, and came apart like it was a wet sand sculpture as a few other people came within Gage's peripheral right as his vision finally faded to black, and the swirling dust finally consumed him.

…

 **Three Hours Later…**

…

~ _Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung_.~

As the light faded from his vision, all Gage could hear for the next few hours were the sounds of rushing winds, whispering, and a few small giggles that sounded a little too familiar to him. It was almost like someone was watching him suffer… and that they were enjoying it.

Unbeknownst to the ghost, Keji's Uprising really ended after the destruction of the Skinwalker's Abrams tank, thanks to him of course. The fighting slowly died after the villagers rounded up whoever else they found of the twisted gang, and made sure to make sure that there was no one left alive, right as the sun finally settled over the land.

Night came not that much later, and everyone made sure to try and fix up their new red eyed, 'hero', who actually fainted because of dehydration and that quick blow to the head he suffered during his assault on the tank.

And during the time that he was knocked out, Alizarin and Ileana made sure to explain to their citizens what the new traveler had done for them, while Riley slowly began to vouch for his actions as well.

~ _Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung, bung_ -~

They told of how he was found by their group, was thrown into the fray only to survive again and again, and how he dispatched of Orin for the time being before choosing to attack the Skinwalkers head on with only three others at his side.

The general reaction of the villagers was to think that he was mad, until some of them began to think back and remember seeing the kid being reinforced with both a white and green colored aura… and this caused them to see him as something else than just a child. They saw him as their savior.

Alizarin and the two younger girls just laughed at this thought and reassured everyone that it was all pure luck that they were still alive, and they went on to bring the unconscious ghost up to the estate-house at the back of the village, which was behind the main town and overlooked the rest of Keji like a watchtower.

This all lead up to now… as Gage finally opened his eyes once again to feel the sweet and soft cushions of a leather couch that he had been set on to rest until he would regain consciousness.

 _~-Mr. Sandman! Bring me a dream, make him the cutest that I've ever seen, give him two lips like roses and clovers, then tell him that these lonesome nights are over!~_

He had been placed in the house's main living room, which had a connecting kitchen that was small, but was located about a yard from the left side of the couch he had been placed on, specifically on the side where his feet lied. There was also a staircase that appeared to the left of the kitchen's entrance, and it appeared to go up and loop back into a hallway on the second floor.

Just then, the sounds of a TV, an old music player that was playing _Mr. Sandman_ by _The Chordettes_ , and whispering filled Gage's ears as he groaned with pain and could only look a little bit to his right to see that Riley was sitting near his feet in an old chair, wearing just her beige-colored sweatshirt and some black short shorts.

She was watching whatever was on their TV while Alizarin stood next to her with his arms crossed, and his back turned to the ghost as he finally chose to say something to them, "Hey… what happened?"

He spoke with a dry mouth and a very tired tone of voice because of how dazed the pains meds he was given made him feel, and he also noticed that he had a new bandage wrapped around his forehead as well.

"Hmph. You really won't give yourself a break, will you?" The old sheriff asked in return as he glanced back to face their injured friend.

Gage then leaned up and looked around for a few seconds before his eyes began to drift towards the table that was in front of the couch he was lying on, which was Javix been set. He tried to grab it the moment he laid his eyes on the revolver, but Al quickly stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

"*exhale* ...Hey, easy Gage! You won't be needing that for the rest of the night. So just relax, alright?"

The ghost was very confused, and also exhausted. Where had he been taken? Was everyone else alright? What the hell did he see before passing out…. and was it real, or was it all simply a product of his cracked, and now shared mind?

He shuddered for a short moment before he grasped the front of his head painfully, and looked back up at the gunslinger with a very unsettled stare, "The Skinwalkers, where's the rest of them? D-D… Did Orin come back?!" Riley giggled at his cluelessness, and waved him off with another laugh.

"Pfft, nope! So far it seems like you made the old asshole bitch out!" She answered with a smile. Alizarin rolled his eyes to this, and made sure to explain the whole thing pretty clearly. "Kid, It's over… we won."

This only made him question as to how long he had passed out for, but Alizarin soon sighed and knelt down next to the ghost, and took a water bottle off of the table so he could hand it to him.

"...Just like that?" He asked again as he took the water from the older man.

"Destroying that tank kinda killed their morale, and well… we cleaned up the rest after you got knocked out. Now, we're fixing to set out for Vale in the morning… but i'm starting to wonder if you're actually going to come along or not."

"Um, Al… Can you slow down for a second?" Gage became a little nervous after he said that, but also winced again because well… it was really hard for him to try and follow along at the moment. "I think the rest of me is still trying to wake up…"

"Yeah, sorry…" Al nodded and began to scratch his head, feeling a little embarrassed by how unmindful he was being towards someone who honestly could have easily fallen into a coma. "Look, you just sleep on that thought... I've got something to attend to."

So that prompted him to apologize briefly before he chose to walk away… towards the back of the estate-house, where a door to the backyard was located, and it was already slightly ajar.

He also had a picture frame in one of his hands, and had a six pack of beer set outside and right in front of the door… strange. "Hm… What's he up to?" Gage asked as he turned to Riley with wide eyes.

From the ghost's point of view, he could barely even see anything outside in their backyard except for a fold up chair, a gas can, and that previously mentioned six pack of beer. It also didn't help that the door wasn't exactly close to the couch, and that it was also pitch black outside as well.

Then before he knew it, Alizarin stepped outside and closed the glass door behind himself… and the blonde had already been closed beforehand, so now all Gage could do was guess as to what the gunslinger was up.

"Don't ask about it. And please… don't go out there." The heavy replied vaguely.

Even this request seemed to be unlike her, as she didn't seem like the type to beg anyone to not do something. Threaten maybe, but not the type to make a polite request. It obviously confused him at first, but only until he remembered that he was still technically a guest, and that intruding on someone would probably be impolite.

"*sigh* ...Alright, fine." So he chose to instead look back at the blonde girl and sigh with some slight annoyance in his voice, still trying his best to put his curiosity in the back of his mind for the rest of the night. "So… what now Riley?"

Gage asked her this because the minute he agreed not to look into the previous matter any further, Riley's brown eyes lit up and she let a small smirk form slowly across her face, which was another strange sight to see coming from her.

And she continued this trend while also being to strike fear into his heart as he soon looked at the table in front of him, and spotted a silver tray that had a… syringe-pistol? It was hard to figure out, but Gage saw a vial that was labeled, 'rabies vaccine', loaded in the back of where the pistol's slide would be.

" _Now_ , i get to stick you with this thing!" She replied, with a slightly-crazed grin.

The heavy then took the thing off of the tray and cocked it back as she got out of her chair, and paced around the table quickly towards the ghost, who stared back at her with a a nervous scowl,

"You guys purposely held off on giving me that, just to see my reaction?! I could have gotten completely infected by now!"

"Don't be such a drama queen, 'Mr. Plot Armor'." Riley rolled her eyes and waved the medical pistol casually as she pushed her 'patient' back a little bit, and sat down next to him. "I honestly doubt the world would let you die from an infection after all this shit. Now… do you want to hold my hand so it'll be easier?~"

His red eyes flared a little bit brighter in that moment, but he was still too tired to lash out at her for all the teasing. So he looked away and began to roll back his right shirt sleeve "...Bunch of assholes-"

"*SSTCH!*"

To his surprise, when Gage chose to sit on one side of the couch normally to make room for her, Riley basically lunged at him, stuck the med-gun's barrel against his right wrist, and squeezed the trigger hard.

"A-AGH! WHY?!" He screamed as the heavy started laughing, and pressed her back against the couch cushions with her head leaned back as well. "Hahaha! That's for the shitty pun you made from earlier!"

Her laughter began to become quieter as he just sat there with his mouth slightly open, and slowly closed it before he could get any louder. "Rrrgh…"

He figured that she did just cure him, so she earned back the right to tease him for a moment… and yeah, it was a really bad joke. The reminder of it also influenced him to ease up a bit on his hostility, because the thought of Yang crossed his mind yet again.

"Hehe… Alright, calm down. I'm done for the night, i promise." So with that, Gage sighed and turned towards Riley as she pointed down at his right hand. "Now give me your hand. Your bandages teared during the last battle, so I've gotta redo 'em so your cuts don't get infected."

The heavy then looked up into his red eyes after making her intentions clear… but watched as they became blank, like something was distracting him on the inside. But when she tried to see what caught his eyes… she saw that it was their old TV that was placed in front of the couch they were on.

It's remote had been placed on the table that was also in front of them, along with a plate of cold pasta that had been made earlier. At first that's what she thought he was staring at, but it was actually the movie that was playing on the screen. _Casablanca._

"Go ahead." Gage mumbled in a low tone.

"Okay…"

This was a movie he was actually very familiar with. Sure it was old, but it was still his cup of tea… old films always were. The thing about this one however, was the fact that it was once regarded as cinema's greatest love story.

That was at least what Gage remembered from one of his film classes back when he was still in school in Atlas, but that's besides the point. Currently the movie was nearing its end, and right in the middle of the couple's final goodbye.

The ghost was drawn into another trance-like state from this, obviously because of what happened not that long ago. Two lovers caught in the middle of a war, with two paths being present that both could travel down without the other… which ended up being the way they became separated.

" _And i said i would never leave you…"_

" _...Where i'm going, you can't follow. What i've got to do, you can't be any part of!"_

Gage managed to catch theses few lines before his eyes became glued to the screen, and his hearing began to fade away with the moment as quick flashes of the night he left his own lover started to repeat within the depths of his mind

Yang's tears, and the way she pleaded for him to stay while Gage had blood on his hands, and was afraid that someday it would be hers instead of the enemy's. Sure the two stories were incomparable, but they still had the same principle, and made the ghost feel the same emotion. Regret.

All he could do now, was continue to watch the film as the protagonist named Rick put his finger under the chin of his past lover Ilsa, and said one last line of consolation to her as he smiled, and she began to quietly tear up.

" _Now now… here's looking at you, kid_."

That line made the ghost open his mouth a little bit before he reached for the remote that was on the table in front of him, leaned back, and pressed a button on the device so the channel would change.

His expression didn't look angry or sad. It was more of a mix between the two if you could even picture that, and he looked down at his hand again, as Riley managed to get the old bandages off and was now putting some alcohol on all the red cuts that were on Gage's arm.

He was so distracted by that film that he didn't even audibly react to the pain, all he did was flinch and clench his knuckles as the heavy looked up at him briefly before she glanced back over at the TV,

"You not into old movies or something?"

"No, it's not that…" He replied hoarsely.

She exhaled silently once she saw the numbness in his eyes. It was obvious what the reason behind his sudden change in emotion. "*sigh* ...You know, for a while I really couldn't understand how you were able to survive everything we put you through on the way here."

"...But, then you told us your story, and I get it now."

"I get why you sucked it up... why you took all of that." So when another awkward silence began to develop between them both, Riley chose not to stay silent about it this time, even if the relationship between them was rocky. "It was because you were thinking about someone else… that girl."

Her words made Gage raise his head up so he could look at her only with one of his eyes, and didn't even change his expression when she pretty much caught him red handed. "Hmph… You got me!" He replied with a grin.

"Hehe… yeah, I thought it was something like that from the start. And i think i'd know, because i use to have someone too… but he's gone now." She revealed, as her voice was now a pitch away from being a whisper.

This information turned Gage's smirk back into whatever was on his face a few seconds earlier, and he grew quiet again as well. Not only because of how fast the mood of their conversation changed, but also because of how calm the heavy seemed as she went on.

"His name was Alex. Alex Frost."

She didn't even stop herself as she continued to wrap the new strand of bandages over ghost's wounds. However, he realized that Riley kept her eyes on his hand as well, almost as if she couldn't even stop to look him in the eye.

So he figured that it was still a touchy subject, but who knows… maybe her significant other wasn't killed like she was alluding towards. "...Where's he now?"

"Over there,-" She was quick to reply, but did so in a depressing manner as she pointed to her left, over towards a picture frame that was on top of their kitchen counter, "-And in here." Before the heavy was able to top it all off by gently pressing her finger against the side of her head.

Gage immediately looked away from her and mouthed the words 'god damn it' to himself. It wasn't supposed to be done in a way that could be thought as inconsiderate, but it was more that he was annoyed at himself for making the wrong guess, and having to make her explain her old lover's fate.

But that was exactly what she ended up doing. He then cautiously turned over towards the photo and managed to get a good look at it… and it honestly made his heart ache.

In it, Riley (Who is 5'7) appeared to be out in the forest with her boyfriend Alex, who had light blonde hair, blue eyes, stood near 5'11, and looked to be around sixteen years old at the time.

He was standing behind the heavy, who looked beyond happy with a blush and a smile on her face as her lover had his arms around her chest area, and hid apart of his face behind her head with a visible smile.

"...We tried to run from this place once Orin began to take over, me and him. But we obviously didn't get far. I didn't have my Axe named Bess with me back then… but I doubt it would've changed anything."

"They split us up, took me back to Keji , and i never saw Alex again. But when Orin came back with an eye that was ripped out of its socket… i didn't want to know happened to him. I just knew that he was dead..."

By the time she finished her explanation, Gage pretty much had his eyes focused on her as he watched the girl work on his injury… and she hated every second of it on the inside, but figured it was her own fault for being put into this position.

"I suppose this what I get for being a total cunt towards him this whole time.…" Riley thought to herself. She wasn't one that liked to be pitied clearly, but she thought he deserved some info on her after today.

But It was another thing entirely once the ghost started to put his own thoughts into the matter. "...You don't know that for sure. I mean, if I was that injured, it'd take me awhile to get back-" So the heavy chose to interrupt him, but as kindly as she could.

"It's been two years, If he was alive, he would've come back for me by now!"

That thankfully managed to shut him up for a few seconds, which was just the right amount of time for her to speak quickly, and make sure that whatever came out of Gage wasn't the typical consoling bull-shit she'd heard time after time.

"...Just, don't get me theorizing again. I've recovered enough from losing him already, and it made me stronger. Things can only get better now that I've accepted it."

"Okay… I understand." He answered with dullen eyes, as he was now feeling a little defeated on the inside, and for her of all people! "I'm sorry, I'm actually not that collected when I'm with people who don't want to kill me… and I'm still kinda drugged too, so..." This somehow made her snicker.

After that, Riley finally mustered up the courage to raise her head back up and look the ghost dead in the eyes with a smile, as she had just finished wrapping up his right arm and hand. "Don't worry about it."

"...You sure? Because at this point, I think I'm still dreaming with how nice you're being… n-no offense."

"Yeah I'm sure, Hehe. I'm kind of a 'tough love' type of person, so that general bitch type of vibe I give off is all apart of the package..." She said with another smile.

However, at the end of the day, Riley still had to give credit where credit is due, and she knew this. Like she had said earlier that day, they couldn't have fought off the Skinwalkers with poorly trained fighters and little kids running around.

They couldn't, until he came along and made the villagers believe that is, but now the heavy just hoped that her 'thank you' wouldn't sound too sappy, because _that_ surely would have been the end of the world...

"...But I still gotta admit, I don't think any of this would've happened if it wasn't for you, and since I don't really have any evidence to deny it… Thanks, I guess."

Gage's eyes opened up a little bit when he heard her, despite his right eye still being bruised from the constant fighting that seemed to be going on. "Hehe, that's the best apology I'm going to get from you, isn't it?" He asked her sarcastically, but also with a slight chuckle as well.

His remark made the heavy huff before she just slapped his right wrist hard, since it was where she had just injected him with the rabies vaccine. This made him groan and hold his arm in pain yet again as she pointed back at him, and stood up off of the couch.

"Don't forget, I saved you twice on the way here so… yeah. You're welcome!"

"Hmph. Thanks again... _I guess..."_ He replied, clearly trying to mock her at the end there.

She just rolled her eyes with a smirk and turned so she could move towards the stairs before she began to walk up them as well, letting out a yawn as she made it halfway up the first set. "*yawn* ...Well, i'm going to finish the night off with getting drunk in my underwear, so… see you in the morning dipshit!"

Gage stood up from the couch after watching her walk upstairs and he put his hand on his left thigh, as it seemed to hurt once he put more weight on it.

He sighed and soon started to limp over towards the staircase, but in an effort to follow Riley so he could see what she was actually doing. In all honesty, he just wanted to find a window to look out of.

"*sigh* ...I need some air."

…

The ghost managed to get up the stairs very slowly, while also holding the right side of his abdomen again, which he realized should have healed by now. "pant* ...Maybe, *pant* ...It _is_ a good time to take a break from all this fighting…" He whispered to himself with a few slight wheezes.

He didn't want to say it to anyone, but _EVERY_ part of him seemed to ache. Even his eyes, probably because he was tired though. Hmm, If only Riley could have saved one drink for him, then maybe he wouldn't be complaining as much…

When he painfully reached the top of the stairs, he slouched forwards a bit and soon felt a cold breeze blow against him from outside, which made him look ahead before he began to slowly walk down towards the end of the hall, where open glass door appeared to be.

This didn't catch his attention until later, because along the walls of the hallway were a collection of framed pictures. Some were old, some were new, and some looked like they were… watching him. Their eyes stayed on the back of his head and watched as he tried to move ahead, and he too could feel a presence there with him.

It felt… familiar. Like the eyes were Lilac colored, and thus the self-hatred began to take form along with a feeling of cluelessness. "Why the hell am i getting visions of _her_ now anyway?" Gage thought to himself, as if Summer wasn't enough for him already.

Maybe it was the guilt, but that couldn't be a good explanation for when he saw the blonde at the end of his battle against the Skinwalkers and their battle tank. So what would it have been then? Could it have been an early symptom of rabies, or a byproduct of hunger and dehydration?

The ghost couldn't put his finger on it and he just wanted for his mind to stop triggering these weird episodes, because the last thing he needed right now was for his new allies to think that he's really a total nutcase.

"*sigh* ...I really can't get over it, even now, after all of this..." He tried his best to suppress the thought of Yang once he got to the open glass door, and peered his head out of it to check if there was anyone occupying it, and unfortunately for him, it wasn't exactly vacant at the moment.

Turns out, it was actually Ileana who was sitting out there by herself. She was sitting on the balcony, with her slightly-bent right leg resting on top of it's railing while her left hung off of it, just behind the railing in case if she accidentally lost her balance. She was also wearing Gage's own black suede jacket over her usual clothes for some reason...

Gage then took a step outside the door and made sure his foot was loud enough to alert the spider-faunus of his presence, which it did. "...Oh. Hey! You're awake a lot earlier than I expected!" She turned and greeted him, with a wave to go along with it.

"Yeah, sadly…" He expertly changed his expression in the blink of an eye, and took her greeting as invitation to take that full step out onto their porch. "Hey, is that my jacket?"

"Oh… yeah. Orin gave it to me the night we found you, and i honestly forgot it was yours. Do you want it back, or...?"

"Uh… No. I was just curious is all." He did want it back in reality, but figured it would be very easy for someone he knew to spot him if he wore it, since it had his symbol on the back of it. "...So, did you need some fresh air too, or do you just like the view from here?"

"A bit of both." Ileana answered him with smile before she turned back and looked out over the rest of the Village, but with a blank smile. "Everyone else is getting their stuff prepared like we planned, and we're going to head out for Vale in the morning, so it's going to be a very busy day."

He nodded in agreement on that fact, but looked a little crestfallen at the same time oddly. "Yeah… I'm thinking of staying here tomorrow so I can get some rest, and maybe clean myself up a bit." Yet, Ileana chose to act like she wasn't phased by his decision.

"H-Hehe, yeah... I figured..."

She looked away and smiled awkwardly, trying her best to avoid eye contact with the the ghost as he limped over towards the edge of the balcony, and put his hands over the railing. In truth, Ileana really wanted him to come along with everyone else initially because he seemed a lot more familiar with the city than anyone else.

It was apart of their plan back when they mentioned it to him a few days ago, but Alizarin said he would give him a choice to come with them or not, since the only local Skinwalker that could be alive now was Orin. Riley and Alizarin were both past residents of the city as well, but the heavy wasn't exactly that civil, and Al hasn't been there in over ten years.

Plus, they all thought that Gage had some good connections inside of the city, which wasn't exactly a lie. However, the arachnid didn't want to press him too much about it.

They could probably find a way to Patch without the ghost, it would just take a little longer. "So... what's it like in Vale?" She asked him.

"Are you not from there?" He turned and stared at her confusingly, like he was surprised that she even asked him such a question. This just made her shake her head with an actual smile this time,

"No, my parents were, but they dropped me off here after I was born. Figured it would have been better for me since I can pass for a human, but boy were they wrong..."

"Oh, so… you've been here all your life."

"Mmhm, I was pretty much raised by the whole Village… kind of a miracle i turned out like this really." Then suddenly, her voice dipped in it's pitch and she looked down a bit as she scratched the back of her head. "But uh… h-honestly, I couldn't really read or write until Riley came here from the city with her boyfriend…" She was of course visibly embarrassed once she let her one secret out, but it wasn't so bad.

He was the only one who didn't know about it anyways… and it did make him stifle a chuckle, only to cough it out seconds later with a pained grin, "*pant* ...Yeah, she told me about him right before I came up here… but Really? You seem more of a talker than her, and more of a city-girl too."

"She thought the same thing, but it's probably because I'm more of a friendly gal compared to her… now I am at least."

Again her voice lowered to a more silent tone, but this time it was more somber than awkward like it was earlier. This was because Ileana wasn't usually one to casually give information about one of her friends to someone who didn't ask about it.

For Gage though, she saw it as an exception. It was better this way for him to know through her instead of Riley herself, because if anyone really wanted to ask the blonde about, they had to be close to get an answer.

"Riley kind of… ran from the city before she and Alex came here." Ran away from the city eh? That would have sounded a little too familiar, only if the truth had a slightly darker difference. "Bad foster parents I think she said was the reason, but I don't like to ask about it too much. I'm just glad that Al's been able to deal with the two of us, considering he took us both in."

"He does seem like the fatherly type, at least to you guys."

"Yeah, I don't think I'd ever find myself calling him that. But i'll still call him my guardian, and a good friend too… kind of like you."

Her words made him blush momentarily, only for it to disappear quickly, mainly because of the next question that she decided to ask. "That reminds me,... you are coming to Patch with us, right?"

The way she questioned him was a little too casual for him, and it made Gage tense up a bit. He did this, because he had already figured out his answer the second Alizarin presented him the question of whether he wanted to come along or not.

"...I don't know." Gage stated quietly, looking down at his hands as he began to feel uneasy. "Yang, the one i told you about, is from there. And i can't see her again until i fix myself, and finish what i started."

"...Why can't you?" Her orange colored eyes glistened thanks to the moonlight, and they nearly shined when she turned to face the ghost with a frown. "She was special to you, wasn't she? What am i saying, of course she was…"

"Yeah, she was!" He was quick to answer, and glanced over at her with one of his red eyes and a look that told her that he really didn't want to talk about this. "That's why i can't let her see what i am now. Because _this_ … this wasn't who i use to be." He said, as he looked down at his injured right arm.

"Gage, if she truly loves you... then there's no way that-"

And that was when he finally put his foot down, "Illie, just stop. I've already made up my mind!" He did this not just because of the thin ice she was treading on, but also because he knew what her end goal was.

Ileana just wanted to find away to coax him into coming along with their group, no matter what it took. As to why she wanted him to come with them so badly, he didn't know… but at this point he didn't care.

The spider-faunus got that message pretty quickly when the ghost raised his voice above that of a pained whisper, and she realized that his voice was beginning to fade. To her, it meant that he was already pushing himself to keep talking up until now, even if he didn't exactly want to.

This thought made her body tighten due her silent frustration, and thus Ileana grew silent. She crossed her arms and looked down at herself while she tried not to look too saddened by his choice…

"S… S-Sorry, i just… get attached easily. Isolation will kinda do that to you after a while…"

Gage knew that. I mean… of course he would, right? He's been exactly the same in that respect ever since Team RWBY brought him back from Mountain Glenn… or, maybe he was the same way all that time ago. Maybe, but not anymore.

It hasn't really been that long since those days though, which he thought was beyond strange. It was the main reason why his affection and feelings for Yang developed so quickly, so… was the person that he use to be already dead?

His red eyes darkened once again, and all sense of annoyance left him. It was replaced with a fragile feeling, like the ghost could sense that he was a shell of someone else now. Then, after all of that, he got real… quiet. "Listen, i…"

Then he stopped speaking entirely and held his right hand against his forehead, both in an attempt to soothe the aching pain and so he could momentarily block the spider-faunus out of his vision.

The ghost could tell that it seemed like he didn't care about her and everyone else here if he just went up and left after such a victory, and he couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment in himself…

He wished that he could say something along the lines of, 'These people would be better off without someone who was being targeted by the White Fang anyways', but she would try and counter that too. So, when Gage lowered his hand again and looked up towards Remnant's shattered moon… he made his choice. He chose to tell Ileana a story instead.

It was one that _you've_ already heard before, the only difference was that the ghost wasn't going to just talk about himself this time… and he was going to make it quick. That way he wouldn't hate himself too much by the time he was finished…

"...I had this friend. It was a long time ago, back when i was a normal teenager… and his name was Mal. I don't really like to talk about him that much because i was kind of an asshole back when I knew him. Or I was at least more of one than i am now… i mean i was a kid after all."

"...He was pretty much that one nerdy kid that was too young to be in his grade, and that would always follow you around. He annoyed the shit out of me for a while, but he always still stuck around like you'd expect him to. Sometimes i wouldn't even talk to him, and he'd still sit there across from me and try to get me to reply to whatever came out of his mouth."

"We met, because he somehow managed to save me from a fight i knew i couldn't win, at least back then. A fourteen year old kid saved me from a twenty one year old psychopath, and i didn't even thank him for it… never got to really, and I hated myself for it. I still do…"

"But, that didn't change the fact that he was my friend. Distance, or whether or not he knows I'm alive or dead. He cared. I didn't before, but I do now. It didn't start out the same way for me and you, Riley, and Alizarin, at least not exactly the same. "

"What I'm trying to say is that i know i won't forget you three, or what happened here today. I can't, because i care more about people now than i have before. It just hurts to know that I'm going to disappoint even more in the future because of the choices I made in the past, and up to now. It'll haunt me… but It'll be alright, because I know that I can take it."

The whole time Ileana could hear his low and scratchy voice as it went on until he eventually became silent once again… and she could tell that for the first half of it, he wasn't talking to her. He was admitting one of his own faults. Gage was… ashamed.

However, that small glint of clear self-hatred didn't distract her enough to make her forget about what he said about her and her people. He cares, and he feels guilty about leaving them, but he also couldn't get over the mistakes in his past life.

It seemed that they were what kept dragging him down, and led him to tell this confession to some stranger he met only a few days ago. Not a lot people would go ahead and do that randomly.

Maybe it was out of complete trust, or maybe Gage just figured that it wouldn't matter if she knew or not after today, either way, Ileana started to wonder if she was actually being selfish or not.

He clearly had his mind set on where he was to go next, and he did just save their entire village from a bunch of crazy cultists so… she smiled, and raised her head to look at him once again.

"Well, you know… it's not so bad to stop right now, and look back on everything that you've done up to this moment in your life. It could be... like an occasional reminder, if that makes any sense."

"...Of what?" Gage asked, still staring straight up at the night sky.

"The good, and the bad." Her response was quizzical to him, but it didn't cause him to have too much of a headache when he thought about it more. "You can be reminded of the evil you've done, and that way you can keep yourself from repeating it over again. And as for the good, well… I think it'll just keep you going."

Just like Doctor Oobleck would always say to his history students, 'History is important. If you can't learn from it, you're destined to repeat it'. This was the one rule that the ghost had to follow from now on, because to him, all of this was just another cycle.

Gage had already deserted the kingdoms once after losing everyone he cared for to the darkness of this world, and now it was happening again. This 'cycle' was repeating. The only difference this time, was that there was still someone out there for him to go back to… so maybe this could still be fixed, at least when the time's right.

"...Hm."

~…~

…

~ _Where is the sun, that shone… on my head?_ ~

…

Out behind the house, Alizarin stood near the front of a very large bonfire pit that was already apart of the property as he finally kept his CD player from playing _Mr. Sandman_ one more time, as it was on a loop by his own choice. Now, the song switched to a little unknown tune made by the _Bee Gees_ , which was called _Spicks and Specks_.

He did this so he could try and distract himself from what he was doing previously,but it didn't end up working, as he soon turned back over towards the fire pit with a empty can of kerosene in one hand, and a beer in the other.

~ _The sun in my life… it is dead, it is dead_.~

The smell of gas filled his nostrils and since he was smoking a cigar at the time, Al exhaled some smoke from his mouth with a large sigh, shaking his head as he put the gas can down, and looked at the horror that he himself was about to commit.

I say horror, because inside the fire pit was a complete mound of bodies that belonged to the Skinwalkers. Just the bodies too, the ones that were intact. He didn't take any of their parts that were blown off in the battle from earlier that day… he left their limbs for the buzzards, and was satisfied with that knowledge.

Thousands of flies circled around the pit, crawling out and inside of each individual corpse with some just choosing to crawl all over, and you might think that the villagers chose for this to happen unanimously, but they didn't. Alizarin did all of this himself, because today was his own personal victory.

~ _Where is the light, that would play… in my streets? And where are the friends, I could meet, I could meet?~_

As for the reason behind such a cruel act, it was simple. Orin took his family away, so the sheriff decided to return the favor. Only this time he wouldn't allow the old psychopath the option of getting to see his followers before they were to be buried… but I guess the old man wasn't the only psycho in town after all.

Once he began to hear the music become more upbeat and loud enough for the other three inside his house to hear, he puffed his cigar one last time, and took it out of his mouth so he could stare at it while he held it in his right hand.

His husband Aaron always did ask him to stop smoking when he was still alive, and it was probably because it was the only part of his past self that remained after their daughter came into their lives. That old fire-obsessed criminal that lived outside the kingdoms… they called him The Arsonist.

~ _Where are the girls, I, left far behind? The Spicks and the Specks, of the girls, on my mind.~_

That version of himself died a long time ago, and for the better too. He had his other half to thank for that, but now that he was gone… Al only had the people of Keji to keep him sane now. So yeah... maybe it was a good time to quit smoking. Right. This. Second.

He went on to lightly toss his cigar into the fire pit, which caused the gasoline to ignite and expand until flames engulfed the entire pile of lifeless bodies. They grew and waved with the force of the late night breeze as cinders and ash began to rise into the air, and Al just watched for a good long while… with a very obscure smirk.

It soon went away once the smell of seared flesh and fabric became more prominent, and it just led the arsonist to take a few steps back before he sat in a lawn chair he had set up next to an end table that had a picture of himself, his husband Aaron, and his daughter Hannah.

~ _Where is the sun, that shone… on my head?!_ ~

The photo captured them as were simply together out in front of their house, and the young blonde girl was being held up by both of her dads, with one of her legs resting on one of their shoulders. Things were simpler back then, and Remnant wasn't perfect, but it was still something the three of them could live in.

...Only after the two things he cared about were gone did Alizarin finally acknowledge how much your loved ones can block your vision from being able to see how cruel life can be.

And even if Al didn't know it, him and Gage both saw Remnant as the same shade of black and white. But it wasn't their fault. Because whether someone could live to be as strong as the mountains, or as weak as a pile of ashes, one thing was still obviously certain.

...Love in this world can drive one mad.

~ _The sun in my life... it is dead, it is dead!_ ~


	40. The Next World

A screen of static filled your vision for a few seconds, before it suddenly cleared and revealed a weird looking background set that looked to be halfway through production.

Specifically, it was a set of what looked to be a very fancy private quarters, that only had a fireplace that was currently burning some wood, and a leather couch that… had two people sitting down on it, who turned out to be Gage and Yang!

They were looking right at you, and the ghost appeared to be all dressed up in a tattered black shirt and light brown pants, as his body was drenched in fake blood.

Half of Gage's face was pretty much covered in the stuff while he had contacts on that made it look like he had red irises, with his right eye looking like it had just popped a blood vessel. He also had a weird sleeve of material that looked similar to a green screen wrapped around his entire left arm.

As for Yang, she was wearing a more rugged looking version of her Strider outfit, almost had the same amount of fake blood on her, and her eyes were their normal lilac color. She was also smiling along with her care-bear, who suddenly started to speak directly to you.

"Hello there, i'm Gage Sim of RWBY's Desertion AU-"

"And I'm Yang Xiao Long of the main RWBY series-"

" _- And, welcome to chapter one hundred of RWBY: Desertion!_"

The couple both said this in unison, and raised their hand enthusiastically, but after they were done, Gage lowered and shook his head with a small chuckle. "...Jesus, Ethan really doesn't have anything better to do than this whole thing, does he?" He asked the blonde as he glanced over at her.

She just giggled at his comment, and nervously brushed her hand up his green-sleeve covered arm, "H-Hehe... You know he could kill you off for saying that, right?"

"Eh, he tried that once. The viewers had my back." He replied, as he looked back at you and gave a thumbs up while he smirked a bit with his red eyes.

That prompted Yang to sigh and rest her head against her lover's shoulder as he just put his arm around her, and let her kiss him on the cheek. "*sigh* ...Thanks again guys!"

"B-But, uh... back to the main point of all of this…" Gage interrupted her once more, and lowered his arm a bit as he leaned forwards a little bit more, back towards you again. "We just really wanted to thank you all for your support over the last three years, i honestly can't believe that i'd still be here this long after Yang and the rest of RWBY found me back at Mountain Glenn."

"It's just absolutely mind blowing! Now we've got new people coming In like Jackson Wesson, Prodigy, Orin, the rest of Gage's squad… all of them, and we all can't wait until we hit that fifty chapter mark for Part Two!"

She then leaned back a bit as well and had her hands behind her head, "And don't worry you guys, I'm gonna try my best to bring Gage back to where he belongs... With me.~" The blonde whispered, with a wink and a smile.

"Anyways… this chapter won't be as long as the last one unfortunately, but that's only because of the holidays, and the fact that Ethan thought it would be easier to make and faster to upload. So, he's going to split this into two parts-"

"But, that doesn't mean that this chapter isn't important either! Trust me, this one is going to set up so much, that i'm sure all of you can guess what'll come next!"

"...And that's because we gave you a pretty clear glimpse at this thing from the very beginning." Gage said, as he pointed at you with the utmost sincerity and Yang crossed her arms with excitement. "I doubt you guys could miss it, but then again, we have been doing this whole 'sequel thing' for a year now."

A few murmurs and some yelling could then be heard from somewhere else on the set, and it made Yang look away from the camera and smile a bit, waving a little bit as well to someone off screen. She was kind of popular around the set, and It made Gage of glance at her with a smirk beige he turned back to you.

"Now it's our three anniversary, and thanks to our very late timing, we're about to start the third and final act of Part Two." And once she realized that she was in the middle of something _VERY IMPORTANT_ , the blonde looked back at you as well, but with a blush of course. "-A-And we really want to go on to make Desertion: Part Three! Really we do, but it uh… might be kind of difficult."

"...Yeah, I know that's something you guys don't really want to hear, but i didn't say, 'very', now did i?" Yang asked this rhetorically, and smiled for a few seconds more than he usually would before she answered herself with a snap of her fingers to go along with it, "Exactly! We just don't want to make false promises like a lot of other people do nowadays."

"I mean, come on." Then suddenly, the camera turned and focused on Gage as he nodded in agreement, and shrugged his right arm a bit while his other moved away from being wrapped all snugly around the blonde brawler, "You guys have seen what we had to go through, everything we've done, and everything that we've become."

"You deserve more of our story." And funny enough, it almost looked as if the ghost was about to stand up out of his seat, like he was about to start giving a speech or something. "And we're going to keep trying our best to give you more.. but that'll be for another time." He stated, as his voice became low and he leaned back again.

"Because now, our future probably is in your guy's mind by now, and we don't want you to worry about it. So as a way to celebrate our 100th chapter, and look ahead positively… Let's slow down, and take a few seconds to look back of how far we've come since the start of it all."

"Shall we?" Yang asked him, now facing her lover with a blush that was oh so missed personally by yours truly.

Gage smiled back, and of course looked back into her bright lilac orbs with a grin and a chuckle as he reached for her hand that was lying on the surface of the leather couch they were on, and she allowed him to hold it gently. "Hehe… yeah. We shall."

They both now sat there blushing at each other like the awkward lovebirds that they were for a few moments until some commotion behind the camera urged them to move again.

It even made Yang smile nervously, and her blush became a darker shade of red as she looked back at you again, and gave a small wave as her boyfriend did the same thing… but with a little less embarrassment than her of course.

But as their fingers became intertwined for the first time in a long while, a few things about them began to change. Gage's red eyes began to look real again along with the fake blood that coated the couple, it changing it's shade of red to look more authentic.

After that, the ghost's left arm started to seemingly shift back into a prosthetic. The green sleeve looked like it was being overtaken by olive-colored metal until it was all that was there. And now, Yang held his metal hand with a smile as they both laughed a bit and looked back up at you once again. One last time.

 **(Song: Sunshine by John Murphy)**

...

 **Thank** **You.**

…

*flatline...*

"*gasp* _...M-Mom?_

You know, sometimes it's good to pause for an occasional reminder. Of what you might ask? Well, the good and bad parts of being a human being would be my answer. Growth is most likely be the equalizer between the two, with your experiences being what molds you into the person you choose to be by the end of your life.

But you know that your story was nowhere close to being finished, even if you wish it had ended on that fateful day, life wouldn't let it happen. It would instead just help you find a way to Keep Moving Forward.

Things… still didn't get better for you once you grew into your late-teens. You lived without purpose then, sitting by yourself alone even when you were already surrounded by those who wanted a life they would pay to make for themselves.

Your one friend couldn't even get you out of that mentality, as he would yet to even experience anything as morbid or soul-crushing that early in his life, but he kept trying… and trying, to no avail.

That gut feeling of helplessness and insecurity can gnaw away at you for so long that it can scratch at your vision, and keep you from seeing that light at the end of the tunnel.

" _Yeah… i do…. And thank you dad_."

" _Anything for you kid_."

Then things go awry, and your father dies, causing you to fear for life and go to where the dead in a past tragedy had already been forgotten, hoping that you would end up having the same fate. This place, was called Mountain Glenn.

You stayed there for what you thought were years fearing and regretting everything you've felt and done, everyone you've met and failed, until you felt that death had become your best friend. You didn't care if It chose to pay you a random visit whenever it felt like it, you embraced it instead. What other choice did you have?

" _This is all pointless. I came here so people could forget me but... who the hell is going to remember a ghost? No one_ …"

As time passed, your body and mind grew with your will to survive, along with your new companion you happened to find and raise throughout your isolation. Later, you two were able live and survive together in peace. For a while at least…

...Then one day that small time of inner peace was interrupted by a few blasts of buckshot, and the thunderous roars and stomping of a Goliath. It was loud enough to peak your interest, so you went on to help whatever fool thought they could take on such a massive beast by themselves.

" _*sigh* ...Who could be that stupid?_ "

This 'fool' would later become your best friend, and not that long after, the person you loved. Her name… was Yang Xiao Long. She was your something, the first something you've had after two years of having to take care of yourself and a horse. Luckily enough for you, this girl somehow managed to be harder to handle than a bucking bronco.

"… _My name is Gage. Gage Sim."_

" _I'm Yang… Yang Xiao Long."_

But if you looked past all of that, you could clearly tell that she ended up giving you a new life. One that was full of love and romanticism, not just for your lover, but for the people that you've always looked up to since you were born. The Hunysmen and Huntresses of Remnant.

" _Welcome to Beacon, Mr. Sim._ "

You made your way into Beacon a lot easier than most students… but most were able to accept you with open arms, if not all of them… well, except for a select few of course. These you were able to deal with quickly though, and the rest you came to know even better. They were more than your allies, and that still hasn't changed.

Among them was still the one you had feelings for, and even if it really was a short amount of time in reality, that love you felt blossomed quickly inside of you, and her as well. At the time, something like that was unbelievable to you… sometimes it still is even, but you were thankful that you were able to experience such a thing.

She of course felt the same way, hell she really took it more to heart than you if you could believe it. It even seemed Impossible at the time… but if she hadn't done that and let that knowledge break her down to her core, then what came next may not have happened. In the end though, you both saw it as better this way.

" _G… *sniffle* ...Gage?_ "

" _...I know. And... i love you too."_

You both knew your lives would forever be changed and shared that day, despite the lack of rings and a pastor. You still had your vows and that was all you needed, nothing else could get in the way of what you had started.

Every single one of your firsts when it came to love, you gave to each other. Your first confession, your first kiss, and your first... time, etc. You gave away everything, because back then, in your eyes, Remnant was yours and you knew how to take it. By doing it together.

Despite the love stories that you grew up with or the coldness you felt all throughout your life, she made it all melt away with her warmth thanks to the commitments you made and the things you did... cliches included, and how couldn't they be?

" _Yang, I ...I want to spend the rest of my life with you._ "

You were in love, and it was everything you've ever wanted. Months passed and still nothing came in the way of your joy, not even the threat of those who destroyed your family.

That was only until the threat became very real blows, and the evil that you had been searching for and fighting against ended up crippling you for the rest of your life. They took your arm, and a piece of your lover's sanity… yet, you both still lived.

You didn't take long to recover, at least mentally from your wounds. You continued to think that you and your significant other's love and warmth would be all that you would ever need, and she thought the same thing.

Yet, before you knew it, the signs of stress and a shattered psyche became apparent with a dark cloud now hiding that golden halo that you always imagined to hang above your lover's head, causing you to panic and make absolutely sure that she'd never have to imagine a day without you in her life ever again.

" _Will you marry me? In the distant future_?"

" _*sniffle* ...Okay!_ "

You made your choice and you stuck with it, and let that thought of you two walking down the aisle together one day fuel you to become better than the person you were before, one that was stronger and would be able to protect her from _ANYONE_ that would get in the way of her happiness.

What you didn't know, was that it was more your internal glee than hers at the time. All that she wanted was for you to be alive and well, not for you to go out and get killed again protecting someone that _she_ was responsible for. Yet, her telling you this constantly only made you become even more foolish in your efforts.

All of this happened right before the Silent War found its way to you, and when it finally did… it whispered quietly into your ears and seduced you into thinking that you had to do what was absolutely necessary to survive, with no slip ups or mercy to be given to anyone who opposed you and your lover. No Exceptions.

"... _FOR MY FAUNUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS!"_

" _NO!-"_

" _*BANG!*"_

Whatever innocence you had left was destroyed that day, and after what you believed you had to do… the world became a much darker place. The only thing about it, was that it was already the same amount of black and white it had been up to that point in time, you just didn't allow yourself to see it in that monochromatic light.

You still didn't afterwards, going on to finally find the path towards what you've been striving towards ever since your return to the real world. You had everything on the line, your friends, your lover, your own life, all of it was risked and ended up being unharmed by your enemies… but by you? That was another story.

" _...Ain't no one's hands are clean in what's left of this world."_

That night, you were betrayed by someone you had long thought to be your ally, and they were… but cowardice took their hold on her early on, and it resulted in you losing _EVERYTHING_. Your father, your arm, a piece of your sanity, and a piece of your lover's too.

Who could blame you if blood was the first thing to gain from your betrayer? They were the problem! They caused all of this! It was their fault since the very beginning! They were your goddamn inciting incident! And they were… the reason why you had all that you did now.

If they hadn't helped kill your father, then…. You wouldn't have achieved your life long goal of attending Beacon Academy, you wouldn't have grown into becoming a capable warrior. You wouldn't have met all the friends that you cherish so dearly, or the love of your life either if it wasn't for this snake in the grass.

" _I TRUSTED YOU!_ "

So when that one chance came to smite the girl who had seemingly ruined and also bettered your life… you hesitated. The thing or being that had came over you ceased, and let you think clearly once again… allowing you to lower your blade.

A small scuffle followed, and it led to the people you thought who wouldn't even be able to lift a finger to fight against you, having their weapons aimed dead-set at your figure in order defend your own betrayer.

Your significant other did the same, with her own body being the weapon… and doing that almost cost the blonde her neck, but it also snapped you out of your daze after so long.

It wasn't the rage that overtook and controlled you during that moment, no. It was the false belief that you gave yourself back when you were still lying in that hospital bed. 'This was nothing. It shouldn't matter, so it won't'.

…'Everything Will Be Alright'. That was it, wasn't it? The things you believed, what you _wanted_ to believe, were all the thoughts of the armless boy who bled out in the back of that ambulance all that time ago.

After this shocking realization made itself known to you after what felt like forever... the ones you loved and still loved, saw you as a monster. You did too, and because of that… you did what you thought was right, and Deserted them.

You didn't think twice about it, because deep inside of yourself you knew that this choice would fix everything… or so you believed. Yang couldn't even stop you from leaving, no matter how hard she tried.

" _You'll always have me."_

"*sniffle* ... _Wait!_ "

" _...Goodbye, Yang…_ "

She sat there on her knees pleading and weeping for you to stay and return to the lie that you called your life with her, and all you could do was say farewell. Then, as she sobbed and crumbled… you were gone once again, just like the night.

It's been twelve days since then, and things have been clearer to you than they ever were before. How the world really was, what kind of people were outside the walls, who you really were, how others saw you, and what love could really do to a lost soul that was floating down the river.

It all made sense now, and everything wasn't shrouded. The only thing that you still needed was her, and even after your departure, Yang Xiao Long continued to be your one reason. To live, to fight, and to die. It will always be for her.

...But no matter what comes next, who fights, who dies, who drives you to move forward, who drives you to kill, to hate, or to die… creating a New World for the future will be worth it. It'll be yours. Your family's, your friend's, your wife's, your daughter's, everyone's!

Male or Female, Human or Faunus, you'll show them all that they don't have to be afraid of the monsters anymore! That we can all live, and start _being_ people again! Because by then, the new Remnant will be ours to share, and build together!

...And if it doesn't come to be? Well then maybe, just maybe… Yang will be right there alongside you, so you won't have to watch the world as you know it come to an end alone.

She. Will. Find you.

...

" _ **You're still with me right? …'Til the end of the line?**_ "

"… _ **All the way.**_ "

…

…

…

A loud and looming noise, one that seemed close to ringing in Gage's ears but wasn't as constant or shrill like he was used to it being, loomed inside his subconscious until he was shaken lightly, and awoken from his dream.

He opened his red, bloodshot, and watery eyes to be met with the sight of the ceiling of Alizarin's house, and he stared at it for a full five seconds before he noticed that the rays of the morning sun were shining through the blinds behind him, and they projected some light onto the table that was next to him.

He was still laying on the couch he had been resting on yesterday, as he chose to sleep there again after he and Ileana parted after their talk last night.

"Hey… We're heading out." Alizarin whispered to the ghost, as he finally broke his gaze from the ceiling and turned his head a bit to see that he was looking down at him.

Ileana and Riley were both there as well with some backpacks on and their weapons in hand, and that made Gage lean up so he could look at them all. "...Already? *yawn* ...What time is it?"

"The sun came up half an hour ago actually." The spider faunus replied, as Riley held her head and wobbled a bit.

The heavy had actually gone through with her late-night celebration that she talked about last night, and now it looked like she was about to expel some demons onto the tile floor, "Nooo, it couldn't wait another half for me, could it?! *gag!*"

Al chuckled and shook his head at the same time before he too put on a backpack, and started to move closer and closer towards their front door. "Convoy's ready, and anyone who didn't get some sleep'll be able to get it on the way to Vale."

Ileana nodded and yawned as she looked back at the ghost, and began to take a few steps back as well. "*yawn* ...We're going to stay in the City a few days in case you change your mind, and it shouldn't be too hard to find us-"

"*hiccup* ...Especially with me there!" Riley interrupted her, which made the faunus sound a little less casual than she did a few seconds ago. "-Yeah. And we also left some supplies and a pair of wheels for you, no matter where you decide to go. It's the least we could do after all of this…"

Gage looked next to him, on the table, and saw that they had definitely given him something to stare at it because on there laid a new black shirt and a pair of light brown pants that somehow matched the rugged ones he was already wearing.

However, there were also a few other oddities strewn about, which included a few pieces of riot gear gauntlet, shoulder, and elbow armor, along with a black nylon sleeve, some riot knee pads, and a… coyote-colored Mil-tec M. Release MOLLE tactical vest?

Whatever was there, it would for sure help him out in the future, and he was grateful for it, but he still didn't feel like he deserved it from them. "About that… I-"

"No need to explain it." The ghost went to try and start up that whole path towards his decision, but Alizarin stopped him before it could begin. They were already on a tight schedule, and he had already been informed of his choice earlier. "Illie told me… and i just figured you'd want to see us off."

"Thanks…" He thanked the old man, and rubbed his eyes as he tried his best to look saddened without the grogginess in his expression showing. "I hope things work out for you guys… and i'm sorry i couldn't come along."

"Don't be. After almost becoming one of Orin's slaves, and going onto save the rest of us from him… i think you deserve to have a choice in where you go next."

The ghost looked back at Alizarin blankly with guilt being blatantly expressed as well, and it only made the other three become silent while some more commotion came from outside.

Riley then opened the door slightly so it could all be heard even more, and that was when Al sighed once again. "Anyways, it's a long road to Patch from here on out, so we should probably get going." He mumbled, as the heavy gave a small wave.

"*hiccup* ...Don't get killed!" It seemed like she was trying to leave as quickly as she could before she could ruin the nice tile of their living room with an accidental upchuck, but she instead just gagged again as she walked out.

This made Ileana cover her mouth as well, but for a completely different reason. "Ugh. And uh, use the shower here before you leave…" She whispered to Gage while she too began to make for the exit, "...You kinda smell like raw meat."

He watched as the two girls disappeared out the doorway, and only then did he decide to pull his shirt collar a bit so he could scent-check himself. "Eugh… *cough!*" It was honestly worse than the brunette's description.

This last sort of quip made Alizarin smile as he too got in the middle of the doorway, and that was when he glanced back at the ghost one last time, at least for now, and they both smiled at each other as the old man tipped his hat to his young savior respectfully,

"Hehe. 'Til next time, ' _Yūrei_ '."

And after that, he left. He closed the door behind himself slowly and left Gage alone inside, only for him to sigh and wait for a few seconds before he slowly lowered his body back onto the sofa, so he could begin to rest again.

He covered his eyes with his forearm once he laid flat and closed his eyes tiredly, as he shook his head and heard Summer's voice resurface. " _Aww… you know, i think i'm actually going to miss them."_ She whispered sweetly.

"*sigh* ...They'll be fine." As for the phantom's courier, he tried not to think about them too much, mostly because he was also beginning to think of what could be in store for him in the future… among other things.

"So… are these dreams getting weirder, or is it just me?"

…

The two girls and their guardian made their way back down to the wreckage that was the rest of Keji's town center, because it was where the other villagers had organized a small staging area.

They had stayed up all night packing whatever valuables, supplies, weapons, and other types of gear they had into a multitude of military cargo trucks, eight to be exact. Half were for their supplies and the other half were for the other villagers to rest in, since they were all flatbeds with camo covers going over the back of each truck.

Alizarin, Ileana, and Riley were pretty much the last to arrive, but were quick to head over to the front of the convoy and signal the head driver in order to move out of the village and out onto the road,

"Alright, let's get a move on! Have the Cargo in the front of the convoy and the people in the back!" The old sheriff yelled as he passed the front truck and banged on it's passenger door.

The three then looked towards the left of the vehicle and started to move towards their very own; a forest-camoed, turretless humvee. (And yes, Alizarin thought this thing was called an Abrams)

They started to make their way over to the car while the eight cargo trucks started to exit through Keji's main gate, and soon Al opened the driver's side door and began to fumble with the keys.

Ileana walked around to the other side and opened up the passenger side door, and as for Riley… well she was quick to get inside, toss Bronze Bess on the floor of the vehicle, and sprawl her body out over the two seats in the back.

She groaned in pain and hugged herself while she laid down in the fetal position, knowing that car travel with the hangover she had would most likely end badly, at least for her. "Guh… wake me up when we get there!" She grumbled as her stomach did the same.

Al and Ileana reassured her that they would before they finally got in the vehicle, and the spider faunus even looked behind her seat and waved a filled-n-hot thermos at the heavy, "Here… since you've been behaving well." Riley just cringed and reached out to it with desperation.

"Thanks, 'sister'…"

"Welcome, 'sister'." She replied with a smirk as she handed it to her.

The two broke their shared gaze at each other, and smiled a bit as Alizarin turned over their vehicle's engine and watched as the rest of the convoy left the village, "Alright. Take one last look!" He whispered as he shifted gears.

The two girls did just that, and looked out their respective windows so they could watch the old familiar buildings they've known for the last few years pass them by.

The heavy was barely leaning up off of the seat she was laying on, and eventually she laid flat on her back again as the road began to feel a bit bumpy, with her eyes looking upwards, just out of the window so she was able to look at the cloudy morning sky.

As for Ileana, she just looked down a bit once they made it out onto the main road, and quickly glanced back one last time so she could look at the estate house in the rear end of the village, with a smile slowly forming,

"You know… even if we could've taken back this place without Gage, i'm still going to miss him. Even if we didn't know him for long…"

"Hehe... of course _you_ would miss him." Riley guffawed as she closed her eyes and put her thermos in a cup holder, with a smirk. "It was beginning to feel like you were turning straight for the guy.~"

"Pfft, i was not!" She retorted her claim with a blush on her face, and crossed her arms while she turned back to Alizarin with annoyance. "Al, you've cared a lot about friends that were girls before, right?"

He was quick to nod in an effort to reassure her… but the old sheriff had to admit, if she actually did feel anything towards their wounded ally, then the signs were very clear. "Yeah, but i mean… _you are_ wearing his jacket." He replied with a snicker.

"WHU-I-I didn't even know it was his until last night! A-And he told me that i should keep it!"

" _Mmmhmmm!~_ " The two both chose to equally tease her with a high-pitched him, and it just made the spider faunus internally cringe. "Uggghhh! ...You guys are mean..."

Her complaint to them was something she would honestly said almost every other day, so Riley simply kicked the back of her best friend's seat before she closed her eyes again and turned on her side so she could begin to to sleep,

"Yep! But you'll keep on lovin' us. It is your thing after all..."

Ileana let out a small huff, and began to look out the vehicle's windshield as Alizarin drove behind the convoy, and let out a sigh of relief while she still appeared to be very annoyed by what they had said.

He could tell too since it felt like her eyes were burning a hole through the front of the humvee, so he just glanced back towards the brunette, and shook her shoulder lightly to get her attention.

Ileana shrugged him off initially, but couldn't help but catch her guardian still staring at her with a smile through the corner of her eye, and soon enough she grinned back at him as well. She couldn't let some bad gag get to her now during a time like this, because better days for sure lied ahead of them now. It was only a matter of time until then...

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

Somewhere on the opposite end of Vale's border sat a small cabin in the woods, which was made of that same material and looked like nothing more than just someone's old and rugged vacation home that had been forgotten a while back. But in reality, it was actually one of Raven Branwen's own safehouses.

Inside the cabin was her brother Qrow and the unconscious Prisoner/Prodigy, who was lying comfortably on the single queen sized bed that was in the middle of the shack while the drunk sat at the foot of the bed in a chair, looking bored as he watched the mystery man's chest rise and fall.

The two arrived here the previous night and Qrow managed to speak to the man before he blacked out, and after that he just hooked up an IV unit and breathing machine to him that Raven had kept incase if her brother's luck ended up catching up with her or anyone else she felt like saving.

"Hm. I guess ghosts are real after all-"

"*SSST!*"

And before he knew it, one of his sister's giant red portals formed on the front door, and the mother stepped out of the vortex with her sword and mask in hand while she also let out a deep sigh, and stared back at her brother with annoyance,

"*sigh* ...Okay brother! There! He's sleeping safe and sound in a village, so you mustn't worry about him for a few hours." She huffed with frustration as she approached the drunk and sheathed her sword slowly. "What? What the hell happened to his captors?"

"He killed them obviously, the ones that were violent at least."

Qrow rolled his eyes and began to stand up out of his chair, just as Raven walked right past him and began to fumble with a few items that she had placed out on top of a workbench, which he just noticed was against the wall behind him the whole time.

On the bench laid what looked to be a whole new outfit and weapon that included a dark colored leather trench coat, a body powered prosthetic arm, multiple weapon pieces that belonged to what looked like a modernized scoped M21 Sniper rifle, some woodland camo-netting… and the black White Wolf helmet that belonged to the young soldier Gage had killed during the Battle of Bolin Peak.

"...You can leave now." Raven mumbled with a little bit of anger in her tone, which made Qrow snap back at her with squinted eyes once they looked away from the gear that she had acquired. " _Wow_ sis. I get that my presence leads to bad things, but not even a thank you?"

"We did each other a favor, and _you're_ not thanking me either, are you brother?"

"If I recall, you came and asked me for help initially." He rebutted as he put his hand on the nape of his neck and tried to pop it without too much effort. "Nearly killed me in the process, but I still agreed to it, so I think that's something to note."

That made Raven chuckle a bit, only to sigh again right after, "Hehe, okay. _Thank you Qrow_! Do you want a kiss on the cheek from me too, or is that too much?" Hmm, it seems like battles of sarcasm seem to be one of the sibling's trademarks as well, or at least one of the less magical ones.

"*sigh* ...Fuck it, that's the best one I'll be getting out of you." He said firmly before he slicked his hair back a bit, turned towards the front door, and started to pull out his flask again. "Oh yeah, and your so called, ' _replacement'_ is still breathing by the way."

"Of course he is, I was sure of it!"

"Yeah you were, but the guy is malnourished, missing his hand, and is almost blind in one eye. He also wouldn't wake up after he fell asleep an hour ago, sooo it might be awhile before you two can actually talk-"

"REALLY?! YOU LET HIM SLIP INTO A COMA?!" She outright screamed at her brother.

That was when he finally took a sip and shrugged as well while he turned his back to the blackbird, "I tried talking to the guy and he kept cracking jokes, so i let him be. But you should honestly be thanking me, because now you have a chance to re-think your strategy on him." Qrow wasn't stupid, and he alluded to this before when they were both inside the forest.

He knew Raven had already figured out a way to manipulate her old friend into becoming the new co-leader of The Collectors along with Qrow, but unfortunately, the drunk knew that Prodigy wasn't as gullible as she perceived him to be.

"...What's that supposed to mean?" Raven asked this as she crossed her arms, and watched while Qrow finally took a small sip from his flask, "Don't worry about it… anyways, I should probably leave now that you're not ' _enjoying_ ' my company."

And that was when he went and turned towards the front door while putting his flask away, since he didn't really feel like there was anything else to talk about. However… Raven didn't think the same as him.

Well, she wanted to really… but unbeknownst to her brother, and you too to be honest, she managed to overhear some critical information the previous night, information that the mother thought would be better to pass along than to keep it to herself. "*sigh* ...Qrow, wait."

The drunk had already turned the knob of the cabin's front door by the time she piped up, and it made him glance back at her with disinterest. No real emotion, as it seemed odd for her to stop him from departing.

"...I eavesdropped on Gage last night. He was on a balcony talking to this girl, and i was perched on the roof above him, s... since there was really nothing else to do."

"And?" Qrow asked his sister with a raised eyebrow, causing her to quickly continue on. "I'm not for sure about this, but there is a slight chance that he'll be heading back to the City of Vale later today with these villagers that he helped free."

This news made the old crow lower his hand from the doorknob completely while he turned back to face his sister entirely, looking a lot more curious and confused than he's ever been in a long time.

'How the hell has this kid killed around a dozen people and lead a revolt within a span of two weeks after losing his shit' was the main thought Qrow was having, with the second question in the back of his mind being why did he leave in the first place,

"Uh…" He was also confused about why Raven seemed to actually care about Gage's future whereabouts, but chose to instead not ask about it. He was also pretty confident that the whole, 'your daughter is technically engaged now' thing, would probably be the main reason behind her actions. "...Are you sure?"

"Yes, and even if I am wrong about this… he'd _**better**_ go back. For… m-my prodigy's sake, of course..."

That stunned him even more than usual and he stood there frozen for almost a minute until Raven appeared to be physically embarrassed, in whatever small way that someone like her actually could be, and it made Qrow finally chuckle.

Though, he knew that she'd try and cut at him with her sword no matter what way he made fun of her, so he chose not to do it so he could hopefully keep his head on his shoulders, "Hehe… alright. Thanks for the tip sis, I'll make sure that he gets back home whether he likes it or not." He replied.

Then once he gave reassured his sister and she let out a massive sigh of relief, Qrow smiled and turned back towards the front door again, opened it, and was going to walk out… but he chose to do that only after he gave his sister the credit that she deserved,

"And… you know, hearing you saying stuff like that still gives me hope for you Raven. I just want you to know that." Now after that was when he walked out the door and closed it behind him, leaving his sister alone to stand there in silence.

Raven stayed idle for a few more seconds until she exhaled quietly and sat down on the cabin's only bed, next to where her unconscious friend's bloodied, bandaged stub that was now his right hand laid, and she looked down at the floor humbly.

The thought of feeling such a way, being cautious about her daughter's feelings rather than just her life… it was strange for her to do, and she knew this. But the mother couldn't think of what made her act in such a way, after all of this time.

What Qrow said pretty much boiling down to, 'i have hope for you', was beyond condescending and annoying in her mind… yet, she was still glad to hear it. Guess the other side of her family still had something up their sleeve, with that ace being kindness.

And now, in all honesty, she just wished that they could stop rubbing it in her face every single time one of them were around…

"Don't give us both false hope..."

Meanwhile outside, Qrow didn't wait long until he chose to relay the new development to Yang, as he pulled out his scroll and called hers as he began to walk away from the cabin, and out into the cold brush.

"Fate, if you're listening… please don't fuck us over, just this once…" The blonde's phone only rang once before she chose to pick up, and it just brought a smile to his face, "Qrow! Did you find anything out about Gage? Or where he is?!" She asked him, still sounding a bit stressed.

"Hey firecracker… and no, but i think i know where he's going." He answered, pausing just at the right time in order to hear a small gasp escape from his niece's lips. "...It isn't far, is it?"

"Yeah, well… *sigh* ...i'm not making any promises, but he could be come back to Vale later today. There's going to be this group of refugees coming in…"

…

" _Yang, you're sure that you don't want me to come back, and help you find him?_ "

" _Yeah, i'm sure. Team RWBY's got this Qrow, so don't you worry."_

…

Gage opened his eyes yet again and silently groaned to himself as he raised himself up from the couch he was laying on again, "*sigh*...Damn it."

He sat up and ran his hand through his hair and watched as Summer's apparition faded into existence and appeared in front of him, sitting nicely on the couch next to him. "I'm surprised you're having trouble sleeping _."_

"It's not that." Then, he randomly stood up from the couch entirely and went out into the hallway, towards the bathroom. "My stupid thoughts kept me up, and now i don't think I can rest until i ease them."

Summer squinted at him and let her apparition fade in and out continuously as he walked. Sometimes she would appear to be walking next to him, and other times she'd be leaning against a wall until he passed her by, and he eventually found the bathroom door.

"...What's so important that's in the bathroom?" She asked with a little too much sarcasm _,_ and it in turn made him fire back at her with the same amount, "Can't you read my thoughts or something?!"

"Not recent ones…"

Gage let out another heavy sigh, and began to fish through the bathroom drawers until he was able to find four items. An electric grooming razor, a hair dryer, a comb and a pair of hair shears.

He placed these four things out onto the countertop and stared up into the mirror so he could look back at himself, and so he could be able to look at Summer without facing her.

In truth, he only did this because he would feel more embarrassed if he asked his next question while doing so, "I want to know if… you've ever given someone a haircut before." He said to her, a little quietly.

"I've done Tai's poorly back when we were still roommates, and i've done Ruby's, and even Yang's once… you can probably tell how that went. Why do you ask?"

Gage closed the door and locked it, and soon just began to awkwardly run his hand through his hair again, but continuously like if he was trying to change the shape of it without water or anything.

"Our friends gave us enough to come up with a new look-" He did this mostly because it was all messy since he did just wake up, and that fact didn't cause him to come up with some random excuse. "-and helping me do this should help us out in the long run. So..."

"...You want me to teach you how to cut your own hair?" Summer interrupted him, with her answer being more of a statement rather than a question. "Because uh… i'm not exactly a good teacher _-_ "

"I-I'm not going for anything perfect! Just... something that won't get me spotted from a distance, you know?"

Her figure's body language made it seem like she was nervous for some odd reason, and the phantom looked back at Gage's reflection with worried eyes as she reached her hand out towards the back of his head and let her fingers phase through his face comically.

Summer then wiggled them up and down a bit until the ghost jumped, swatted at her nonexistent hand like it was a bee, turned fully towards her astral form so he could watch as she finally shrugged, and gave her courier a cheeky grin,

"*sigh* ...Alright Gage, i'll help you. But you can't complain if you look horrendous afterwards _."_

"Trust me, i'll just shave my head if i do..." He replied rather coldly with an already regretful scowl. That caused her ghostly apparition to fade into nothingness again, and her voice began to echo inside of his own head once more.

" _Now get in the shower_ -"

"Yeah, yeah, i'm going…"

…

 **Later That Day…**

…

After what seemed like an eternity of head pain, Riley opened her eyes again as the bumpiness of their vehicle rocked her awake since she was still lying down in the back of the car.

The rays of the sun immediately blinded her when she leaned her head up, and she whined a bit until they passed a few buildings, and their shadows shielded her vision from the brightness. "...Wait, were those buildings?" She thought to herself.

Something like that seemed a bit odd considering it felt like she had just fallen asleep, but it couldn't have been anything less than the truth, as their car began to suddenly slow to a stop.

This caused her to sit up completely and look out the front of the dashboard window to see that they were… driving through what looked to be the Vale's commonary plaza. Street lights, people, medium sized buildings, and the sound of laughing and honking horns in the distance.

Ileana turned back and looked at Riley only to smile once she saw that she was awake, and Alizarin did the same as he shifted into park and chuckled. "Damn, you missed the whole trip here!" He said while going to open the driver's side door.

The heavy squinted at him with amusement and silently held her head before yawning, and then she just looked out the back window to see that all of the convoy trucks were parked behind them, and all the villagers were piling out.

This was because the Atlesian Guards that Ironwood had sent all across the city saw their convoy as something to be concerned about, and they allied with the VCPD to try to help the refugees along their merry way, while also trying to monitor their activities.

And rightly so, one of the soldiers came by Alazarin's window and knocked on it gently as he spoke to him with a mix of being both concerned, but also demanding. "Sir, we need you and your girls to exit the vehicle with your weapons visible for us to document." He instructed the three of them.

"Right, just give us a minute!"

"What the hell… What are Atlas troops doing Here in Vale?" Riley asked while she wiped one her eyes and watched the soldier move along to a different vehicle in their convoy.

Al sighed as he began to undo his two pistol holsters, and I say two because he secretly grabbed another weapon that he had been keeping hidden for the last five years before he leaving Keji, which was a black Unica/Mateba 6 revolver with a scratched flame decal going up it's grip.

That along with his red and silver plated M1911, formed a pair of pistols which were named _**Asher & Rojas**_. "*sigh* ...They're probably here because of the Vytal Festival, since I think it's being held at Beacon this year." He answered as he took both of his weapons out and held them in one hand.

"Maybe, but that's still months away from now." Ileana added while she too began to take her bow off of her back and opened her car door. "I'm guessing that The White Fang are showing up just as much inside the city's walls as they are on the outside. It would explain a lot about their new tech..."

Riley huffed and pretty much kicked open the door that was nearest to her feet before she reached for Bronze Bess, slowly crawled out of the humvee, and groggily stepped out onto the sidewalk.

She was followed by Al and Illie not that long after, and soon the three of them began to waltz down the sidewalk with their weapons in hands as the soldiers kept their eyes peeled and pedestrians began to watch the whole thing from the other side of the street, and from the corner of a nearby intersection.

They all looked slightly annoyed as the recorders holstered their pistols and started to tap away on their tablets, almost if these refugees were the equivalent to a shipment of animals that were being offloaded into a zoo.

"Two pistols, revolver and a handgun, a modified M249 light machine gun, and… a compact bow. Threat level: Alarming…"

"Hmph, better be…" Riley huffed.

The cops simply formed a human and faunus wall around every one of their vehicles, and the soldiers seemed pretty quick to usher everyone away from them, probably so they could search them with ease.

"Move along. Move along!"

One guard even waved off another family outside onto the sidewalk, where our other three soon joined them and saw that all of the armed villagers had pretty much occupied an old shop, which was called _From Dust Till Dawn._

Everyone had formed a line that extended out of the store's front doors, and that prompted Riley to look inside and see that the old shopkeep had both a nervous, and excited smile on his face. "Wow, he still runs that place huh?" She thought to herself.

As for the more peaceful citizens, they along with the children and the elderly were lounging in outside seats of an old diner called _Dunkleman's._ Even the father and daughter that Alizarin had helped before the Battle of Keji began were outside eating, until the father waved over towards the old sheriff,

"*pant* ...Alizarin! *pant*"

"...Something wrong Edmund?" He asked in return, since the man seemed to be out of breath as he and his daughter approached the three. "Dad just wants to know how long until we have to start moving again, s-sir."

His daughter, named Minnie, answered for him instead. However, both Ileana and Riley began to stare at the young girl strangely, as they saw her holding/fumbling with a wood-stocked FN-FAL DMR. The girl appeared just shy of being five feet tall, had orange hair and green eyes… and she had just turned fifteen a month ago.

Her father put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from shaking anymore, and he brushed his shaved head nervously, still trying to catch his breath. "Two hours, maybe three." Al answered while taking his hat off for a few seconds,

"Make sure everyone gets food and water, and make sure the kids don't wander off too far."

"*pant* ...Got it. I-I'll spread the word!" The man replied with a huff and a nod. The old sheriff then grasped his shoulder tightly, and continued to walk down the sidewalk even further.

His two girls followed, but still kept their worrisome eyes traced on Minnie. The girl handed her dad a pistol that was on her hip with a small exhale, and he let out a breath too… like she was instructing him even.

It was pretty cute, but then Ed handed the small girl a lien card, and let her keep the rifle. Then she gave him a hug, and ran down the sidewalk in the opposite direction while he followed… but very slowly.

"He's really just letting her run around with that thing? She's barely even old enough to fire that thing legally!" Riley facepalmed, and basically growled that in a very hushed tone.

"She stuck a knife in Jace's throat yesterday." Al just stated this with gravel in his voice, put his hat on again, and holstered his two pistols as he finished with a shrug. "Maybe he figured she's experienced enough to use one now, i don't know.."

Ileana rubbed her shoulder with irritation, and soon tugged on the string of her bow, since it was on her back, and she thought the heavy was being sort of a hypocrite… because unlike every other teen in the village, _she_ was the only one who wanted to become a Huntress.

That was of course a well-kept secret, and the three of them all knew that. But who knows, maybe the way her life's turned out so far influenced her choice rather than hearing about the stories, unlike someone else the two girls had yet to meet...

"You remember the people on the news freaking out about that fifteen year old girl who got accepted early into Beacon academy a while back, don't you? It's just the way things are now i guess…"

"Well, then i guess that's the reason why kids these days are more fucked up than they were before-"

"E-EXCUSE ME!"

Then suddenly, someone interrupted Riley with a shout, and nearly yanked her back by how hard they pulled on her sleeve afterwards. This made the blonde girl spin around with annoyance and anger… right as someone stuck a microphone, and a camera in her face!

"Um…" That person was a twenty to thirty-something year old woman who wore black slacks, with a purple under shirt and a black blazer over that, and had lavender colored hair, and yellow eyes. Her name… was Lisa Lavender. "S-Sorry to interrupt, but would you like to have an interview?!"

Riley blushed and pointed at herself, "W-Wait, m-me?" Only to be rudely pushed away by the anchor's cameraman, who centered the camera on Alizarin as Lisa pointed over towards him instead. "No! I'm asking your handsome friend!"

"God damn city girls-" Al whispered that under his breath before he clutched the bridge of his nose, and turned around slowly with a very fake smile. "-And why me, miss Lavender?~"

"W… Well, this is the first time the City's had such a massive group of outsiders brought inside of the walls for a very long time, and by the way you walk and talk… you seem like the one who calls the shots!"

Her compliments turned Alizarin's grin into a real one, and he soon just placed a hand on his heart in a flattered sort of gesture. "Welp, you guessed right! Now what would like to ask?"

Riley and Ileana rolled their eyes and sighed collectively, but with more amusement than they've felt in a very long time. That was until the cameraman waved at them with frustration although, "Psst, hello?! Can you two get out of frame?!"

The two then became annoyed again, and made sure that Al saw what shop they were starting to walk over towards, which would end up being _Dunkleman's_ yet again. "C'mon Riley, let's get some ice cream or something…" Ileana sighed.

Riley let out a very fake scoff as she turned around, and Alizarin just chuckled as he crossed his arms, and sat down on a bus stop bench that he, Lisa, and the cameraman had moved over to.

"So… what lead you back into the City of Vale, Mr…?"

"Macready, Alizarin Macready, and well... it's kind of a long story."

…

 **Later…**

...

Back at Beacon, Cinder had just finished up her last class of the day and was already approaching her dorm's front door. She was just about to reach for the door handle, and right as she touched it, her own personal scroll rang from inside of her pocket.

"Damn impatient Bull…" The seductress groaned with frustration because previously, Adam Taurus had started to call her all throughout her last class.

She knew that it was important, but it wasn't worth having her phone being taken by Glynda Goodwitch, resulting in her cover being blown. Some might argue that she shouldn't have kept the damn thing in her pocket in the first place, but she honestly thought that she could pull off some 'personal-property' counter if she had to.

Anyways, Cinder answered her scroll the second she entered her dorm and closed the door behind herself, only to yell over Adam's garbled voice from the other end of the call. "...Rrrrgh, what is it now Taurus?!" She nearly screamed.

"*wheeze* ...Just look at these files!" He yelled back at her. Her scroll then received two message notifications, which prompted Cinder to toss her scroll onto her desk and activate it's holo-projector mode.

A holographic screen then appeared above her device, and it presented three things to her. The most obvious being Adam's face since he was video-calling her, while the other two were the files he had sent to her. Which, were a video and a picture. "...What are these?"

She scrolled through them, and saw that the video was a interview from the VCNN news network, and it had a man in it's thumbnail… he was someone who was unfamiliar to her, but very well know to _you_.

He had tan skin, garnet colored eyes, black hair, wore a cowboy hat, and ended up having his name presented in the caption card of the report.

...The man was named Alizarin, and soon enough his voice and Lisa Lavender's could both be heard as Cinder pressed the video's play button. "So, _you're all from a village called Keji?_ " She asked the man quizzically with a bit of excitement and curiosity in her tone.

" _Yes Ma'am. It was an old farming community before some bandits came through_." He nodded in reply, and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the bench he was sitting in, almost like he was trying to stretch his body a bit. " _And what can you tell me about them?_ "

" _They were called the Skinwalkers. Crazy racist faunus that tried to turn themselves into humans by removing their… animal parts, and they were… beyond sadistic_."

Lisa's grip on her microphone kind of loosened, and the thing tilted down from Alizarin's face a bit. " _I've… never heard of anything that disturbing before, coming from the faunus at least_." The concept of it made her skin crawl on the inside, and the old sheriff just continued to look at the anchor, stone cold as ever.

" _All of us, including myself, lost someone to them, and I almost thought that it'd be like that for the rest of my life_ …" He seemed like he was about to take a dark turn with his confession, and maybe even open up about the death of Aaron and Hannah, but he chose to skip over those years of depression… for his own good,

" _...That, was until someone good crossed our path, and helped us save ourselves from those psychopaths_." He finished with a smile, and seemingly had a bright twinkle in his eyes resurface momentarily. " _This person, are they here? Can you tell us their name?_ " Lisa asked him.

" _They ain't here, not yet at least. But as for their name, all I can really say is most just know him as being one thing… The Ghost of Remnant_."

" _Um… What?_ "

The video came to a stop immediately after Lisa's confusion on the subject could be heard, and Cinder took a step back as well, since she also looked pretty perplexed. Soon the tab with the video minimized however, and it allowed for Adam to finally look at her face to face again.

"That interview aired only a few hours ago-" Then, he pulled up a picture file that appeared a little blurry at first, but was able to get his point across well. "And this? This was taken by one of my scouts only two days ago… you see anyone familiar?"

She tilted her head to try and focus in on the picture, and that was when it became easier for her to make out. This photo was taken while a group of seven people were standing in the middle of a random road, and some appeared to be all over the emotional spectrum.

There was a brunette girl cradling the head of another blonde teen against her shoulder, a cricket bat wielding man standing proud along with two other men, one having dark skin and dreadlocks while the other had pink eyes and red spiky hair… just as two others appeared in the center of the frame, and were staring right at the camera.

Cinder could easily identify Gage, despite the more rugged and unkempt look he had going for him at the time, as he was bloodstained, smiling, and appeared to be waving at the person who took the photo while sitting down in the middle of the road.

As for the second person she recognized… it was no mistake. The same man she had just witnessed being interview, Alizarin, was standing right behind the ghost with an aggressive blank stare aimed towards the photographer, "That man… he was with Gage Sim?"

"They killed an entire platoon of my men over the length of two days, and the only one who survived returned to show me this. *wheeze* ...He said the ghost told him to… 'get his good side', for me."

Cinder snickered for a second and prompted Adam to follow up with as glare that could kill if his eyes were as overpowered as his semblance. "...That's quite the story Adam, but how is this important to me?" And that made his eyes glow about as bright as aura. Too bad no one could see them…

"How isn't it?! *wheeze!* ...His allies are here in the city, just waiting to be ambushed by my initiates!" He sounded completely dumbfounded by how calm the woman seemed to be processing all of this. "...And, i've figured out how we can kill the ghost here and now, and keep him from becoming a martyr after he's gone! Does this not intrigue you?!"

Her expression changed only after Gage's demise was added to the equation, it didn't change her thought process by that much though. The initiates being thrown into what could turn into another battle wasn't exactly ideal, and was downright foolish in her eyes.

"I admit, it seems like… quite the opportunity, but if he and his new 'allies' are returning to Vale, then it's also quite the risk at the same time. We cannot allow for our master plan to be jeopardized in any way because of a grudge that you're holding!"

If you were in the room with Adam during that time, you could probably feel the angst and darkness channel it's way through everything around him,

"...If he's able to find out the archive, then his triumphs will become even more grand than the last." He stated this coarsely through his respirator mask, and clenched his teeth to the point it began to feel like they could shatter. "... _ **Everything**_ that _**I**_ _**have**_ , _**IS**_ _**ALREADY**_ Jeopardized! Because of him… and because of _**you**_."

All that anger in his voice could make any normal person fear for their life, at least a little bit, "Hmhm, don't even try to threaten me Taurus. You know the repercussions that are instore for you if that's the case." But as for Cinder? No, no instead she chuckled at his attempt to try and do so.

Now she had her arms crossed and kept that smirk on the her face just to spite the bull, and it did just that… but little did she know that this, turned out to be the straw the the broke the camel's back.

Adam lowered his head down for a moment until she finished her laugh, and then… he looked back up into her own eyes through the camera and her screen, as he had his own final chuckle as well,

"...You're laughing now. Are you Cinder? Hehehe, okay then… so be it."

His voice trembled there at the end, and just the way he spoke gave Cinder a reason to become unamused. Even behind that emotionless mask of his, she could tell that he had something sinister still in mind…

...But as to what, she wouldn't find out until later that day.

"Wh-"

Then from Adam's perspective, Cinder's video screen suddenly exited out as he sighed with some relief and realized that his own call moderator had hung up on her for him.

He was also in the room, since the White Fang had managed to set up a sort-of, 'video conference' room in their newest base, and the mod simply picked up the bull's scroll and ended it.

"Oops... Seems that we've lost our connection." The mod appeared to be a sniper-wielding wolf faunus with silver hair and blue eyes, his animal trait being a pair of wolf ears.

He also wore a white colored sleeveless hoodie and had a silver chest plate with a few bullet lines present on it as well as a red-colored White Fang symbol painted on the center of the armor plate, and a black print of his own name right above the emblem. 'Ethan' it read,

"You're quick on the draw, *wheeze* ...as per usual." Adam thanked him, in his own personal sort of way. Then, the sharpshooter gave a small bow and chuckled to himself. "Hehe, so… are you sending me to start the party?"

"Negative, i have a mission in Atlas for you to deal with that involves… an acquaintance of yours and the ghost. *wheeze* ...So I'm sending Roman's small companion to handle this instead."

Ethan nodded, and proceeded towards the exit of their conference room… but not before he turned back and asked about his other concern that Involved Adam's plan for Gage, "Alright sir… and shall i leak our photo of the ghost to the public?"

The bull huffed with indecision as he took his scroll in hand and opened the picture for himself to see, only to become even more enraged by how Gage appeared in the snapshot.

He wasn't smiling or even alarmed of the scout's presence, he was grinning instead of course. Gage was _GLAD_ that the picture was taken, mostly because then he could let the White Fang finally know that he was aware of Adam's survival, and therefore he could taunt the bull even more.

One thing he didn't account for, was that it actually worked… that's what Adam thought himself at least. "No. Only when Vale's casualties have reached their peak will it's citizens look for someone to blame, *cough!* ...and when they do..." He then paused, and clenched his fists once again.

Gage poked and prodded, believing that he was going to end up being the matador that slayed Taurus. And who knows, maybe he will be eventually, but not today or anytime soon. Instead, on this very same day... The City of Vale was to begin suffering at the hands of both The White Fang… and The Ghost of Remnant!

"...I'm going to make _**god-damn**_ sure that they destroy him!"


	41. One Way Trip, Two Way Road

**Author's Note (LONG):** *sigh* ...I hope that at one point i'll be able to stop apologizing for being gone and having long notes, but here i am once again! Happy New Year everyone! I'm back again, and I yeah, I just want to apologize once more for almost taking more than three months to upload chapter 100 and this. Good thing I came back with another big chapter.

Oh, and If anyone isn't really enjoying the whole big chapter thing, then I can't really help you there because Desertion: Part Two is an outlined story. So the content of every chapter has been decided, unless I make a quick change, and it has a certain goal of things to establish.

All the chapters ahead have a lot of stuff to show/establish in every one too, so if you like big chapters then you'll hopefully enjoy it, but if you don't then all I can say is sorry. Hopefully they won't always be too massive like this one.

Anyways, a lot of things happened during that time like my birthday and Christmas, I even recently got a new black kitten named Cinder, (Cinder is my sister's favorite RWBY char cuz she's voiced by Jessica Nigri, so we both agreed on that name.) and she's been pretty troublesome.

I also just moved into a new home as well so that took almost a month of my time away from all of this, (not to mention that my FUCKING LAPTOP BROKE AGAIN. Yeah, that same one that I said broke during the early days of Part One, and that thing helped me write so much faster too!) Aside from that however, things are looking up for me after so long, fours years really, and hopefully it'll benefit this story as well.

But before i get to addressing my intentions for this story, since i was hoping to start Desertion Part Three during early 2018, i need to say something else important involving the main RWBY show. I'm sure we've all watched Volume 5 by now, and because of it, this is something that i think should be said regarding my last A/N.

I'm not going into spoiler territory, but i'll just say that Volume 5 has almost redeemed Volume 4 for me, not entirely because of some other personal biases involving Blake and Oscar, but it's impacted me a lot more than i thought it would, and i'm glad it did. Btw, i kinda feel like an asshole for saying all that stuff back in chapter 39's A/N. (Maybe i deserve to, idk XS. I know it kinda feels flip-floppy, but i'm just easily influenced… trust me.)

Besides that… I'm uploading this in March due to my slow-ass, and it's officially been about a month and three years since Monty Oum passed away. I've said something about him the last two years, and honestly i don't think i can top those… even if I was less experienced back then compared to how i am now.

'I'd want to tell Monty how good RWBY turned out' (RT Podcast #448, 22:08) Is the one thing that i'd want to do, thankfully Gavin said it all for us too a while back (thank god he and Meg are alright.) I remember saying something similar in last year's note, and i just don't want to come off sounding like a broken record… but it'll still always be my one wish concerning Monty. Who wouldn't want that, right?

Now… before i go, by the way I ended our last chapter… let's just say that we're going to be starting off 2018 with a 'Yang!' ...and now i think about it, i probably used that pun more than twice now. I also just wanted to mention that this upload will mark the start of the last major part of the storyline that we began after chapter 30!

All I can really say about it is that a few more OCs will be revealed, and other minor ones will return/come into play very soon. So with that said, hopefully I can finally finish Desertion: Part Two during 2018, and maybe even begin working on Part Three. Wish me luck you guys!

 **Song:** Prisoner's Song by The Dropkick Murphys

…

 **Then...**

…

Owen opened his eyes and wiped his mouth clean from the blood on his lips as he leaned up off of a patch of grass and stared ahead angrily at Greed, who was already about two yards ahead of himself, limping back down the long road towards home.

The two had just finished up a supply run not far from here and were walking back until Owen accidentally let out a… big secret during their conversation, and that resulted in an argument about letting everyone else back home know about it or not, which resulted in a physical fight between them both.

It was brutal to say the least. Biting, scratching, head smashing, and strangling were all forms of combat in the scuffle. Somehow it ended in a truce though, once Owen was on the verge of being suffocated by Greed's grasp on his throat.

"*pant* ...You fucked me up, but it's gonna be a whole lot worse if you don't keep your mouth shut... *pant* ...so please don't… don't tell Orin. You can't!" Owen screamed at his friend while blood and frightful tears streamed down his face, the expression being as blank and cold as ice.

Owen was wearing a ripped black and white flannel shirt with a leather vest over it as well as a pair of ripped jeans and combat boots too. He looked to be around twenty years old, and had his usual red hair and scruff that resembled a goatee in the making. He also had hot-pink colored eyes.

Greed simply wore a black tank top, jeans, and skate shoes while his hair was short and braided, it being pushed to the side while the rest of his head was lightly shaved and bleeding from the scratches on the sides of skull,

"*pant* ...Man, the fuck's wrong with you?! All of this, all of this over one dame that ain't ever gonna look at you the same way she does Alex!"

Owen shook his bleeding head and wiped the blood that dripped down from his scalp out of his eyes, before he started to limp after his friend angrily. "Stop rubbing that, in my fucking face!" He shouted at him.

Little did Greed know, his friend had more than a red machete attached to his belt, as Owen's hand eventually found its way to the grip of a Sig Sauer P226 that was stuffed into the rim of his pants, and it was hidden by the back end of his shirt.

The man with the dreads still continued to egg him on however, "She's just one girl, and Tamara already got your dick wet! So why'd you have to start crushing on other girls now, huh?!" It was just ridiculous, how could someone go so far for just one girl?

Maybe even farther than using your fists or a machete, as Owen reached behind himself and pulled out his pistol before he aimed it at his friend, shouted, and flailed the sidearm at him with angrily,

"BECAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE!"

Now with a gun actually being present, Greed looked back and stopped walking… but only briefly so that Owen could vent whatever he had to get out. He was generally treated like a little brother, and this seemed like the best way to handle it.

"I saw us, her and me, we were there. We were happy! I was happy, and you, and Orin, none of you fucks were there to get in my goddamn way!"

"You _are_ one of us fucks, you dumbass!" Again, only briefly did he stop. Then he just turned around completely and shrugged his arms outwards with a wide bloody smile, with his brown eyes appearing to be as beady and buggy as ever. "Are you really that blinded by that ass of hers? Get your eyes off her back and take a look around!"

"Look at what we've become because of Orin!"

By the way he talked, it sounded like the man was a god. Someone that had to be worshiped by everyone, even though he was nothing but a sadistic man that loved to hurt and kill. Owen knew that, even though he willingly followed him and his people.

Greed did too of course, but not because he was afraid of dying. He just wanted sense of power after being called a delinquent for the majority of his life, since it seemed like the boy that he was on the inside died before he was even twelve years old.

He'd get caught for torturing livestock along with other animals near the farm, even the pets that the other people had around the village ended up being poisoned by him when he was a tween… but when he thought he'd changed, no one else thought the same except for Owen.

"Those people back there, our 'friends'... they're weak." These thoughts resurfaced as the man with the dreads smiled sadistically while his head bled, and his hands became tightly balled fists. "They're all just fuckin pigs-and before he and the Skinwalkers came here-me and you, we were the runts! Now we're the ones calling the shots because of him, or we're at least gonna be!"

"We're _WINNING_ now. And one day, if we both stay on the path we're on right now, then you'll be able to take any girl you want for yourself! No one can boss you around, so she won't have a choice, and she'll learn to like it! ...That's what you want, ain't it?"

As for his red haired friend, the hand that held up his pistol shook and faltered a little while he walked and he kept his free hand inside of his vest in order to hold his injured side that had been brushed and elbowed multiple times.

"...No." Owen exhaled heavily and closed his right eye as a small stream of blood flowed over that eyelid, "Sometimes we have to earn what we take, and if we _do_ keep going down this path… then those 'pigs' are going to be on a march to war for their freedom. What'll we do then Greed?"

"We'll slaughter them. Bash them in, slit their throats… hell, I'd eat them if it comes down to that, because I'm not going to be the one who gets torn apart by tooth and nail. That's what I'm willing to do, and I know it… so it's time for you to decide how far you can go."

He then turned back around and began to walk down the long road again whilst praying that his pink-eyed friend hadn't grown a big enough pair to shoot him in the back, "...Greed, stop." He watched as his friend got farther and farther away, even after giving the man a warning. Owen tried again after this and did his best to sound even more threatening, "Stop!"

"I SAID STOP!"

"STOP!" But of course nothing could really scare Greed, who just kept walking as Owen's index finger began to slowly inch towards his pistol's trigger, his whole hand now mildly shaking. Then his finger couldn't even bring itself to become clenched.

The red haired skinwalker growled for as along as he could before he used his other hand to pull the trigger as he cried out as loudly… and he still couldn't bring himself to to take another life, even though one was going to be lost if he let Greed live.

"RRRAAAGH!"

"*BANG!*"

A shot rang out and made Greed jump, but he still kept walking as the bullet went past his right leg and hit the black road instead, landing about two feet in front of him. Then, five more shots rang out and all missed their target purposely before Owen gasped, and fell to his knees.

He remained there for a few soul-crushing seconds as even more tears and blood dripped onto the black pavement of the country road, right as Owen went on to screamed his lungs out in one ear-piercing cry of lost hope. And as for Greed… well he just kept walking with a bloody smirk on his face, completely unaware of how future events would turn on him.

"*pant* ...Have this be the starting line Owen, because it's all downhill from here!"

...

 **...Now**

…

Gage was currently standing in front of the same mirror he was peering at himself in earlier, but this time he looked very different than he had a few hours ago. Specifically because he actually looked clean and sane, at least physically.

A shower, haircut, decent breakfast, and eight hours of sleep was enough to get him back into overdrive again, as he now appeared to be gearing up for the road once more.

He first started with the basics by washing everything he was already wearing except for his black shirt, since that thing had already been ripped to shreds by the grimm. He instead chose to wear a similar one that Ileana had left behind for him.

Next his focus shifted towards all of the gear that had been given to him before his friends departed for Vale, and he started with his prosthetic by pulling the black nylon sleeve over the metal so it could be hidden.

It's length went from his bicep to his wrist, and he just put on a black leather glove to cover his metal hand. Then he equipped the black armor pieces, a short gauntlet that was attached to his glove, some small elbow plating, and one singular shoulder plate that kept his shoulder hidden entirely.

After that he put on and clipped together his coyote-colored Mil-tec M. Release MOLLE tactical vest, along with the two black riot knee pads and his gun belt that included Javix's holster and the small bullet loops he used to keep his throwing picks inside of.

The vest was stuffed with multiple clips for Mistletoe's expanse-arrows that had been placed in a few of it's magazine holders with a bunch of revolver and shotgun rounds in one pocket, and the photos of Yang that Gage had kept were put in a different one as well. And on the far left pocket there appeared to be a radio that had been left behind by Ileana, probably as a way to communicate.

Once that was all sorted and fitted, Gage finally looked up at his own reflection with a bottle of white face paint that he found in a cabinet, and he just dabbed some on his fingers, "And now for the finishing touches…" He whispered to himself.

" _Uh…_ _What's the point of that Gage?_ "

"Some raider tribes these days wear marks with this stuff, so maybe it'll ward off anyone else who thinks about robbing me. I use to do it a lot back at Mountain Glenn, just when i'd leave the dead city for a while."

Summer hummed in a way that pretty much came down to saying 'whatever floats your boat', and she just let him be. So he went on to outline each scar on his face that was still somewhat visible.

The end result was two white lines that went downwards diagonally to the left, with one right past the right side of Gage's right eye while the other was parallel, but shorter and went right through that same eye, and a third diagonal one went downwards past the right corner of his mouth with the final one being just a tiny dash that went down from the left side of his lip.

All of these lines covered the scars that the ghost had received in battle over his life, and sure they weren't as crazy as tribal markings… but they seemed to be in odd enough places that they could pass as them.

"There!" He exclaimed as he finished, stood up completely straight, looked at himself in the mirror, and finally wrapped his sage bandana around his neck as if he was going to use it to mask his identity later on. "So… what do you think Summer?"

His question to Summer had a very clear answer in her eyes, but at the moment she couldn't keep her focus off of one particular part of the ghost's new look… which turned out to be his hair.

The phantom tried her best to guide him through the entire process of giving himself a haircut, and he actually thought it turned out pretty good. Her not as much, but that's how artists always usually feel about their work anyways.

Instead of the usual modern/refined, messy and long-haired mix of an ivy league and gentleman's style cut everyone had been used to him seeing him with before, he now had a short sort-of mix between a fohawk and faux hawk, without a fade and with a few accidental cuts/blemishes on the right side of his head… and yeah, he really loved how it turned out.

" _You just need Alizarin's hat and you'll look just like any other bandit_." And when Summer finally answered him, it just made Gage chuckle and run his hand through his hair with a smile. "Good. It's a nice change from the whole, 'modern gunslinger' look i had before."

" _So, you gonna shave your face next?-_ -"

"Yeah uh, that's not going to happen. Not yet at least..." The ghost then brushed his hand against what could honestly pretty much be a medium-sized beard at this point (it isn't like crazy), and he walked out into the main hall so he could go and head back into Alizarin's living room.

He had cleaned up the place a but since he woke up from his eight hour nap, with an empty bowl of soup being placed on top of the same coffee table that his gear had presented to him on, and a few other assortments. Two of them being Javix and Mistletoe, and the third being what appeared to be a… letter of some sort.

Gage remembered just tossing it aside the moment he woke up again and he did it mostly because the thing felt like the equivalent of a card being present along with a group of birthday presents.

So he forgot about it up until the very moment as he picked Javix up off of the table and placed it in it's holster since it was in it's revolver form, " _Hey Gage, what's that piece of paper? Did our 'friends' leave it behind for us?_ " Summer asked as the ghost took Mistletoe off of the table as well.

"It's a note I think, so probably. I'll get around to reading it after I get back from checking Keji's perimeter." The ghost seemed to be in a rush to head outside, as he began to load a few shotgun rounds into his Model before he straightened out the barrel again, and shifted his shotgun into it's crossbow form while he held it with only one hand,

" _And why exactly do you need to do that with such urgency? This place is pretty big, and I think the villagers took care of all the Skinwalkers themselves-"_

"There's still Orin." He interrupted the phantom as he placed Mistletoe on his back again, and clenched his metal fingers tightly with uneasiness as well. "Owen could still be kicking too for all I know, and I honestly doubt that The White Fang scouts left after we killed their entire platoon. So… there!"

Summer would've rolled her eyes if her astral form was present, so she instead sighed with some annoyance since it wasn't. " _*sigh* ...No wonder Yang was always frustrated with you_." She said, sounding like she was here for the entirety of their relationship. " _You just don't know when to take a break, even after life pretty much tells you to stop for a little bit._ "

The ghost actually rolled his eyes as a response at first… until he felt the stinging pain in his shoulder, chest, arm, legs, and eventually looked at his bandaged right hand as he slung Mistletoe over his shoulder. "Yeah, well… that's the one thing you both still don't get." He sighed before going on to elaborate further,

"I sat on my ass moping about school, work, girls problems, shows I watched, video games, and life in general for four years after my mom died. Then this all happened, and i didn't have a choice. The world chose for me, and went on to decide which path i would take… until now."

Summer really thought all of this was just coming out of nowhere until she thought more into it… and in a way, Gage was kind of right. This new generation didn't have as much freedom as hers did thanks to what Remnant has become.

People either come from nothing or something. Weiss was born into a family whose reputation she would have to uphold in the future despite her own dreams, Blake was born into a family that wanted to make a difference for an entire race… and Yang was born into one that she soon had to help keep together because of someone else's apparent cowardice.

So… once that claim felt like it had some sort of foundation under it, she was glad that Ruby seemed to be the exception to that rule. The only thing about it was that it currently seemed like she would be repeating her mother's own story, and it tore the elder rose up on the inside

It even appeared to carry over into Gage, as he clenched his injured and bandaged fist, and felt the pain in his knuckles and wrist spread throughout his forearm before he exhaled, wiggled his fingers just as he turned towards the home's front door, and reached for it's handle.

And when he opened the front door and began to exit the lonely estate house, he felt a new refreshing breeze of air brush against his skin and hair, bringing him to a more peaceful state of mind for the first time in two weeks.

Too bad it wouldn't last for long…

"Now, i get to call the shots. I can choose to say if i'm done or not." He stated while he laid his eyes upon Keji's green farmland, wooden walls, and all the burnt out buildings once again. "That's how it's gotta be, how we live. How i should, and how i _will_ from this point on… because something's telling me that I've already lived longer than I was suppose to."

Personally, that last line of his made the ghost cringe both from the depth and the context of the small rant, but what he said next caused Summer to both sigh and snicker within a few seconds of each other.

"In other words, it's like you said before… 'I'm the one with the legs'." He quipped with a smirk.

"* _sigh* ...Just make sure that you still have them both by the end of today, because the last thing I'd want is for Yang to cry over a good-looking head and torso._ "

"Relax, I'll try my best to stay out of trouble… But it ain't my fault if it finds its way to me first."

…

 **Meanwhile…**

…

"Ugh! S… Stupid leg!" Yang groaned quietly.

"Don't worry, we're almost there!"

After Qrow informed her of Gage's potential future whereabouts, Yang immediately began to work on a plan to get her away from Beacon and into Vale via the airships that usually transport all the students off campus everyday.

She couldn't do anything by herself at this point due to the injury to her ankle, and the bionic brace that Weiss had ordered for her hadn't come just yet. So, the blonde of course had to inform her team and get them involved… along with someone else.

Currently, Yang was walking through Beacon's main courtyard with Ruby at her side, holding her hand as the two walked together towards the air pads with a few other groups of students surrounding them… it seemed like the perfect camouflage at the time.

They were both 100% sure that Ironwood wouldn't have bothered the Atlesian soldiers present around the academy with an order to keep one injured girl under dorm arrest, so they assumed that order went to the guards that would most likely remember her face. The Atlesian Knights.

Sure they're all robots controlled by an A.I., but they're made in Atlas! Who knows if they're actually as smart as they were advertised?

"*exhale* ...Is everyone in position?" Yang asked Ruby as they both made it out to the main area where the rose met both of her teammates originally, and saw that it was currently packed with more students as well. "And please tell me that Jackson brought the right dust type!"

The blonde's younger sister held up her scroll to her ear and simply nodded before she lowered it again, and accidentally let out a cutesy little sneeze, "*chew!* ...Gagh! *sniffle* ...Check and check. Nothing can get me this sniffly this quickly!" She sniffled.

Let's just say that their plan had a little bit of a nostalgic twist to it, and that it also involved Jackson Wesson being in place of Ruby herself, since he was available during that time… and not M.I.A.

"Hey, so… why are we doing this again you guys?" He asked audibly, his voice now coming through Ruby's scroll for the two sisters to hear… and it made Yang internally growl. "W-W… What, can two sisters not just go into town to get away from their school in peace? And I thought I told you to not ask any questions Jackson!"

"Oh come on!" He groaned with more than enough exaggeration to give off the feeling that he was confused. "Saying that is just going to make me want to question this whole escort mission even more! I mean all this just for a little sister time?" He rebutted.

"Just deal with it, and make sure you attract a lot of attention!"

"That's the problem Yang. If I'm gonna brand myself as a terrorist by blowing myself up in the courtyard, I'd like to know why I'm doing it!"

"Seriously… Who here at this school is _honestly_ clumsy enough to _accidentally_ blow themselves up with Dust?!" Anyone could have pictured it, him just standing there next to Weiss with his scroll in hand while he held his head humorously with the other.

And since that was obviously a snarky jab aimed towards Ruby, she raised her scroll back up and nearly yelled into it's microphone while she squeezed Yang's hand and blushed with a mix between anger and embarrassment.

"H-Hey! I'm sorry that my sinuses act up when I'm nervous-And at least I didn't almost kill more than one person during my first day here!"

Jackson's expression changed instantly as he held his scroll up to his own mouth as well, and held one of his fingers up defensively. "OH THAT DOES NOT COUNT! I wasn't even technically enrolled yet!-" But, that was when a heavy sigh from Weiss came through his end, and she sneakily tapped the, 'end call' button on his scroll from behind her old friend.

"*sigh* ...Jackson, please just stop pestering her and Yang for once. This whole thing is… beyond important to the four of us. Trust me." The heiress sighed.

He exhaled as well once he figured out that the call had ended, and turned to the heiress while he finally chose to put his scroll away. "I know, I know, but-" His stale golden eyes also looked sunken as he rubbed them both, but they became widened once Weiss reached out to him and wrapped her fingers around his wrist.

Doing that seemingly made the hunter stop speaking mid sentence, and she silenced him even more once she let go of him, and instead used that same hand to place a finger over his lips. "D… Don't!" Then she began blushing a light red the second both of their eyes became locked with each other, the awkward tension now rising.

"L-L, Look at it this way! I… I-If they're both gone, and if i'm able to get Blake out of our dorm for a little bit, th-then maybe we can have some 'private time'? ...D-Does that not sound the least bit appealing to you?"

"U-Um…" Jackson's eyes widened then, but only momentarily before he raised his tone of voice, and put his finger up yet again as he spoke. "...Wait. Hold on one berry-picking minute, out of all people… _you_ , Weiss Schnee, are trying to flirt right now?"

It wasn't a tone that said, 'you're flirting with me, senpai?', but it sounded more like the hunter was suspicious of her reasoning behind it, as anyone else who knew the heiress would be. "W-What? Can i not?!"

" _If she's going that far to try and distract me… then yeah, this is a lot more important than i thought…_ " He thought to himself, before he closed his eyes and shook his head with outstretched arms,

"You know what Weiss? ...Never mind." A smile then slowly creeped onto the hunter's face. "I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth."

Weiss let out a sound that indicated she wanted to start a little bout with her old friend, but she stopped herself before the rest of her words could come out, and just pouted with crossed arms and a blush.

Let's just say that Jackson's presence also made the whole situation even more difficult due to the fact that Team RWBY all unanimously agreed to not inform the hunter of their debacle with Gage, and his general stubbornness kept on having the four girls to come up with some kind of excuse for the ghost's own absence, or to try and change the subject.

Needless to say, when Yang and Ruby reached the landing pads after a continuous back and forth, they both spotted Weiss and Blake… who both looked to be at opposite ends on the emotional spectrum.

Weiss was of course still flustered as she and Jackson both stood to the left of the two sisters, on a cleared off airpad that was located to the far right of an occupied one, which was a boarding area for the airship that Yang was trying to get onto.

She stood there a few feet away from Jackson with a white case full of dust, secretly happy that she was able to be around her old friend again after so long, while Blake sat on a bench that was located to the right of the siblings, and she simply sat there staring so hard at a random book in her hands, that she probably could've melted a hole right through it.

Just the vibe of sorrow and the darkness in her yellow eyes reflected off of her figure without it being expressed by her words or actions, so much so that Yang and Ruby didn't even plan on asking the faunus for her help in their scheme.

It seems that Gage's departure and Sun's subsequent meltdown was starting to take a toll on her, along with the looming threat of the White Fang that everyone had seemingly forgotten about. Luckily enough for her team although, she was concerned for the ghost just the same as they were on the inside, maybe even more than Yang if you could imagine it.

"Okay… i think we're ready Yang." Ruby said to her older sister as she looked back continuously between Blake and Weiss, "Just say the word!"

The blonde nodded in response and took a few more steps towards the occupied airpad with Ruby right on her heels, as the boarding area had a small squad of Atlesian Knights stationed in order to check off each incoming student to see if they were listed as okay for leaving the campus.

One of the droids quickly glanced over at them with a raised hand before they began to slowly walk to Yang, since their facial recognition system was able to recognize the blonde brawler just as she made eye contact with the robot, and she was immediately red flagged for it,

" _HALT! First year student, 'Yang Xiao Long', you are not authorized to board this civilian transport under the orders of General James Ironwood. Please proceed back to your dorm room. I will escort you if you require it."_

"*pant* ...Well, aren't you my, 'Atlesian Knight', in shining armor?~" Yang purred as she patted the knight on the head with a wince due to the pain in her leg, " _Flirtatious behavior detected! Are you by any chance intoxicated?"_

"Pfft! I am not! *hiccup!* ...And relaxxx, my little sis has me covered!" Due to the many times she's sarcastically flirted with the droids as a gag to be witnessed by any friend she was with at the time, Yang already had a pretty good idea of what the knight was going to say.

"Yeah… she's really missing her boyfriend. Y-You know, with him being on a mission and all!" Ruby also knew what it was like to deal with a drunk Yang already, so she didn't really have much of a problem with helping through this part of the plan.

Yang then shouted as she increased her grip on her little sister's hand and raised it into the air with yet another fake blush, hiccup, and a smile, "Don't trip- *hiccup* -chocolate chip!" She slurred. (I honestly wish Yang would call Ruby that in canon. It'd be so cute right? Cuz she likes cookies!)

They better hope that this incident doesn't get reported, considering Taiyang would probably end up hunting down Gage himself if Yang had to explain her reasoning for doing all of this.

" _Acknowledged."_ The droid chirped. The two girls became silent again as an awkward tension seemed to fill the air, since the knight just continued to stare at them both until Yang patted Ruby's, and whispered to her. " _Now sis!"_

Ruby squirmed due to her head pats and closed one of her eyes as she loosened her grip on her scoll, and seemingly dropped it onto the hard tile ground in front of the robot before she screamed with as much exaggeration as she could muster,

" _OH NO! N-NOT AGAIN?!"_

Weiss and Jackson both let out a light sigh as they looked at each other. "Are your guys's plans always this cliche?" The hunter asked, only for the heiress to nervously smile back at him, "When at home, most of the time. Now come on, get into character!"

And seemingly on que, Jackson 'accidentally' smacked the dust case out of Weiss's hands, trying his best to act casual, and she allowed for multiple vials of powdered burn dust to clatter onto the hard ground. "Oh, uh... O-Ooops?

She then snapped out of her calm demeanor and furrowed her eyebrows, bending forwards slightly as she pressed her finger against her friend's chest and nervously tried to remember how this whole thing played out before…

"W-Wh-Wh… What are you doing?!"

" _OH! Sorrrry!_ " He bent down in order to pick up one of the burn vials and apologized, but with a modicum of a higher pitch in his voice, to try and mock Ruby even further. "S-Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you…"

Unfortunately, that manage to make Weiss snicker mid-sentence, and she just tried her best to cover her own mouth as she took the vial out of his hands "PFFT!-Y-You could have caused?! G-G… G-Give me that!" That one swipe also managed to blow some of the powder against his nose, and it made him sniffle on the spot

"This is dust, mined-mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry!-"

"UH." Jackson's golden eyes grew even, as he realized that a small sneeze from Ruby was probably as loud as a kitten, but as for him… it'd probably be the exact opposite. " _SHIT, I DIDN'T THINK THIS THROUGH!"_ He whispered with congestion.

As for Weiss, she saw this as an opportunity from the start and pretty much threw more of the red dust in his face… and now, she just hoped that her aura could endure the blast a second time.

"W-What are you, brain-dead?! Dust! Fire, water, lightning! ENRG-"

"ACHOOUGHH-!"

"*BOOM!*

The second the sound of detonation occured, all the Atlesian Knights in the surrounding area began to flock over towards the blast zone, and as soon as the one near Yang moved out of her way…. Blake let one of her clones take her place on the bench.

She rushed towards her partner, put her right arm around her shoulder and helped her start to run as Ruby grunted and activated her own semblance to enhance their overall mobility.

Yang lifted up her injured leg so her two teammates could basically carry her over to the main door of the airship with a large red streak and a trail of red roses following them from behind.

Blake was already out of breath by the time they got to the ship, and her legs felt like they could give out from under her by how fast she had to move them in such a small amount of time. She then let go right when they reached the door and let the two sisters glide inside together as the aircraft began to depart,

"Thanks Blake!" The feline faunus heard Yang shout from inside before the door closed by itself, "And make sure you tell Weiss and Jay the same thing!"

Blake just sighed and nodded before she turned and ran back with her clone's dark shell masking her presence before she finally got back to her original copy that was sitting on the bench still reading her book, and she took its place as it dissipated.

Then when it seemed like no one noticed her sudden change in place, she continued to pant and stood up so she could jog lightly over towards Weiss and Jackson to see if they ended up causing any actual damage. "Hey… *pant* *pant* …Are you two okay?!" She called out to them.

Once she got through the cloud of black smoke the dust explosion had left behind, Blake found the two friends sitting down blankly in the middle of a small black crater while the Atlesian Knights were trying to speak to the two of them as well.

" _Accidental Discharge detected. Is anyone in need of medical assistance?_ " Jackson looked at the droid and simply coughed out a small cloud of black smoke before he glared at the robot and tried to to stand back up. "*cough!* ...No."

Both him and Weiss were covered in black soot and it stained their clothes, with hers being the most tainted of course… but she didn't seem to mind it, as she was sitting and still smiling at Jackson's impression from earlier.

That being said, the Knights lowered their weapons and started to head back towards the airpad they were at before, right as the ship they were guarding began to ascend and depart on it's short flight over to the City of Vale.

"*sigh* ...Mission accomplished." The heiress said with a smirk as Blake held a hand out to her teammate. "And yes Blake, i think we're fine." She confirmed, taking the faunus's hand so she could be helped back onto her feet.

Jackson stood up as well, and dusted off his shoulder a bit until he noticed his surroundings, and saw that almost every student that was present in that area were now staring at them in complete silence,

"And now everyone's staring…"

"Oh, just mind it!" Weiss replied tiredly with a smirk, "Besides, the whole concept of stealth goes out the window when Yang and Ruby come up with a plan anyway, so we're bound to get caught. I don't even think she planned for what to do when they come back."

"Something's telling me that she'll be too busy to care." Blake said with a sigh, as she turned her head to the right and looked out towards the city. "Hm…? What's that supposed to mean?" Jackson asked her in return.

She had this feeling that… Yang wouldn't find Gage today, but that his location would become known to them soon. Maybe even he was uncertain of where to go and what to do, she wasn't sure. Either way… it felt like everything was going to come together very soon.

"...Nothing." Blake shook her head once those thoughts faded from her mind, and she turned away from her two friends not that long after. "Anyways, the room is all yours Weiss. I'll be in the Training Center if you guys need me..."

"Well… that makes my next question even more plausible, so are you guys doing alright? Because you all seem a little more gloomier than usual… even Blake-"

"Rrrgh, Blake is fine Jackson!" She interrupted him and made the rest of the students that still were staring turn away just with the shrillness of her voice. "And we just came back from a fight with the White Fang a few weeks ago, which is also something that you know can take quite a toll on us..."

"...Was it that bad? ...Wait, and is that why Gage left on a mission so quickly?" That single question made the tenseness of her expression cease, and it was instead replaced it with a blank softness. Kind of hard to imagine, but he could tell that what he said had bothered her. "If it is, then that's… really unlike him, to leave Yang by herself right after a battle."

"Listen, I'd… I'd rather not talk about it. The only thing you need to know is that we're fine… All of us."

She said that, but it was truly the exact opposite. It wasn't like that cliche 'i'm fine, but actually broken on the inside' type of vibe most teens tend to use in their social media dm conversations… E-Even if it was, it was totally justified.

Unlike everyone else that was there at the end of The Archive raid, they didn't take everything in as much as she did, not even Ruby it seemed. Because Weiss couldn't get this one image out of her head… just the sight and memory of the man that Gage had killed, Cordelia, was enough to make her sick.

His opened up eye socket with that same eye laying on the ground not even an inch away, the way his stomach had been cleaved in and opened up from the inside, allowing for his intestines and other innards to be strewn about like they were just red ribbons… and the blood, it ran out of his body like it was a river.

Thinking about it right now seemed to make her skin turn pale, and all she could smell was metal. Her mind made it that way for her at least, until Jackson was suddenly able to snap her out of her daze

"Okay… I believe you Weiss." He said quietly, as he slowly approached Weiss, and reached out for her hand so he coul grasp it tightly. "But I still have less than a week to be here with you. So if you really need to be with someone right now… then I'm here for you."

"Hmhm… I know." She then laughed with a blush, now barely even able to look up into his eyes without feeling like there were butterflies in her stomach. "That's why i pulled that whole 'alone time' card of mine out so quickly...~"

"Wait s-so… that wasn't a lie?"

"No… if anything, the tone of my voice was, but that's really it."

"Oh…" Jackson's shoulders lowered a bit once he got confirmation from her, even though it seemed like the opposite reaction than anyone else would have in this type of situation-At least I think they would!

As for the heiress, her smile surprisingly grew even she laughed once again, and basically began to drag Jackson along towards the Vale dorms. "Hehe… now come on, Blake isn't one to get caught up in training as much like the rest of us."

But, when she realized how it looked to everyone else who was still standing there and watching them. "And uh… p-please, try not to get too excited!"

"Calm down Weiss, It's not Neptune you're talking to. Whatever you have in mind, reading, studying, whatever, I'll be happy with."

"*sigh* ...Good, and don't worry... i know that you're the exact opposite.~"

…

…

…

The two sisters sat down after their escort proved to be successful, yet they strangely sat down in silence until about halfway through their flight… then again, it wasn't really that long of a wait to be transported that short of a distance.

They both made sure that they were seated somewhere far from any crowded seating areas, so they sat in the corner nearest to the ship's main exit in order to make sure that they could spot anyone if they were to approach,

"So… do you have something planned for when we come back?" Ruby asked her older sister, which only made Yang smile blankly in response.

"Yup… i'm going to say that i dragged you into this by lying about my intentions, then you won't be punished for helping me."

This made the small rose sigh and shake her head with her inner guilt clearly beginning to show, "Ugh… Yang, i don't care about getting in trouble!" She whispered while rolling her eyes slightly. "I just don't want _you_ to get caught, because you're already kinda on the rocks… i think."

Yang tried not to believe that herself despite how her luck has been going recently, and it didn't really help her that much… but she had to try and appear optimistic. If she didn't, then what was the point in doing all of this just on a hunch that Gage might've returned to Vale?

"I'm sure Ozpin will have my back. He'd know that we couldn't pass up this opportunity, because even if we don't find Gage today, we'll still be able to meet people who might know where he is, or where he's going."

Ruby turned her head slightly towards Yang and nodded… but with her posture more slumped that it was before. The words, 'if we don't' brought this onto her, and made her expression sink as she frowned.

Then, she let out another tiny exhale and just leaned over towards her older sister and rested her head on her shoulder softly with a sniffle, "...I just hope that he's okay."

"Me too…" Yang replied, as she put an arm around her little sister.

Our blonde brawler of course still held a lot of built up aggression towards her lover now of course because of everything that's happened, but it wasn't enough for her to stop worrying about him. Honestly, she couldn't even believe what Qrow had told her about Gage when they last talked, specifically about what he achieved.

Yang assumed that he would have instead gone on to try and murder every single White Fang member he could get his hands on, possibly even seeking them out to do so, but instead he freed the people of a large settlement from their long time conquerors.

That was what the interviews on the news which mentioned 'The Ghost of Remnant' said, and she obviously knew that name was the one that the ghost gave to himself the night of the Archive raid… so she just hoped that what happened before didn't end up changing who he was now.

Her thoughts were soon cut short though, as back in reality, the two siblings remained in that small embrace for only a few more seconds until they were seemingly interrupted by a voice that they haven't heard in what felt like a year, and it was that of Ms. Nora Valkyrie!

"HEYYYY!" She exclaimed, as the siblings both jumped and almost yelped in shock… nevermind actually, because Ruby did just exactly that while she continued to hug Yang even harder, "Gaaah!"

The rest of JNPR almost appeared out of nowhere so they could greet the two of them as well. Jaune, Ren and Pyrrha, they were all there but looked to be caught off guard too, mostly because of Ruby's overreaction. "Um… hi?" Jaune greeted them both.

"Greetings you two, long time no see." Ren added with a small wave.

Pyrrha then strutted over and pushed Jaune and Ren apart in order to show herself to both Yang and Ruby, "S-Sorry about that! You probably know that Nora tends to act more hastily than the rest of us by now..." She apologized, of course

"But how could I not?! Outside of our classes together, it probably seems like we fell off the face of Remnant!"

Even if the ginger-haired grenadier came across as frightening to Ruby during that instant, her sudden appearance didn't get a reaction out of Yang. "It's okay you guys. *sigh* ...Just don't sneak up on us like that!" She was on the brink of yelling at the team in all honesty, but chose not to.

"S-Sorry, again…" The red haired spartan simply thought that it's been awhile since their two teams really had any communication together, so she pointed the two sisters out to Nora almost immediately, "...I just didn't think anyone from Team RWBY would be out this early, especially you and Ruby!"

"Pfft, us? W-We're… We're going clothes shopping, yeah! Since it's getting hot out now, and i always wear this cape..." Ruby replied nervously before she turned back to Jaune, "But uh... what are you guys going into town for anyway?"

"Oh you know, food, dust, weapon check ups, the usual stuff. We're really just taking a day off from training for the Tournament!"

"Oh yeah... you guys were trying to get Vomit-boy here ready for the Vytal Festival…" Yang smiled, obviously referring to the team's blonde knight.

"Mmhm!" Jaune smiled as he tried to block out the fact that she called him by his infamous nickname, "And now I feel like I could take anyone on in a one v one!" In all honesty, the knight was lucky that he remembered to take his motion sickness meds that day.

The blonde brawler kind of felt obliged to offer him a smirk, along with Ruby, but then he had to go on and make that a near impossibility for the both of them.

"Hmm… maybe I could even ask Gage for a rematch when he gets back." His clueless question then caused Yang's voice to become shrill and her eyes widened as well, her smirk becoming even faker than she wanted it to be.

What she didn't know until right then was that Ren noticed this out of the corner of his eye, and it caused him to give her what seemed to be a funny look that no-one else picked up on. "Hm?" He thought.

"That reminds me..." Pyrrha then interrupted his thought process and turned to Yang with another warm smile present upon her cheeks. "...When is he coming back anyway? Because i don't remember his last mission taking as long as this current one-"

"W-Well…" Now Yang became flustered, and she tried her best to respond without quivering as much as her sister already was,"...Your guess is as good as mine Pyrrha! It could be a few days or maybe even a week, y-you know?"

"...Really?" She asked the brawler with a raised eyebrow, "Then at this point he'll be gone for the rest of the month… and I don't think Ozpin would've sent him on a solo mission if it was going to take this long."

"Pyrrha… don't make her worry." Ren whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder

"Oh, sorry Yang! I just thought with how close you two are, that he'd tried to be back sooner because of your injury."

"You and me both…"

"What?"

"N-Nothing!-"

Then as if Gage's luck was looking out for his lover, the airship they were in finally set down at the landing pads in Vale, and all of the passengers began to stand up out of their seats, with Yang and Ruby both doing the same as soon as the opportunity was presented.

After that, the large departure ramp that was raised and located at the front of the ship hissed as the platform began to lower again, and it eventually came to rest on the concrete of one of the landing platforms, causing Yang to grasp her little sister's hand tightly,

"Listen, we've got to get going… the uh, _sale_ ends pretty soon. But thanks for being concerned!"

"You're welcome!" Nora yelled back as the two sisters jolted, actually ran down the platform, and began to sprint off into the city towards the street where the refugees had decided to rest

Once they both disappeared and the majority of the other students aboard exited the ship, all of Team JNPR found themselves standing at the top of the ramp in order by their Team name. And then, Ren tilted his head over to the direction where Yang and Ruby where heading,

"...So am I the only one that thinks something is off about the two of them?"Jaune shrugged, and began to walk down to the bottom of the ramp, "I don't know, that's really just the general vibe they give off to me-"

"No, I'm not talking about being quirky. They seemed different. Ruby could barely say a word, and Yang's attitude changed pretty quickly once we mentioned Gage. Her pupils were dilated, she avoided our questions, and even she began to stutter… her of all people."

"...Maybe they're both going through some issues at the moment? Gage did leave right before Valentine's Day, and that would've been special for her…" Pyrrha suggested.

That would've been the more probable explanation behind it, but it most likely wouldn't have taken the small amount of time from when they both appeared to be fine and dandy in their last class, and to when Gage had left for his mission. Something would've had to happen during that brief period in order to generate the type of reaction that she had to all of this.

Not to mention there was almost no previous mention of a mission beforehand, and frankly, Yang just stopped speaking about the ghost out of the blue. When he wasn't around, the Team could all agree that her conversations would be along the lines of, 'Gage did this' or 'Gage did that.

...So, her complaining about not being able to spend Valentine's Day with him probably would've been one of her main talking points during that whole week. But it wasn't. All that came was silence.

"It would've been special for the both of them." Ren argued, as he stepped down too and turned back to face Pyrrha and Nora. "We all saw how they were the day before Yang's birthday, they were practically planning for the fourteenth ahead of time... So it has to be something else."

"Like what?" Jaune asked him. Instead of Ren giving an answer that he honestly didn't have present, Nora took the opportunity to take reigns and begin one of her random-ass tangents fueled by her overactive imagination,

"OOOOH! WHAT. IF… they'rebothlikesecretagentsforthissupersecretorganizationandhadtofightevildoerswhilealsofallingmoreandmoreinlovewitheachother…BUT THEN, GagehadtoleaveinordertoprotectYangfromsomesecretnewdangerouspowerthathejustfoundooutabout,andfromwhateverloomingthreatliesaheadofthem? AND US?!"

Her words made the rest of the team stare at her like she was out of her mind, since this was probably the one time one of her stories stretched out _that far_ into the realm of impossibility "...Nora, I'm really starting to become concerned about what goes on inside of that head of yours." Hahaha, oh Jaune, if only you knew...

"Yeah… but it'd make a good book, now wouldn't it?!" She giggled at herself, feeling a little embarrassed for once in her life.

Once that whole thing ran its course, Ren still stood there at the end of the platform as serious someone as monotonic as he was could possibly be…

...Which, led to Pyrrha asking another question that most people probably would have asked by now, "Ren… may I ask why all of this seems to concern you?" This made him sigh in return, feeling relieved that at least she could help him express himself further. "Yes, you may. "

To some, Ren was generally thought as someone who was okay with minding his surroundings… of course, only when it didn't concern him or his friends. When it came to that, he would always try to become aware of it and would only voice his concerns if the problem persisted or didn't end happily.

Ren originally saw it as the latter after Gage began to recover from his traumatic injury… but only for the ghost, not Yang herself. He and JNPR had always been a little worried for the blonde since then, especially after her and her boyfriend's encounter with their seemingly violent-stalker.

But of course she had Gage and the rest of Team RWBY to help her through her issues… but now, that didn't seem to be the case. There seemed to be some sort of barrier between the four of them, and when the news that Gage was suddenly off on a mission became apparent… something began to feel a bit fishy.

Was he the reason for all of that? Did something happen between him and Yang, the other Team members, or all four? ...And was he even on a mission in the first place? Ren continued to form these questions for a while in silence, until now.

Now, he had a reason to be concerned once again, and it was all because of one simple fact. So he knew that he just couldn't keep his questions to himself any longer,

"It's because frankly, Team RWBY's kept us in the dark before, and the last time that happened… Gage lost his arm. Now it seems like they're doing it again, and I don't think any of us are going to like what might come next."

The rest of the Team internally agreed that it was happening again… they just didn't remember that much about when it happened last time, mostly because of how shocking the news of Gage's injury was to them all.

So when they eventually realized the connection and began to put the pieces together that Ren had laid out for the three of them, Jaune couldn't help but try and throw his friend a bone.

"W-Well…" He stuttered, as he rubbed the back of his head nervously and tried not to seem too worried about his new view of the situation "...I guess we could just save our day off for another time and tail Yang and Ruby, to see where they're actually heading off to?"

Nora obviously wanted to go all in on this new potential mystery, because you know... (These guys made their last appearance in a smut chapter, so yeah, it's been a long-ass time!) ...It's just her nature.

"Heck yeah, let's do it! I'm tired of being put on the backburner for so long!"

"Hmhm, I suppose it could be fun!" Pyrrha agreed as well with a smile and ran down to accompany Jaune, which just urged Ren to smirk and turn towards the entrance to the City of Vale in order to begin their pursuit,

"Then let's get going, because if those two do get in trouble, then i don't think they'll be able to make it out of the city by themselves!"

And with that being said, all of Team JNPR began to head down towards the end of the landing platform, and started to chase after the two sisters slowly, and carefully in order for them to not give away their position too easily. That's what tailing is anyway.

Whether they stayed only ten feet away, they knew that they weren't as perceptive as Weiss or Blake, so it wouldn't be too hard to follow them, and they did for a very long while without any issues. The only problem they would have… would come later, and it won't just be their own to share.

…

Fifteen minutes passed and Yang and Ruby both found themselves in the same old plaza where they would mostly go to on the days they're away from class, and they only moved faster once they realized that the place was a lot more populated than usual. It was almost like both cops and civilians were flocking towards the place for some reason.

That was the only thing seemed out of place though, as the entire area seemed to be shaded from the sun by an low-hovering Atlesian Military frigate, which Ruby felt was out of place as she still walked hand in hand with her sister, but also kept looking up at the ship as well,

"Hey Yang… is it just me, or does that ship feel a little too close to the ground?" She asked the blonde brawler, who just shook her head and dragged her sibling along even faster down the sidewalk. "It's probably equipped with quick response units, for the refugees…"

"But why? Aren't they technically citizens of the Kingdom?"

"They're just afraid of letting anymore violent people inside. So even if they're the exact opposite, they'll still treat them the same way… like an enemy."

"Oh…" Ruby droned a bit and let her shoulders shrug as well while she continued to walk down to the street corner. "Things are always a Two Way Road nowadays sis, so it's best to not really worry about them." The blonde added, with a tiny smile and glance to go along with it.

So with that, Yang simply told her to mind it and they both turned down onto the next street, which was a lot more densely populated than the one they were just on… and it just so happened to be the one they were looking for.

Around eight old military cargo trucks and a civilian humvee were parked on the street, with half parked on one side and the rest on the other, just as there appeared to a mass of city residents standing in front two cop cars that were parked at the entrance of the street in order to monitor all 'traffic' between the residents and the outsiders.

Those who didn't go towards the refugees stayed and simply watched them from a safe distance, since the place wasn't being block off by anyone… just observed. There also appeared to be another pair of police cruisers on the other end of the road, as well as another group of civies that were wanting to get a good look at the commotion,

"Yang, i think that's them!" Ruby whispered as she looked past the cars, and pointed at the vehicles and the group of armed, yet disheveled people that were not that far away, being pretty much set in the middle of the plaza road so they could be watched more effectively.

Atlesian soldiers and other cops seemed to be present as well, but they didn't look to be too set off by the two sisters as Yang began to slowly walk towards the collection of villagers and cargo trucks.

Ruby started to internally panic because of her sister's bravery, and followed her into the area as well… until a cop that was in one of the cruisers looked at them both and waved, "Hey! You girls Beacon students?"

"Mmhm. We're just getting supplies, you know?" The blonde brawler then held one of her arms up and let the gauntlet on her wrist form into Ember Celica as a response, and the man just shrugged. "Hm. Well, just be careful. Those Atlas jarheads are acting a lot more paranoid than usual..."

"Thanks for the heads up, officer!"

He turned away to eat a bagel he had in his car after that, and i don't think Ruby's face could've gotten any redder during that moment due to her nervousness. "Come on Ruby, keep looking alive!" Yang teased her with a tiny wince from the pain in her leg,

"I-I am!"

They both walked down even further down the road, with sights such as an Atlas guard squad and a few kids running by while they passed a soccer ball between each other, a few civilians sharing food and water with some of the armed men and women of the village, and also a mother and her two teenage daughters handing out a bunch of toys and clothes to the younger children there.

Those were only a few of the heartwarming visuals the two sisters saw before they came across another small boy with one of these toys, except they managed to spot him right as he accidentally dropped it and watched it roll under one of the cargo trucks.

"Ooop-" Yang couldn't help but let out a small whine for the kid, and Ruby frowned as well as he began to grumble. That was until a man came out from behind the truck, and reached under it to pick up the toy, which was a small derpy looking Velociraptor equipped with a green microphone and a pink boa, for the child.

The man had short brown hair, aqua colored eyes, and wore a black t-shirt with a bulletproof vest over it, some blue jeans, black fingerless gloves and some high-tops colored with grey, black, and blue accents.

He looked to be the boy's older brother since he was clearly in his early twenties, and he had an M1 Garand on his back as he smiled and returned his little brother's new possession,

"Hey, you just got that thing! Don't get it all mucked up just yet!" He politely scolded his sibling, who just tried to dust the dinosaur off with a small huff. "...Look, just go sit with mom and i'll try to ask those girls for a triceratops, alright?"

"Okay… thank you JJ!" And once the boy ran off to find his mother, Yang and Ruby both smiled before the older blonde waved this 'JJ' person down, and watched as he stopped and stared back at them both attentively. "Hmm. Let me guess, I'm too late to get another one, am i?" He asked the two sisters.

"Hehe, no it's not that…" Yang laughed as she smiled and lowered her hand so she could fish for something in the back pocket of her short shorts, "...Long story short, we're looking for 'The Ghost of Remnant'. He isn't here by any chance, is he?"

She asked him this while also looking to her left and right, just to see if she could somehow spot the outline of Gage's cloaked figure. "And why are you looking for him?" He asked the blonde in return. Ruby then nearly jumped at the outsider, and blurted out the obvious before Yang could even see it coming.

"Because he's her boyfriend!-MMPH!"

However, she was rudely interrupted as her older sister covered her mouth while her lilac eyes nearly transitioned over to their red color, but managed to stop herself by staying calm and smiling in order to not scare JJ off.

"That's… o-one way to put it..." She didn't want to seem like she was crazy just yet, so the blonde instead chose to blush and move some of her hair behind her ear wither her finger.

"Alright…" Despite all of that, JJ ended up squinting at the two sisters, appearing to be put off by their shared claim. After that, he quickly apologized and tried his best to walk away before they could stab him, or something. "You're gonna have to ask someone else about your, 'boyfriend', miss, because i've got other things to attend to..."

And when no knife seemed to come from either of the two sisters, JJ started to shuffle away back to where he thought his family was… until Yang stomped towards his direction, and shouted what seemed to be a fact about the ghost aloud,

"He's six feet tall!"

Her attempt to make him remain in the conversation made the young warrior sigh with a slight facepalm, obviously because height wasn't exactly an obscurity to note about someone. But it still made him stop, and turn to face Yang again just so he could see what she could come up with.

She huffed on the inside, and slowly began to saunter towards the guy with her head slightly tilted as she sternly listed off the ghost's main characteristics with her fingers, and did it almost by how noticeable each trait was,

"Almost six feet tall, red eyes, suave looking light brown hair with some scruff on his face, and he has a metal arm that's olive colored, right?" She asked him, for confirmation.

Ruby paled a bit at the mention of Gage's red eyes, but looked away slightly with a tiny grin as Yang made JJ's expression do a one-eighty, him now looking at her with interest and shock,

"...Add a few splotches of blood, and yeah. That sounds about right." He replied as his eyebrows became raised, and he started to take a few steps back towards the sisters with suspicion. "What else you got?"

Yang then exhaled once more as she pulled out a photo she had of herself and Gage, and just planted it against JJ's chest with frustration. "And that's 'sir' to you…" She grumbled.

Once she eased up on the force she was giving him, he took the photo from her hand and looked down at it, now appearing to be unamused for some reason. And the picture was another one that the couple took not that long ago at the Hilltop Resort.

It wasn't the one with the fireflies, no, it was one of the more casual ones that Ruby took. It was just a simple posed shot of the couple as they were both standing at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the forest behind them.

Yang was in front smiling as Gage was behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, and she just had her hands against his while he peeked out from behind her head and rested his chin ontop of her left shoulder, keeping a tiny little grin on his face at the same time.

"*sigh* ...Alright, that's him for sure. Looks a lot younger though." JJ sighed as he handed the photo back to Yang and she stared down at it, looking even more crestfallen as she held it with both of her hands delicately,

"This is from four months ago…" Her voice sounded like it was about to break due to the thought of how changed Gage had to appear now, no thanks to this guy's sass that is. "...Is at least he alive?" Ruby asked the older brother as her sister slowly put the photo away.

Thankfully JJ nodded his head up and down to reassure her, and that news was enough to raise her spirits for at least a little bit. "Mmhm, but he ain't here unfortunately. Not yet at least." And since he knew that wouldn't help either, he chose to elaborate even further. He didn't care if he could or not,

"The guy passed out at the end of our little revolt back home, and Alizarin said he was going to stay behind to rest. So we're going to wait here for him. But if he doesn't show up in the next two hours, we're going to have to move on to Patch without him."

The two girls both had a sense of joy and relief wash over them knowing that he was still alive, and they both smiled as well… but why wouldn't these people just bring him with them if he was injured? That would only make sense if Gage was sticking with these people, right?

"If?" Yang asked, now more perplexed than relaxed as she took a step forward and looked around a bit. "What, is he thinking about going off by himself again instead of coming here with you guys? Because he better not be!"

"L-Look, I'd go find Alizarin and his two girls if you really want an answer! They actually talked to the guy, unlike me." The blonde made JJ take a step back once again and he raised his hands up defensively before she could try and lunge at him for more information,

"Is he like... your leader?" Ruby asked him while she placed a hand on Yang's shoulder in order to ease her nerves

"*sigh* ...Basically!" JJ sighed and began to look around again for his family. He was thinking about his younger brother specifically, mostly because the kid didn't have a good sense of location. "Sorry, I remembered that my brother ran off in the wrong direction. Just go find Alizarin, he's around here somewhere eating I think."

"...Alright. Can you at least tell us what he looks like?" Yang exhaled as she put her hands on her sides.

"He's six feet tall, tan and kinda old, and he dresses like an old-world sheriff. You can't miss him!" JJ then turned back around and started to veer off towards the opposite end of the block, so Yang and Ruby chose to do the same. "Thanks!" They both shouted.

"Oh! And if you really are worried about your boyfriend, don't be! The dude managed to blow up a fucking tank right before he passed out! It was awesome!"

Then he finally left, and Yang and Ruby both stared back at each other with their mouths nearly hanging agape… they were simply speechless, and couldn't even begin to fathom going up against an armored tank. Man, Why does he get to have all the fun anyway?

"Oh my gosh, he is _so_ telling me that story if we see him again!" Ruby gushed whilst Yang smiled blankly, now feeling calm once again, and ruffled her little sister's hair playfully, "Don't worry Ruby, if he tries to run off again then I'll just make it so he'll _**have**_ to be bedridden. Then he can share everything he has to tell…"

Her words of encouragement changed slowly into a slight whisper that made the small rose tense up and glance towards her sister again, "E-Ehehe, L-Let's just hope it doesn't have come to t-that…"

"Yeah… now let's go find this 'Alizarin' guy."

…

As the two sisters began their search for Alizarin and their lost loved one as well, it seemed as if someone else's was about to disappear over on the other side of the block. Specifically, inside of a conscience store was where the teenage girl from Keji, Minnie, the daughter of Edmund, had ran off to by herself.

She was sure that her father was around somewhere looking for her, but unfortunately her excitement of being inside the kingdom of Vale got the better of the young girl. "T… T-That'll be 20 lien, m-miss!" The store cashier stuttered.

He was a young twenty-something year old, and he was pretty much scared shitless by the sight of someone so young with an FN FAL hanging off of their back. This was mostly because all the other young huntresses he'd seen walk in had some sort of special way to holster their weapons, except for this girl, who he had assumed was either that or some youth that wanted to rob the store.

However, Minnie just gave the man a warm smile and handed him a lien card before she picked up the drink and bag of chips that she had already shown to him, and he just sighed with relief as he scanned her card and gave her the receipt for her purchase.

She took the piece of paper and her card back before she walked back outside the store, walked a few feet down the sidewalk, and sat down on the curb with her feet in the gutter so she could eat her snack and look down the street to see of her father would turn the corner in search for her.

Now, Minnie clumsily held her rifle against her shoulder and had one hand in her bag of chips while she kept the other lightly on top of her lien card that was laid down on the edge of the curb, out of her own sight while she continued to watch as other civilians and bystanders walked past her.

A few more minutes passed in silence for her, aside from the sounds of kids and cars in the distance, until the sound of someone else's heels stopped right next to her. This caused Minnie to look up and to her left, only to be met by an pair of pink and white colored eyes.

"Oh… hello."

Then when she scooted back a little bit, she was able to get a better view of the other girl, who was about the same height as her and had brown and pink colored hair, with a few white colored highlights mixed in there too.

She wore a brown corset that was curved in the middle and at the bottom which left her hips exposed, but she had a white jacket with a pink interior over that, along with some brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. There were a few necklaces hanging horizontally from her neck as well.

...Yeah, I think you all know who this is. And she simply waved back silently with a smile as she looked down at Minnie's hand and swiped her lien card before she could even react to it. "H-Hey! Give that back!" Minnie yelled at the multi-colored girl.

The stranger let out a tiny giggle and started to run down the sidewalk away from the outsider, winking and waving back at her with a bright pink umbrella in her hands right as she disappeared and turned into a random alley.

This made Minnie freeze due to the shear unpredictability of what just happened, as well as the fact that she had never been robbed before and didn't really know what to do. So, she stood up and just started tried to chase after the crook with her rifle in hand. What she didn't know however, was that this thief, Neo, was waiting for her.

Because when she got deep into the small alley, it's small path opened up to a large square shaped area that had a sewer grate in the middle of the ground. She then ran past four other men and women that were stacked up against a wall that allowed them to remain out of sight.

They were also equipped with rifles, and were being led by the small tyrant, who soon turned back to face the alley entrance with a sadistic-looking smirk as she began to slowly unsheath a sword from the hilt of her umbrella.

You honestly might have hoped for her to realize what was about to happen, or for someone to suddenly show up and intervene, but nothing like that occurred. That poor girl walked right into that trap, and was pulled into the shadows by the faunus, who were all plain-clothed White Fang initiates in disguise.

She let out a shriek right before a hand became clasped over her mouth and silenced her. And after she was held down by the other two faunus, more initiates began to climb out of the manhole that was only a few feet away. A LOT MORE, all heavily armed men and women.

Once they would resurface, their numbers appeared to be enough to make up a whole platoon of faunus, one that was assigned directly by Adam Taurus to disturb the peace that these new refugees had incited within the Kingdom of Vale.

"Mmmph! Nghhh!" Minnie tried to scream for help or at least reach for her rifle that had been taken from her, but nothing ended up working in her favor. Instead, the only that came next was seemingly her life's end.

The initiate that had her restrained smiled before they put hand on the fifteen year-old's cheek and turned her head forcefully in order for her to face Neo directly, eye to eye as she finally unsheathed her blade from her umbrella nimbly, gave it a small twirl, and delivered one downward slice towards Minnie's chest and torso.

You could hear the sound of the blade as it teared through the air because of how fast the strike was, and all it took was one clean cut for her. Then after one last muffled agonizing scream of fright and horror, all became silent once again… aside from the snapping of a picture, and the mechanical cocking of multiple weapons.

Some more time passed, around fifteen minutes, and something miraculous happened. It was simply unbelievable, as Minnie somehow came walking out of the alley with a tiny smirk across her lips, like nothing had just happened. She just stood on the sidewalk now smiling as other residents passed her on the street.

She wasn't stained with any blood or even had any bruises. She looked just fine with her FN FAL in her arms, her orange hair blowing in the wind and her green eyes shining as they always did… but, there still was something off about her. Her face… the structure of it was all wrong. It just simply wasn't hers.

However, the reason for that became abundantly clear once the streets seems to be vacant of any other civilians. Because once that seemed to be the case, Minnie cocked her rifle and looked back into the dark alley before she held one hand up, and allowed for her eyes to change color from bright green… to White and Pink.

With one finger on her rifle's trigger and her other hand In the air, she directed the White Fang platoon to fall out of the alleyway and onto the streets, and they poured out of it like a goddamn flood. And when they all stacked up behind Minnie, she waved all the fingers on her raised hand down twice, thus signaling the regiment to move out towards their target quietly .

As for… 'Minnie', she turned back down the path that she came from, and started to find her way back to the rest of the refugees. Her, 'family and friends', along with the rest of Vale, were all about to have a very rude reality check.

…

Back on the other side of the block the Keji villagers had occupied, Riley, Alizarin and Ileana were all sitting at a table that was set right in front of an ice cream shop, and they were all enjoying the sweet taste of cold desserts for the for the first time in years together.

Riley was slurping down a vanilla milkshake while Ileana and were just eating some vanilla cones right as the heavy stopped sucking on her straw, and chose to stare at her cup oddly,

"You know, it's weird…" She started while her two friends both glanced over at her while they continued to eat, "...I had a dream about drinking a vanilla milkshake on the way here, and now im having one. Does that mean something?"

"Yeah. Dream about driving another tank next, and then no one will want to fuck with us!" Al snickered.

Ileana smiled at the two and rolled her eyes at them, yet she could help but raise her bow up from behind her back, "Hehe, I could use a free upgrade too while you're at it!" She was honestly desperate for anything as good or better at this point…

The three of them were seated right next to Minnie's father Edmund who sat at a table close to the street as he waited for his daughter to return, and there was a metal gate corner going around the right side table, where Ileana was sitting, and they were all just watching the rest of their comrades enjoy what the city had to offer.

One of their convoy trucks were parked on their side of the street and obscured Ileana from seeing anyone who was approaching from the other side of the vehicle, but it didn't seem like she really needed to at the time. None of them really did either.

This was their break from the hell that they had just survived and escaped from after almost six years of occupation, and this was exactly what they all thought life would be like without Orin and The Skinwalkers ruling over them. They just wished that others could've live to see this day.

For Alizarin it was his husband and daughter, and Riley's choice was obviously her old love Alex Frost… and surprisingly, Ileana had someone in mind that wasn't Gage, someone that use to be a friend. But that was a very, very long time ago.

"*sigh* ...Owen would've liked this. The old one at least." She whispered with a nod, like she was trying to convince herself that her own words had some truth to it. "Maybe if he had as much faith in Cydonia as us, then he'd still be here. And Maybe he wouldn't have left us either…"

Alizarin kept silent while he crushed the small brand wrapper that came with his cone and threw it away, because if their past mentioned ally was still alive during Keji's liberation, then he would've ended up in that pile of burnt bodies he set ablaze last night. It wouldn't have been personal though, more so simply because of his allegiance to Orin… even if it did form due to fear.

"...Traitor. We all know that nothing was going to save him!" Riley growled this under her breath as she turned away, and tossed her now empty cup into a nearby trash can, "Even if he did have a thing for me, I wouldn't have been enough to change what happened. He's dead now anyways… went just how I wanted him to."

Yeah, she was talking about _that_ Owen that Gage had left for dead. Truth be told, he was their fifth up until Alex Frost was killed by Orin. It was an odd tale, but it ended up with him being completely thrown out by Alizarin and Riley, mostly because she blamed him for her boyfriend's death.

There was a reason why they never acknowledged each other back when he was still around, and Orin would've loved to share what happened to the four of them to Gage if he just asked. But as for me and you, that would be a story for another day.

Back to talking about the present, the three of them all fell silent once the subject passed without anything else being said about it, and they began to stare off into space with just their thoughts to accompany them.

Ileana went back to watching the street again as more and more people walked through the area, with them just approaching from behind the other side of the convoy truck. The side that couldn't be seen by her of course.

She zoned out and let even more time pass while all the moving figures in front of her turned into large blurs that she didn't really want to pay attention… however, that attitude ceased when a red and yellow blur suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stopped right in front of her and her friends.

Then once she chose to focus on the two blips once again, their figures became very clear to the spider faunus. These two people were both teenage girls, one being about her age while the other one was a few years younger.

The younger timid-looking girl was at a smaller height and stature, had short blackish-red hair and silver eyes, and she wore a long sleeved black blouse, a black and red skirt, a bright red cloak, along with black stockings and matching combat boots.

Now when Ileana looked at the older girl… it took the brunette a second or two before a quick gasp escaped from her lips, and she just stared back into the pair of lilac eyes that were now lying right in front of her.

This girl was taller, had long golden colored hair, lilac eyes, and wore a yellow crop top with a tan jacket over it, an orange infinity scarf, some black fingerless gloves and short shorts, and a pair of orange thigh high socks with some brown knee-high combat boots to match the rest of her outfit.

"O-Oh Christ, R-Riley?!" Ileana stuttered, and reached across their table so she could shake the heavy's arm nervously, "Illie chill! What is… it… oh." No one could easily miss the presence of someone who appeared so bright, not even Riley.

And finally, as the two friends and Alizarin eventually found their eyes drifting towards the other two teenage girls… Yang turned towards them all, and exhaled with… serenity, like this had been a moment worth waiting for.

Both groups had their gazes centered on each other for what seemed like forever, until Ileana hesitantly began to stand up, and continued to stared back at Yang with a nervous yet awestrucken smile. She too thought that the blonde was a beautiful sight.

Their eyes remained locked but without any tension growing, it almost seemed like they actually knew each other by how their body language could've been read, even though this was the first time they've ever seen each other in person.

Silence still remained between the two girls… however, Yang, being her usual outgoing self, eventually smiled back at the spider-faunus and took a step forward to put an end to their stand off, and Ruby did the same when the brunette unknowingly began to blush anxiously due to the awkwardness of the situation…

...So, she cleared her throat and waved lightly at the two sisters, as a way to finally break the ice,

"U-Um, H-Hi-"

"*BANG!*"

"*GASP!*"

But unfortunately, someone else barely managed to beat her to the punch. Foreign blood sprayed lightly onto the left side of her face as a random gunshot rang throughout the street, and the dropping of a body could be heard not that far away.

Yang immediately grabbed onto Ruby's arm, as they weren't the ones who got hit, and the two sisters rushed to get into cover on the other side of the cargo truck that was next to them, the side that Ileana was on.

Then, Riley flipped the table she and her friends were sitting as at Alizarin crouched behind it and unholstered his Unica revolver. The heavy picked Bronze Bess off of the ground and hid behind the table as well, resting her mg's bipod on the floor so she could crouch and hover over it, now ready to fire off a barrage of bullets.

"ILEANA, GET DOWN!" Ileana remained there standing out in the open, utterly frozen in fear as she turned towards the street, and wiped her left eye clean right as the shooter walked out into the open for everyone there to see.

"*pant* ...M-Minnie?"

She just smiled once her name was muttered, and soon Minnie came even closer while she continued to hold her FN FAL up with one hand… as an Atlesian soldier laid dead at her feet.

He and another guard had been walking past as Ileana and Yang saw each other, and the doppelganger chose him to be her first victim. When everyone who knew that name heard it being questioned in such a heartbreaking tone, Alizarin peeked his head out over the table and exhaled shakily, and Riley's figure just slouched a bit.

"Oh no…" The sheriff whispered.

The dead soldier had a round go straight through the side of his forehead and helmet, but despite all of that, his partner remained composed just long enough for the rest of his squad to come over with their weapons raised and bark orders at the armed girl like a pack of dogs,

" _GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!_ "

" _DROP THE GUN, NOW!_ "

Minnie's doppelganger continued to smile until that transitioned into a crude grin, as even this was still all part of the White Fang's plan. "Hehehe!" She giggled under her breath.

Because at this very moment, every one of her troopers were taking positions in the buildings that lined the opposite side of the street while trying to keep themselves and any hostages they had quiet while Neo made sure to keep escalating… and that was when the cavalry arrived.

The people of Keji started to come out of the woodworks and were deceived into thinking that this little girl was still one of their own, which resulted in them turning the situation into a Mexican standoff. They didn't actually see what happened to cause this random killing, but they still surrounded the Atlas soldiers and Neo with rifles of all different varieties, still intent on protecting their own… and JJ was there too.

The White Fang, Chaos Syndicate, Atlesian Military, and a bunch of soon to be exiles were all wrapped up in this potential bloodbath all because of some confused and disturbed child. Now with Team RWBY and Gage's three outsider friends tossed into the mix of things… things were definitely going to get worse.

All the pressure and the realization that this was a tough pickle to get out of started to take a toll on everyone that had something on the line, and one of those people was someone that Alizarin had completely forgotten about… Edmund.

"*pant* ...H-Honey...?" He stood up from his own table and just stared blankly at his child until the friend of the soldier the doppelganger had shot let out a shaky breath, and slowly began to reach for a pistol that was holstered on his lower back.

Al saw it too as well as the father, and the sheriff instantly turned to his left and looked over Riley's head to face the man, "Ed! Don't do it! Keep that damn thing on your hip for her sake!" He shouted over at his direction.

He was talking about Ed's own sidearm, a Tac 45 that his daughter had given to him before she went off down the block by herself. Edmund already had his hand on it much to the Atlesian squad's dismay, and kept his eyes focused on his other distraught soldier.

The grunt unlatched his energy pistol and took a step forwards while Minnie continued to look away from him, and thoughts of losing the one precious thing he had left in this world began to take over Edmund's mind.

He remembered what Alizarin was like all those years ago after he lost his family, and he didn't want to become a victim of that type of loss… because even if he lived through this day, he couldn't live without his kin. He wasn't going to turn into a husk too.

So… Edmund bared his teeth, raised his gun, and held his finger down on the trigger as he looked ahead at the pistol wielding soldier who was seeking revenge, and just screamed bloody murder at him with tearful shiny eyes,

" _GUN!_ "

"DON'T YOU TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!"

"NO!" Alizarin screamed.

The man didn't even have time to react before seven rounds were fire off, and five of them hit the trooper in the back. Armor and aura didn't mean shit once five different bullets subsequently landed in the same area, which was the upper spine.

They all just exited through the man's chest cavity and made him collapse to his knees, spouting out blood as he let out a breath, dropped his energy pistol, and fell onto his side dead.

Alizarin, Ileana, Riley, Ruby, and Yang didn't even have any time to react before the Atlesian squadron had their guns traced on the father's figure, and simply… destroyed his body with bullets and lasers.

Then once Edmund's corpse lied in the street, all hell broke loose. The Keji villagers mowed down the group of soldiers, and The White Fang initiates did the same to them, right as the VCPD began to waltz on in with their guns on.

Meanwhile, Yang remained in cover behind the convoy truck while she knelt down next to Ruby and covered her ears as the glass from the vehicle's window shattered from a bullet, and a few more made contact with the hood of the truck.

She looked back to where Ileana had been standing and saw that she had lost track of her. The brunette had disappeared along with Riley and Al, and by how fast it happened it almost seemed like they were ghosts to the blonde.

But with them gone, she had less to worry about now. Because screams, war cries and the sound of thundering pops were all that came next as she held her sister in her arms and hugged her tightly.

Now, all she could think about was Gage, how he could be here and help them escape… but he wasn't. She had to get Ruby out of this herself, and as that thought lingered… her lilac eyes turned red, and the popping thunder turned into the sound of continuously beating drums, scratchy and distorted.

...It was the tune of ferocious white noise.

 _ **~I am the voice inside your head.~**_

 _ **~(And I control you!)~**_

…

 _ **~I am the lover in your bed.~**_

 _ **~(And I control you!)~**_

...

 _ **~I am the sex that you provide.~**_

 _ **~(And I control you!)~**_

A city-wide panic started to set in once the news of a falsely-acclaimed attack spreaded throughout the kingdom. News broadcasts, interviews, and social media posts only intensified it… and I'm sure that you all know what was going to come next.

Fear spreaded, and when the scent of it did too, the creatures of Grimm started to gather into hordes, or herds rather, all across the outer-lands. They looked into the air and howled in unison across the country before they all began to head towards the city's walls together.

They crawled down the mountains, through the forests, and eventually found their way all packed and herded together on one long stretch of road, the one that Gage had traveled down during the nine days after he left Yang and the others.

 _ **~I am the hate you try to hide.~**_

 _ **~(And I control you!)~**_

The Grimm from Tsuro even caught this scent and became so encaptured by it that they found the strength to knock down the crappy chain link fence that was the town's wall, and they just became apart of the main pack.

Eventually the february heat and their craving for all those raw emotions took a toll on the dark monsters, making them restless and slow as they passed the Village of Keji, and a few Beowolves simply couldn't continue on their march to the city with an empty stomach. So, they chose to pay the ghost a visit before moving on.

These ones couldn't find a way to get in though, so the small pack just snarled like a bunch of hungry puppies and began to scratch at the front gate with their claws, now very eager to get a taste of his own distress…

 _ **~I TAKE YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO!~**_

…

~ _ **I GIVE YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!**_ ~

…

 _ **~I DRAG YOU DOWN, I USE YOU UP!~**_

 _ **~MR. SELF-DESTRUCT!~**_

Inside the walls and back at the house on top of the hill, Gage was still inside of Alazarins house and was sitting on the same sofa he was sleeping on earlier, as Mistletoe, his knapsack, scroll, and a few pieces of scrap metal laid on the table in front of him while he sat.

Just like Summer had guessed, there wasn't anything to be concerned about inside or around Keji. Gage had done a patrol of the surrounding area, and aside from a few Grimm that had been attracted by his own sorrow, there wasn't anything else to be concerned about. So he headed back into the vacant village after doing a little scavenging of his own.

Currently, his scroll was blasting music from his shuffled playlist, this song being _Mr. Self Destruct_ by _Nine Inch Nails_ , and the TV was on as well. He wasn't watching it though, instead he was staring down at a piece of paper that his friends had left behind for him to look at, the note that was mentioned by Summer from earlier.

However, they both couldn't really get into a calmer mindset with this crap echoing throughout the room, so the phantom sighed at her courier, "* _exhale* ...Gage, please turn that off_." She didn't have to tell him twice, as he just waved his metal hand at his scroll and muted it.

 _ **~I speak religion's message clear.~**_

 _ **(And I control you!)~**_

 _ **~I am denial, guilt, and fear.~**_

 _ **(And I control y-**_

Then when the music stopped and the room fell silent once again, Gage put his metal hand down, let out a deep breath, and began to read the small letter quietly, and it read as follows. It also had their radio frequency written down at the bottom of the page,

' _I know you made your point clear last night,_ _but i can't waste this last opportunity… so i'll try to keep this short. I'm sorry about her, your girlfriend, and everyone else you knew. I can understand why you don't want to go back to the city until your business with the White Fang is finished, but if you still don't after it's done… and you're alive… then please, come to Patch with us.'_

' _We haven't left this spot of Vale for years, and after Orin and his small group took us over… i'm scared of who'll come next. We all are. That's why we need you, or just someone who can take as much crap as you can, with us. Because if these people really want to stop surviving, and start living again… then their New World is going to need Gage_ _Sim.'_

 _-Ileana_

He could only let out another heavy breath when he was finished, and he just tossed the letter on the coffee table before he pulled Mistletoe over to him by its stock and held it in between his legs. After that, he pushed the stock forward and caused the limbs of the weapon's crossbow form to pop out.

But now the weapon looked slightly different, as the ghost had actually attached the side rails/handguard of a rifle barrel, that belonged to an M416/HK416 assault rifle he found near where Riley had killed a few Skinwalkers the previous day.

He split the thing in half and connected both halves to the two crossbow limbs with some screws and wire, and he even made a rectangular-shaped arrow quiver out of the metal from a car bumper and side mirror.

It was made to hold any stray arrows that were picked up after being fired in combat… and it could've also just been an aesthetic choice too. That was placed under the shotgun barrel in a way so the white fetching vanes of the arrows were resting right below the weapon's muzzle, and he even had a new PK-A Collimator sight equipped on the weapon.

The ghost went on to raise the thing up so it would be pointed at the ground, but only slightly while he kept a straight face and aimed down his sights intently, " _Gage, I think we both know that sounds like a good idea_." The phantom stated in a parental type of matter.

"Helping them, yeah that is, but not living with them. Because if the White Fang find out that a village of humans is harboring one of their HVTs, then they'll kill everyone just to get to me."

"And before I can even decide to go anywhere and stay with anyone…" That was when he just lowered gunshot bow and held it close to his side as he looked down and disheartedly to his left, trying to appear approachable, "...Me and you are gonna have to get this shared-mind b.s. under control-'

" _That's why I told you to go to Ozpin, because he can help us! He's the only one who can!"_ But his wraith was having none of it, so she raised her voice and caused the side of his head to ache.

She yelled at him internally, and the effect on him obviously made the ghost recoil a bit, but he still didn't back down and shouted back at her with one eye closed due the pulsating pain she gave off,

"Agh! *wince* ...H-How, Summer? I get that he's old, wise, and witty, but he's still just my dean if anything! What could he possibly know about what me and you are going through?!"

" _...You just have to trust me_ ,-" Summer replied rather vaguely, and tried her best to stay that way. "- _And in case you haven't noticed_ , right now, _any type of help for us is better than none at all._ "

Summer didn't want to reveal anything about Ozpin right now, because she didn't have any type of approach planned that would make the subject easier to explain… no one normal could really understand who, or what that man truly is.

Gage sighed on the inside and turned so he could just sit on the coffee table and shift Mistletoe back into it's shotgun form by pulling it's stock back. He just sat there and started to stare at the television, going on to remain silent… until,

" _Gage, please just… just do it for her_."

Yang came Into his mind again, and it annoyed him. Not because of the constant feeling of her absence, but more because of the fact that he couldn't go and see her without being pressured into staying. He couldn't just talk to her, to explain what had to happen in order for him to return.

Something needed to be done, and up until this point he thought that it was for Adam and Blake to die, so he could finally be rid of his haunting past… but maybe that wasn't the way anymore. It was too easy, too clear to go through and predict.

What would happen after that anyway? Would things just go back to normal, would Summer just disappear and would the remainder of RWBY simply forgive him for killing their friend? Life couldn't be that simple, and something worse had to come after. That's… how it's gotta be.

And frankly, Gage didn't want to be alone when the world turns to shit, because he knew that he wouldn't be able to survive and he didn't want Yang die because of his absence. He wanted to be there in case something happened to her so he could at least say that he's sorry, or so he could say goodbye for real.

Who knows… maybe he could even change the timeline. He knew that he just had to take that chance if it mean that the girl he loved could live just a little bit longer, and this was the moment to make that choice. So he went with it, but hesitantly.

"A… Alright, fine. But if-"

" _THIS IS A CHANNEL SEVEN, CVNW BREAKING NEWS REPORT !_ "

And right as Gage was about to make another ultimatum, a voice came from the nearby TV, and it was that of the news anchor named Cyril, Lisa Lavender's Co-anchor. It caused the ghost to stand up and turn towards the screen with caution, " _I… I am sorry to report that as of fifteen minutes ago, the refugees that were reported on earlier today by our network have now started an attack on our city's Redding Street Commoner Plaza_."

" _One of their members shot and killed one of the Atlesian soldiers that were on duty without any provocation, and after an intense standoff, the group of outsiders engaged on-duty police officials and Atlesian forces in armed combat_ … _also_ , _My Co-host Lisa Lavender was on the scene during that time, and we have yet to hear from her. So if anyone sees her out there, please try and contact our station immediately..._ "

" _B-Back to the_ _story… Many of our viewers have looked back at our previous interviews with these outsiders, and are now speculating that a man, called 'The Ghost of Remnant' is responsible for this massacre, and that this was all premeditated on his behalf. Those are however, just speculations as of this time._ "

" _Atlesian Military officials have authorized the use of RAPTR units within the city of Vale, so to all who are residents, please remain indoors and stay out of the shadows casted from any Atlas airships until further notice…_ "

The ghost stared at the TV screen like this was something out a dream, and it even felt that strange because… he didn't feel alarmed at all. It was like all the rage was sucked out of him and replaced with just unmindfulness. He wasn't surprised at all… well some of him was, but another half wasn't and was overpowering.

It was weird… Gage wanted to be angry, hell it felt like all those people he cared and fought for just shot him in the back _**again**_ by the way things were portrayed, even though he believed that it couldn't possibly be true. All of him knew that it wasn't… and it turns out that was the key thing about it.

" _...Oh…."_ Summer droned, sadly but yet unenthusiastically all at the same time.

Somehow, _that_ was what pissed him off. Not the situation, not what had been alleged of him and Keji's people, but HER, and he had a very good reason to be. The ghost just didn't figure out initially… but when he realized what was happening to him, Gage's entire expression became a rage-filled blank canvas.

As the news broadcast signal became another furious storm of white noise, Gage sighed loudly and threw Ileana's note down onto the table as he stood up and angrily put on his knapsack the second he grabbed it. " _Gage, what are you doing?!_ "

After that, he just held Mistletoe in his right-hand as he reached over and unholstered Javix with his left before he stomped over towards the front door, opened it, and closed it behind himself, right as he turned his revolver into it's Kukri form.

" _Wait!"_ Everything became slow for the phantom, even as the door shut she could still hear her own voice echoing throughout the ghost's subconscious, and he just let it happen. Because now, he was heading for Keji's rear gate… and their next stop after that, would be home.

" _Gage!_ "

…

When he reached the village's rear gate, Gage opened it slowly once he heard the growls of multiple beowolves come from the other side of the wall. The gate was a junk fence that was made from chain links and reinforced with sheet metal, and it would have to be pulled vertically for it to be open, since it was a rolling gate.

So the ghost pulled it back slightly and jumped as the head of one of the, wolves peeked through the small crack he made, but he just stabbed it in the scalp with Javix before anything could happen. Then he pushed the dead wolf back, closed the gate, and used his semblance so he could phase and walk through the fence with ease.

Now being outside the village, Gage took a quick look at his surroundings while he held Mistletoe in his metal hand, and Javix in his right one. There were still the three other beowolves around, but they didn't look too old or big enough to be as much of an issue.

Aside from that, the only thing that was notable was the fact that the nearby treeline didn't appear to be too deep, you could even look right through the trees and see the road that the pack of wolves came from, and it was the one that Gage was going to have to travel down as well.

Oh, and there was a motorcycle parked next to the gate. It was a Harley Davidson street 750 that was worn and had some of its parts replaced with rusted placeholders from other bikes, and it had been left behind by Alizarin. Too bad he didn't know about Gage's inability to ride it…

The ghost sighed internally the second he saw it, and he raised Mistletoe up so he could kill another beowulf by blowing it's face off after pulling his shotgun's trigger,

" _Gage, stop._ " Summer commanded her courier, but with no result.

Gage simply shook his head as a reply, and stomped over towards the two remaining beowolves as they did the same for him, and before they could try and pounce on him, the ghost raised Javix up and brought the knife down so it could become embedded one of the Grimm's shoulders.

That one recoiled back and howled in pain, causing the other to charge at the ghost head first, as if to knock him down on his back. But after barely being able to sidestep the beast, Gage grunted angrily and grasped Mistletoe with both hands in order to slam it's stock down onto the wolf's head, making it stagger and skid to a stop on its belly.

He wasn't even alarmed right now, no _NOW_ he was angry. Good thing these Grimm were here to vent his frustration. And as he was doing just that, Gage walked back to the previously injured one and grabbed onto Javix's handle so he could pull the blade down even further.

This caused the first Grimm's left arm to fall onto the ground before the creature bent over in pain, and the ghost cut off it's head with another downwards slice. Then as its body began to dissipate, the ghost turned back around and watched the final beowulf as it approached…

...That was until it's legs fumbled due to it's cracked and bleeding head, and a weak Grimm is a dead Grimm, so Gage just put it out of its misery by decapitating it while he grunting audibly, "HRRAGH!" And now four black, steaming corpses surrounded him while he breathed heavily.

As his breaths grew to sound even louder, Gage paced in a circle for a brief moment while he simply panted, looked down, and slowly fell to his knees. He was exhausted, but not enough to forget why he was mad in the first place. " _Gage, listen to me-_ "

"...No… *pant* ... **YOU LISTEN HERE!** " Summer tried to talk him down, but he was absolutely livid as he interrupted her with a deep snarl that caused some spit to fly out of his mouth like he was a rabid dog, "You're still hiding things from me, a lot of stuff, *pant* ...aren't you?!" He asked her.

" _W… W-What are you talking about?_ "

He closed his eyes with a chuckle and smiled at the way she sounded to him. It was like she didn't know what to do, that she was on the verge of having some jumble of words flow out of her subconscious through her silence.

Gage could even feel the displeasure she was experiencing, and that only reassured him about what he was about to ask the phantom, despite the massive headache she was pretty much forcing onto the ghost at this very moment.

"After watching that, all I heard from you was just... ' _oh_ '. Like it was some spilled fucking milk, and that's what it felt like to me too. That it was no big deal, and that I knew it wasn't our friend's fault!"

"Why should I feel that way? I mean, I got shot twice when we first met them, first by a bullet and the second by an arrow. Hell, maybe Alizarin was trying to get me killed by making me go up against that tank. Maybe his real plan was to kill Orin, take over, and attack Vale the whole time."

The ghost never really noticed it up until the moment that breaking news broadcast started, but he had honestly cut Riley, Alizarin, and Ileana too much slack after the memorable greeting they gave him when they met, each introduction being… pretty 'special' in their certain type of way…

...Even after watching Greed be torn apart and almost being eaten alive himself by a Manticore, which could have and was also almost definitely the death of him, Gage always had this thought in the back of his mind, that this could be much worse.

It wasn't his thought however, and neither was the calmness that came when the news of his friends, and the totally- innocent people that he saved, were being accused of being stoned-cold killers by their military. The ones who were supposed to protect them.

'They could be killed for this, and the best-case scenario for them would be to become exiles… and it's the last thing that they want, so why would they do this? It's obviously not them…'

Gage could feel that this was someone else's fault, but not anyone that he actually knew or hated yet. It was weird… like as if he was on the verge of guessing a name, but it wasn't known to him at all… so after he tried to narrow it down, it couldn't have been someone that he knew. No one.

By that logic, it _HAD_ to be from Summer's mind and memories instead… or maybe he was just crazy and could only resort to thinking that, but he had to take that chance too. No stone could left be unturned now that people were dying.

"...But nope, I have no doubt in their motives. I know that they didn't do this on purpose. I KNOW they didn't… because you do, and you know who's really responsible, who's always been. Right from the start of this, before I even came into the picture, and it isn't Adam, Cinder, Roman, or Orin. It's someone else. Right?"

Now the phantom could only stay silent as a way to try and dupe her courier but it just made him grin while appearing a little crazed, as he just stood up and shifted Javix back into it's revolver form.

"Hehe, alright… listen." He then holstered the pistol, and held Mistletoe with both of his hands as he continued to smirk, "The way I see things right now, there's two things that we're gonna do after this whole situation blows over…"

"...We're gonna talk to Yang, and pay Ozpin a visit. I can make sure that we do both… but if you don't tell me _everything_ , then I'm going to make sure that we'll only get to do one. "

'He's bluffing. He has to be.' Summer could've honestly laughed at this attempt to make a threat, she knew that she could just influence him to do the exact opposite… but that would go against her rule she gave to herself. That she could be different from Ozpin and not take over Gage's body.

'H… He has to be. H-H… He n-needs to be!' The mother knew it as well as the ghost did, he wasn't in the best mindset to make any decisions thanks to her influence, but he could still make them for himself if he wanted to, and therefore… he could actually be making a threat. 'Oh god, what have I done to him?!'

"Or…" He then looked over towards the motorcycle that was in front of him, and walked close enough so he could kick its back tire with a blank smile, "... Maybe I could just make it so we take even longer to get back there. Make you feel some new personal pain that isn't mine for once…"

She still continued to stay absorbed in her internal silent treatment to see how far Gage could take this, but now she didn't want to see what the end result would be anymore. Summer… she was actually scared. The phantom got to know him on a interpersonal level, sure, but never one on one directly…

How he treats people he's actually conversing and working with was totally different than how he was thinking during that small amount of time it took to open his mouth and move it. She knew this now, and just couldn't doubt him even if it was a bluff.

He was the one with the fucking legs.

Yet, during this time of fleeting thoughts and emotions, Summer still remained mute inside of Gage's mind, so he finally reached his limit with her and let his smile turn upside down along with his attitude.

"...Should I just count?" He asked her vaguely, as his own form of payback.

"Alright, fine." She only got it when the ghost started off with a number, and she started to panic. He smiled, and raised Mistletoe so he could aim it's barrel at the Harley's chassis and back tire. " _Ten._ "

" _Nine_."

" _Eight_.

" _Seven_."

" _Six_." Then once he reached six, he furrowed his brow and tightened his jaw as he flip-cocked his shotgun before shouting the next number as loud as he possibly could, " _FIVE_ -"

" _ **SALEM!**_ "

" _Her name is Salem!_ " Summer's voice nearly broke as she screamed the dark queen's name loudly and allowed it to resonate inside of her courier's mind a lot longer than anyone would want it to. "...Who is she?" Gage asked her in return.

" _S-She's… she's the darkness in our shadows... the black color in your shirt and pupils, that blank nothingness that surrounds the moon and stars at night, the evil and hatred inside of your heart and mind… She. Is. E-Everywhere, and in everything dark..._ "

Her answer made Gage lower Mistletoe slowly as he gullibly looked down at the black color his shirt had before he raised his head back up, and turned his head so he could just stare over at the sun with… uncertainty, and it's yellow rays blinded him.

The way the phantom described the true villain present behind all of this, all this fucking filler compared to the rest of the story, this… 'Salem', sounded like she was either a god, or a demon. He didn't know if she was telling the truth or not, or if she was just trying to scare him, so he could just go help Vale and talk to Yang, Ruby, and Ozpin.

" _...I'm sorry._ " Summer apologized, now sounding like she was on the verge of tears as the ghost's head stopped beating internally like a drum, and he continued to stare at that orange star in the sky, " _There's so much that I have to tell you, that I don't think I'll even have time to_ -"

"*sigh* ...No, you do. But you still don't have to." Gage interrupted her with a soft breath.

He then put Mistletoe on his back as he began to walk closer to the Motorcycle that he was just aiming at a few seconds ago, because now that he got the answer he wanted, it was best for him to stop wasting anymore time. "...You can show me."

"You can start while I'm trying to figure out how to ride this thing, and it'll be a straight shot to Vale if i start down that road soon. With a few hours between us and there, I think I'd prefer a history lesson from you rather than just total silence."

" _You're not ready!"_ She screamed while he placed his hands on the two handlebars of the motorcycle, and began to walk it towards the treeline as the phantom continued to warn him about the mighty thin ice that he was now standing on,

" _If I try to teach you about Salem… you won't be the same after. You'll be too far gone. T-This world isn't what you thought it was Gage, not even a little bit..."_ Summer warned him, but it just made him shake his head with frustration, like he didn't want to hear it.

More twigs and leaves cracked and crunched under his feet as he walked through the brush and out towards the other side, to the now empty road. But as he saw it… it felt familiar. Not because he was walking down it before, but because he thought he's seen it somewhere else.

Summer knew what was going to come next if he went down it along with what will come after… and it was going to break Gage Sim down to his core, because she was right. The world wasn't what we thought it was, it's the exact opposite, and he just didn't want to accept it, even though he's already seen.

We all have, right from the start of this continuation. And we will see it again, how it truly played out. What came after.

The phantom tried to warn him of this despite their shared knowledge, yet even then he refused to stop and focus on saving Vale. He had to know so then others could, and maybe they could even live because of it.

" _Gage… This is not going to go the way that you think-_ "

"NO!" However, Gage lashed out audibly at Summer again as he broke through the other end of the treeline, and he even looked back a little like he was expecting someone to be there until he saw that there wasn't. "I'M NOT AFRAID! I can't be, not anymore!"

He evened the Motorcycle out onto the left side of the pavement once he finally reached the long road, going on to stare out ahead at the horizon and the shining sun that was hanging high in the sky far above the ground.

All the Grimm had gone by the time he arrived, they were hours ahead of him at this point. He soon caught wind of their disgusting, bloody, raw meat-smelling skunk type of scent, and when he did, Gage took the keys off of the vehicles seat and used them to turned on the ignition before he mounted bike, and placed his hands on it's handlebars

It's engine revved as he nodded his head slightly as a way to get him to regain his confidence while he also tried to remember watching Yang ride Bumblebee as he sat behind her, and after getting carried away a bit with the thought of his lover again, the ghost believed that he had enough to learn from.

So with a frightful mind and a hot temper, the ghost turned his hands forward and accelerated slowly until he reached a safe speed, and revved the bike's engine again manually with some extra caution as he started off back down the road to the City of Vale…

...But as he got further and further away, he could hear Summer's faint voice whisper to him softly over and over again, it being just a clear statement. Then after he processed it and let it bound around in his mind as he drove recklessly, Gage came down to one simple conclusion… It was time for him to get his ass back home.

" _...You will be._ "


	42. Paradox

**Author's Note:** Alright, so just gonna start this off by saying that this chapter is going to be a little… different than others, in a good way at least from how I'm picturing it, because story-wise, almost NOTHING happens to forward it, but that doesn't mean that it isn't important either. It's only going to be Gage and Summer this chapter, technically, and you're even gonna learn a little bit more about his past.

It's gonna be weird, out of place, and maybe even random to some of you. Probably a little edgy too, but it's been a while since we've had some of that. So don't worry, this is all part of the plan. My goal of this one is to get you guys to think about this chapter more than other ones, but not too much y'know? But also, let me just clarify by saying that no, Salem will not become a main antagonist just yet.

We are far from that happening, since well none of us know how to defeat her or even how to hurt her. That's why I kinda made her seem more god-like in Summer's eyes, cuz you know… she was presumably killed by the Grimm or maybe even Salem herself perhaps. Probably indirectly, idk.

Other than that, all i have to say is that I am going to try a lot of new things this chapter in the way things are structured and paced, just for this chapter only because it's a pretty big one. Other than the word count, you'll see why by the end of it. Now Enjoy!

 **Song:** Heavy Games by Portugal. The Man

...

Not that long from now, Gage was on his knees in the middle of the same road he was riding on earlier, at the bottom end of a hell as he just stared straight ahead with blood and tears flowing down his face. His motorcycle was gone, and the only thing he had left was his legs to get him back to Vale… and he could see it from where he was right now.

That was why he was kneeling. The ghost could see the smoke clouds of large fires coming from behind it's massive walls. There was also a massive Atlesian carrier hovering above the city, where glowing blue dots with streaks appeared to be dropping from it's underbelly.

Gage stared at the capital with utter devastation, his bloody lip shaking slightly as he tried to say something, but couldn't even bring himself to make a sound. His voice had been damaged a bit from all the screaming anyway. When he finally made it there over that hill and started to come down it… that was when he saw the burning city, and he collapsed the moment he recognized it.

Now he simply continued to kneel there with his bleeding red eyes as a trail of blood came down from his lips and the top left side of his head bled too, the ground around him was almost covered in little droplets of water and the color red.

"*pant* … It's… It's not my fault."

Summer had left him and gone back to the place that she was laying dormant in before, and Gage couldn't even form a sentence before that became all desperate gibberish and sobs. Nothing could change this anymore, because unlike before… this memory, _this was real._ Not some over exaggerated tease that was written down on a piece of someone else's school paper.

The World of Remnant, RWBY, everyone else that he knew or ever cared about were believed to be dead because of what he could see, and it destroyed him… and now, thanks to Salem, The Grimm, The White Fang, and The Chaos Syndicate… Gage's world had come to an end.

"I… It's not…"

…

 **Earlier…**

…

 _There are things that I'm going to need you to let go of. Memories, and fantasies that you're going to have to mind from this point forward. Only then will I show you what Salem is capable of._

"... _What are they?_ "

 _The one memory you will always want to remember, the one you'll always want to forget, the one thing you wanted to see before, and the one thing you want to see now. Just those four things. That's all you have to release… but can you?_

…

About an hour after Gage departed from Keji on the motorcycle that was given to him, he and Summer began their 'lesson' not that long after he started to get use to riding the bike. Sure he almost crashed once and may or may not know how to stop it, but he seemed calm for the time being and still had a long way to go.

The road kept him focused for a while, which was long enough for his phantom to ponder on how and when to begin her divulgence into Remnant's true lore… but also so she could prepare herself as well and stall until the right moment.

However, despite Gage knowing that the subject was probably traumatic and horrifying thanks to the pessimistic description of Salem she gave him earlier… he still remained impatient, as his bike's gas was being used a lot more quickly than he had hoped.

"So…" He started as the moving wind seemed to die down and not restrict his voice from being heard aloud, and he even slowed down a bit so he wouldn't have to try and talk over the sound of his motor as much. "...You okay with starting our little lesson now?"

" _...I'll never be, but this is as calm as I can get right now. So I'm going to start this off vocally, for your sake._ " She replied shakily as Gage looked up into the sky, and noticed that the clouds were a lot darker than they were before. " _And uh... you do remember what I told you to let go of, right?_ "

He just shrugged as he kept his eyes on the road, and let his brow sink. "...I'll figure those out in the moment, it's better that way. But do I have to do anything else with them, or...?" He asked right as he accidentally let his bike wobble a bit as he drove.

" _No, not yet. Now… let us begin_." She said this as Gage unknowingly tightened his grip out of fear. Not for what she was about to explain necessarily, more so because he was afraid if he could keep the bike steady during… whatever she was about to do.

Then he waited for a few seconds and just as he was about to start accusing her of trying to waste his time, everything turned black for him and the sound of the road became muted, as well as the tune of the rushing wind that had been blowing past…

~...~

~...~

~...~

All he could see was... darkness. Darkness with a small circle of light in the middle of it, but... soon it became different. The orb of light expanded, and a voice came from it. A familiar voice to Gage's ears. It was the ghost again, Summer Rose her name was

She was the woman that Gage met in the (apparent) afterlife or un-worldly realm that had he visited after his apparent death, and she was the mother of his close friend Ruby Rose and the stepmother of his lover, Yang Xiao Long.

And then she started to... speak to him.

"...I was killed only a few years after my daughter Ruby was born, being forced to watch as everything collapsed around her, and i had decided then that I would do anything to see her again... so I could say that I was sorry. I would've had to wait until the day that she would pass over into my world, until now. Thanks to you Gage."

He didn't know what was happening. It was just insane, but somehow, her voice soothed and calmed him, it made him feel... normal. The dead woman then went on to call him by his name, again, "Gage."

" _Y...Yes_?"

"...What do you think a legend is?"

" _I don't know... stories scattered throughout time... about men and women who are smart, and swift, and brave, and protected the ones they love. Sometimes even giving their lives up... just for people that they won't ever know..._ "

"Then... do you think that your life could become a story? Maybe even a legend?"

" _...No. My life... isn't just some story. Because no one would remember it. No one will. I'll just go down as some ghost that had great luck and a robot arm... something like that..._ "

He heard her snicker, and chuckle as the orb of light exploded and formed what looked to be... a galaxy.

"Hmhm... I knew you would say that. I've always known. Ever since I first saw you through my daughter's eyes... that is why I picked you Gage. Why I saved you..."

" _How did you do that anyway_?" He asked.

"A single life is never forgotten. Maybe how they look, or how they sound, but never their own life. They always leave an impact on someone, and throughout that memory of them, their spirit, and Aura is still bound to their family, friends, and their home. Our home. Remnant..."

He looked as he saw millions of stars form, and a few planets flew past him. Ones he didn't even know existed, and it made him think. How was he seeing this? It didn't even feel like he was inside his own body. It just felt like he was apart of the cosmos...

"And I have been watching you. How you've taught Ruby and entertained her, and how you've made Yang become happy time and time again, so I couldn't have let you leave them. And luckily, unlike most people... you had something that they didn't."

He laughed, but only briefly before he came to a sudden realization. " _What? Luck?-WAIT. Wait… I've been here before! I know what this is, where I am… where I'm going..."_ His tone, and maybe even his entire voice changed. Just the sound of it was different now than way back when.

Then as soon as Gage caught on to her little test, everything turned black once more as she laughed a bit, "Hehe, good. You should've been paying attention to that for a long time now…" Summer allowed for a new image to form in his mind after that. However, this hallucination didn't come from the light this time, no it instead came from darkness,

To the normal eye, it would appear to be nothing but a stone mural that was carved from a chisel and painted, except this moved and changed color… you could even say that it was animated. The image it encaptured was that of a golden/bronze colored valley with two black mountains with plateaus, one being on both sides of the bright ravine.

After that, a figure appeared on both of the summits, one being tall and bright while the other was small and dark, just as they both took shape and appeared to look like… humans. However, Summer knew what and who they were… unlike Gage, who still remained speechless by what he was seeing at the moment.

And then… the phantom truly began her history lesson,

"A very long time ago, there were two brothers. The eldest would create life, things like plants, water, and animals during the day. But during the night, his younger brother would try to destroy his sibling's creations in secret."

Plants began to grow in the ravine, scaling it's walls with vines and thousands of trees as various animal calls and bird chirps could be heard, until the vines on the younger brother's side turned black, and they started to die and spread that same darkness down into the forest.

Of course over time, the meadow of trees withered and died off only to be created and grow once the sun settled and rose again, the start of a new day seemed to be the start of the cycle as well… you could even call it a Paradox.

Breezes of fire, toxins, and dryness wavered over the basin as the stumps, bones, and roots that were left behind by the life that was stomped out by the younger sibling, and these three forces eradicated whatever was left… except for one a small root, that grew into a sapling.

"The God of Darkness thought these creations were vile, and that they deserved to be destroyed in the worst ways imaginable, by things like droughts, diseases, and flames, but they proved to be ineffective… at first."

As the sapling began to change and grow like the others before it, dark clouds came and rained down a hail of tiny black sacks which nearly flooded the valley. That, was before they opened up… and something new emerged from them. Something to fear….

...The Creatures of Grimm were born.

"Life seemed to be more strong willed than he had anticipated, so… the younger brother chose to create the Creatures of Grimm, with their sole purpose being to completely eradicate Remnant of all life… and he almost succeeded in this."

The sight of the black creatures blocked out the sun from shining down into the valley, and not even it's base could be seen nor could the sapling that tried to grow due to the blackness that was present.

Soon thousands of Ursai, Beowolves, Borbatusks, Manticores, Beringels, Creeps, Griffons, Nevermores, Goliaths, King Taijitus, Goliaths, and Nuckelavees became dormant in the ravine and overflooded it, leaving a total dynasty of Grimm to follow in these one's footsteps. They went out and spread across Remnant after this, evolving.

"…But it seemed the youngest sibling felt some sympathy for his older brother, as the two eventually came to a compromise which would result in something being made by them both, as one last bonded use of their divine powers."

When the Grimm eventually seceded from the valley, the two brothers came down from their peaks and met face to face in the center of the black, desolated floor of the basin before they looked at each other and raised their hands up, with an orb being created from their combined powers.

This sphere was grey, as it contained both good and evil. It wouldn't be set to feel either emotion though, this creation would instead be taught to have to choose which path they wanted to take themselves, and the idea of such a thing being made couldn't be looked over by the siblings.

So as they both met and shared their divine ability, the orb expanded and opened up. The two brothers disappeared from the physical plane after that and the valley became filled with similar figures to that of the two gods, these ones appearing to be a lot smaller and weaker… but more diverse.

"And thus… man was born. Humanity, created after the Grimm and brought into their world from the very start."

This final creation came to be know as man, or humanity. They were born from dust, and they were strong, wise, and resourceful, but they were born into an unforgiving world. The Grimm set their sights on man and all of it's creations, and when these forces clashed, the darkness was seemingly intent on returning man's brief existence to the bright void from whence they came.

"One might've thought that they'd be outmatched by the monsters, but we weren't brought into this world without an advantage. We were given four relics by the two gods, each giving out and representing their chosen power."

Four of the humans eventually came forward and held four shining spheres of light as they stood in front of the mass

that was humanity, and a bright streak shimmered from all four objects before their light ascended into the sky, creating a Beacon of hope for all who could see it.

Following that day, humanity grew and expanded from the valley. Their numbers reached across the world of Remnant, from sea to sea as our history began. Dust was discovered with the forming of the Huntsman Academies coming soon after, along with the establishment of the four kingdoms. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Mantle.

Yet… conflicts still emerged between man, and they were so blinded by their own puny wars and politics that a new enemy rose from the darkness that had been left behind, proclaiming herself to be the Queen of the Grimm. This apparent 'goddess' would later become known as Salem, only to a few people although.

"However, not that long after man's creation, someone believed that if all four of these relics were acquired, then humanity could be weakened and destroyed by snuffing out all of their hopes and dreams… and using the Grimm under her command to clean up what was left afterwards. This person, or being… was named Salem."

"Time passed, and the two brothers saw her as a threat to their final creation, and so they both chose to give the burden of defeating Salem to a man named Ozpin, who they believed could be entrusted in carrying out this mission. He failed although, and the gods cursed him to be only that of a soul because of this."

And despite all of the mind blowing lore that was given to him, Gage thought _that_ would be the first thing he wanted to question. " _A soul?_ " He asked while his voice echoed and sounded like a whisper, and the phantom replied quickly. "...Yes, because Ozpin isn't simply a man Gage."

"He's the soul of a man that use to be, and he is now forced to live, die…" His vision faded to black again as he did this, but the lesson wasn't over. Ozpin was apart of it after all and Summer couldn't simply leave him out of her confession, "...And reincarnate into the souls of those who have similar mindsets to his. Then the people he ends up possessing cease to be the person they were before... over time."

" _So… is that going to happen to me?"_

"...No."

Summer stated this authoritatively, and with confidence without any hesitation at all before she tried to explain her similarities with the professor. "When he talked to me and the rest of Team STRQ, he told us that since he revealed his true self to us four, then only one of us would receive this ability for one cycle." She revealed to him.

"It wouldn't be a curse though, and since I was the first to go... it picked me." The phantom didn't let any falter be heard in her tone, as she was sure that cycle of torment and control would've have been passed onto her, and she wouldn't let it happen either. 'Cuz that just'd be unfair to both of them. "So I waited eleven years to find a host I could trust, until you came along."

That was when the scene presented before the ghost faded to black yet again, and four glowing different colored circles replaced the previous spectacle, the four colors being green, yellow, orange, and white as the symbols of the four huntsman academies became etched into the glowing spheres.

Next however, the inscriptions began to randomize and change with each color, seemingly switching between them as a way to mask which school they truly belonged to… until the colors faded, and the darkness returned with time.

"As I was saying, after humanity's four relics became threatened by Salem's power…" Summer continued, as the silhouette of a white man appeared in the middle of a painted green field, "...Ozpin chose to create a fail-safe in order to protect the four items from falling into the wrong hands." Then, the man of light appeared before four womanly figures, and let his powers spread to each of them.

And of course… the women were colored with one of the four elemental shades that were just mentioned, with the old man's power intensifying it and their combined auras that stretched out across the land below their feet.

"...He did this by sharing his power with four young girls he thought were capable of wielding it, each of them exerting the power from one of the four seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, and these four women went on to become who we call... the Four Maidens."

The man of light faded away following this and the four women continue to stand in their same spot for what felt like eons as the world changed around them, and they changed a little bit as well. As trees grew and died along with the grass and the drying rivers, their silhouettes grew and started to form into something else.

Eventually cities and economies surrounded them while they continued to stand together, and physically started to take the shape of actual human beings as their powers intensified as well. All of this being for one true purpose of course...

"So because of the Maidens, the doors to the relics can only be opened when the correct maiden is in the presence of their chosen relic. Choice to Fall, Knowledge to Spring, Creation to Winter, and Destruction to Summer. It's just that simple, and that's the problem."

It was simple, because the more that the four women became more human… they began to feel emotions just like anyone else would. Pride, Love, Anger, Confusion, Gullibility, Fear… Cowardice. Every single fine grain of that ill spectrum, and every speck of its results consumed these four, or whoever they were at that time, specifically the weakest out of the bunch.

This mistake, the mistake of human emotion, lead to the separation and multiple generations of Maidens. Resulting in an increase in Salem's control over their fate and her quest to take it from them, along with their life and power. It was her goal after all,

"Salem wants to claim the power of these four and take the relics from Humanity, having some of her servants take on the power for her… like Cinder, if I remember her name correctly. I don't know how they're going to accomplish that though, as the power of a maiden only moves onto the last girl the previous wielder had in her thoughts. Only time can tell us what they have up their sleeve, but I doubt we'll find anything soon…"

" _Well we can't just give in now, nothing like that has even begun yet!_ " Gage rebutted subconsciously as the lesson actually came to a close this time, and everything became black again. " _We just need to find the current maidens, bring them onto our side, and protect-_ "

His reaction almost seemed like something out of some shonen series, and Summer quickly tried to put a stop before to it before her warnings would no longer be taken seriously, "Have you not heard a single thing I've said?!" She shouted back at him,

"Salem controls THE GRIMM, and if humanity can barely survive an all out assault against them, then the Maidens can't, or us either."

Before hearing this, Gage was getting prepared to try and argue a plan of finding the maidens, and going on to build up an army from Keji's villagers, his friends, and the Collectors… until he realized something else after piecing a few other things together.

If Summer was right and Cinder was one of Salem's underlings, then it meant that both the Chaos Syndicate _AND_ The White Fang were under her control as well… and Adam Taurus would have never chose willingly to side with a group of volatile humans. The ghost had been wondering the reason behind this for months on end now, but today he finally got his answer.

The most plausible reason behind their alliance is that Adam… fears Salem, and what she can do. Even if they would have the aid of the Grimm, some lowly organization built from false beliefs would most likely be tossed aside and plundered once the dark queen's mission was finished.

Normally Gage would've chuckled at the thought of this, but… now that another battle was beginning in the Silent War's campaign, the ghost couldn't even keep his breaths regulated. Because if the oh so legendary Adam Taurus was afraid of someone so… dark, then what chance did the rest of the world have?

And of course, Summer was able to finally beat this mentality into his head with her next statement, "This is why I'm trying to get you back home Gage, so then you can spend whatever time is left with Yang and Ruby!" This made his heart sink, as he finally noticed how hard she was trying to coerce him during the week...

" _W… W-What?"_ Gage questioned her with a stutter, and soon his tone began to waver as the impact of her true intentions came over him, "... _No! No, it… i-it can't be that black and white, it just can't-_ "

"IT IS, GAGE! ...Death follows her like a shadow, and if you become an obstacle of importance to her, then she'll save you for last so you can watch as she kills everyone else you ever cared about. And that's only if you're important… if not, then it's just over! *shaky exhale* ...All it'll take is one second, and it's over for you!"

She was close to actually feeling some sort of negative emotion that was fueled by her courier… until another sense of doubt washed over them both, as Gage let a quivering breath… and made the darkness fade away, and be replaced with light again,all by himself. "... _Oh yeah_?!"

Summer just watched as the colors Red, White, Black, and Yellow filled the blank space in that order vertically as the opacity became clear, and Gage's own current self appeared behind it. He just stared angstfully ahead at you, the viewer, all while he had his right hand wrapped around his metal wrist, which was the base of a partially clenched fist...

"... _ **SHOW ME**_ _!_ "

…

 _What's the first thing that you can remember?_

"...Being with my mom."

…

 **Twelve Years Ago**...

…

"Gage, keep your form steady!"

A sweet, and enthusiastic feminine voice called out to him as the slashed wind from a downwards strike brushed right past the ghost's head as he scrambled to try and dodge the blow, "Mom, my form isn't working-aagh!" A younger Gage cried out.

His eyes opened after closing them due to being afraid of getting hit, but his fear was realized when the light returned to his innocent turquoise eyes. Miriam, Gage's mother, whacked him across the face with a medium sized stick that was clearly meant to represent a sword.

He recoiled and held his cheek as he fell flat on his butt, and looked up at her… and instead of some kind of lecture that any other parent who was serious about training would give, Miriam dropped her stick and covered her mouth with shock,

"Oh no! Gage I'm so sorry!"

Miriam had short light blonde hair that went down to her shoulders, (*She kind of mellowed out over the years for those who read Buscu Testver*) and bright lilac or purple colored eyes as she wore a black crop top, black skinny jeans, black combat boots and black fingerless gloves. She also wore a faded dark green hoodless cloak that was ripped at the bottom, and had a collar that could be buttoned.

"Are you bleeding?! Do any of your teeth feel loose?!-" She covered her mouth for a few seconds as she realized her mistake, and quickly kneeled before her son as she rushed and tried to see how bad the blow was, while he squirmed and tried to move her hand away. "Mom, I'm okay!"

He scooted away after this and tried to stand up, but couldn't help but feel the stinging pain in his cheek as it began to feel like it burned. He even sniffled a little bit, and attempted to look away from his mother as well, "*sniffle* ...it doesn't hurt. Y… You're being delicate!" He still can't hide his emotions that well, even today.

Miriam's pupils shrank after that, becoming calmed once again by her son's clear lying, which allowed for her to crawl up to him and remove his own hand from his face so she could gaze upon the little red mark she left on his right cheek… which made her chuckle a bit, for a different reason.

"Hmhm. Yes it does, and yes I am!" She replied before she leaned forward and just kissed her little Gage on the cheek where he had been hit. "*smooch* ...You're only seven years old, and you're gonna be my baby for a long time Gage. So I'm not gonna rush you until I think you're ready."

Gage was just wearing a small dark green training hoodie and a pair of tan cargo shorts with some skate shoes that were of the same color, and all he could do now was whine as he reached for the small stick that he had dropped when he got hit,

"Well we're never going to get that far if you don't stop it! *sniffle*"

Like his mother said, Gage at this time was only seven years old, and he was trying to train with her in order for him to be more than ready for Sanctum Academy when the time came for him to be accepted, and he had only started his lessons with her a month ago… so he definitely wasn't good at all of this just yet.

That being said, the young and baby-faced Gage looked away from Miriam after his small outburst, and continued to sit with his arms crossed while he was trying to hold any pain or tears back… his mother wouldn't allow for this although.

So she smiled softly and exhaled as she just caressed her son's red cheek and laid down on her side next to him with another smile, "Gage… if it really hurts, then you can cry. But if it doesn't, then don't get angry like that, because attitude won't get us anywhere either." She said to him firmly.

"You asked me to train you, and I could be out doing missions with my team so me and your dad could have more money… but I'm not, because of you. So I don't want to waste minutes with you like this instead of actually making progress."

"...O-Okay, I'm- *sniffle* -s-sorry!" A tiny tear then rolled down his cheek as he brought his legs close to his chest meekly, since Miriam's apparent reaction tugged at the catch in his throat.

He slowly turned back to her obediently as she continued… with a frown. It wasn't out of disappointment however, but more that she was unhappy with having to say such things, and for good reason. "Now… that's what your dad would want me to say, b…

She started with that and it brought Gage back up from feeling like an issue just like she intended it to. "...But I don't mean it, I promise. I just want you to know that things could be... different in future, and that won't be a joke." Miriam brushed her son's hair after that, and it caused him to scooch back over to her as he nodded and panted.

"...Why's he mean like that?!" He asked her.

"Because he cares a lot about you, we both do, which is more than enough reason to teach you that sounding bad is as worse as saying bad things. We also want you to learn some patience… because having that, makes you a whole lot stronger too."

"Listen, I…" His breathing slowed a bit from being frantic like before, and he nuzzled against his mother's side before she simply embraced him with one arm, and leaned back a bit. "...When you told me that you wanted me to train you, I got really excited. So much that I completely forgot about your age and wanted to rush into starting… just like you. But I don't regret it… Because I want you to do this it for something more than just the Huntsman." She started as she looked at their surroundings.

The two of them were now sitting at a small embankment next to a slow moving river that had a tree next to the shoreline that they would use to eat under when they were outside, and their small white ranch house wasn't that far away either.

It sat south-west west of them, so behind and to the left of the two around thirty yards away behind an old wooden fence that circled their property. It was strange, even now their house appeared to be brand new despite it being around twenty years old, Gaigus and Miriam living in it by themselves before they even had Gage.

Though… Miriam never paid any mind to the old house anymore, instead it seems like the only things she could focus on now were the two men in her life, and the world around her. Even now as she held her son close, she stared down at his bright turquoise eyes and couldn't look away.

That was until he shifted his own gaze over towards the small river as he watched the current flow slowly, all while nearby birds and other critters chirped throughout their shared moment of embraced silence. "W ...W-What?" He asked his mother in a hushed tone.

Truth be told… she couldn't answer him directly. Because Miriam didn't think she could muster up the courage to talk about her own fear of death, as out of place and random as that already was. She already had a lot of fear for her son due to her not knowing how he could actually perform as a huntsman, and what happened to her early on doing her career only enhanced that fright.

Losing a leg was one of the most horrifying memories she had of her own life… but thinking past that, she remembered meeting her future husband that same day as her team passed through a village dung one of their missions. So it seemed like her luck ended up fixing everything... well, not immediately.

"Don't tell your dad this, but… I just feel like sometime, either soon or a very long time from now… I'm… I'm gonna disappear, just like your uncle did. You know, taken away… *sniffle* ..."

"...But if I turn you into a fighter like me and your dad, and I end up gone either way... then at least I won't have to worry about you growing up without me."

"...Y-You'll be ready for anything, and that's important because me and your father weren't, a-and a-a lot of… a-a lot of bad things happened to people we loved, and… they would've loved you too-"

Of course Gage couldn't exactly understand the gravity of what his mother was rambling about, but he figured out the gist of it a few years down the line. But, right now all he could do was become even more worried. "...Y-You're squeezing me, M-Mom…" He shuddered.

Then his voice and the tone of it made Miriam snap back to her normal self again, and she quickly apologized, "S-Sorry, I… I overdid it, I just can't… can't think about that..." She replied whilst looking down at her metal leg.

Gage did too, and reached out towards it so he could hold onto the prosthetic's cold ankle gently. "*sniffle* ...Then don't. We're okay right now…." That was another thing Miriam was happy for, that her son could remind her to focus on what was important.

"I know…" She couldn't believe how ignorant she was being, talking to her child about such things like death and leaving him behind, but Miriam had been waiting for such an opportunity for a while now… especially for one where Gaigus wasn't present.

"...I just need _you_ to know this. That no matter who you become in the future, you're going to face people who won't fight fairly." And it proved to be in good taste as we would all see later on, even if the future seemed more bleak than she could ever comprehend. "Even if it isn't physical, that's what they have to do to win because they won't succeed without cheating."

That was when Miriam finally stood up again, and looked down at Gage as he continued to sit on the ground and appear to be lost in his thoughts. "So if that happens… you better beat them at their own game." His mother warned him

"But… that isn't fair." He whined quietly.

Gage wiped his eyes again and began to kneel in order for him to stand upright once again, just as Miriam leaned down and rubbed his back gently. "It's not, but defeating your opponent will feel a whole lot better when they can't win no matter what they try to do." And after that, she used her other hand to grab the wooden stick he had dropped earlier so she could hold it out in front of him suggestively.

"...So are you going to cheat and try to win right now?"

"Yeah, but I'll give you a hint on how to try and get the upper hand." She answered again as he hesitantly took the stick from her, until she suddenly took another one out from the inside of her boot. "And you start, by having to adapt to something unfamiliar to you. So take this in one hand, and use your first stick with the other."

Young Gage looked at her with confusion and unfamiliarity, as he had not yet been taught about dual wielding… he was originally going to train in the usage of only single bladed weapons.

So it took him a few seconds to comprehend the change before he took the second stick in hand, this one being a little shorter than the other. "That feel better?" Miriam asked as he held both training sticks out in front of him.

"Yeah!" Gage soon grinned with glee for a few seconds, and held them up in the air in order to cheer for this new challenge that was presented, "...But why didn't you give me two earlier?"

He wished for some sort of 'Mr. Miagi' type of reasoning behind her choice and reasoning for waiting this long to change anything about his training, but his mother was just a simple woman at the end of the day. "...You didn't ask for another one?"

"You didn't say that I could!"

This made her shrug enthusiastically as she winked at her son with a smirk, clearly feeling back to normal now. "Welp, you gotta make your own exceptions sometimes!" Then, Miriam took a few steps away from him and picked up another stick that was longer than both of Gage's,

"That's what adaptation is, and it's something we're gonna start learning from now on." She stated as she suddenly smiled, and twirled her stick expertly like one would a sword.

Miriam continued to smile as she stomped towards her son as she held her stick out and used her wrist to twirl it downwards and back up again, changing what arm it was being held by as she quickly stopped, gripped it normally, and pointed it's tip so it was only inches away from her son's chest.

"...Okay?!" She exclaimed with exaggeration.

Her display of balance and fluidness with the training stick made Gage back up even more from his mother… but he couldn't help but feel a little more excited about this next fight, and so he nodded 'yes'.

"Good. Now, are you ready to start again?"

"M-Mmhm!"

Not just because he had a new trick up his sleeve, but also because it seemed like Miriam was going to amp things up like he wanted to… even though he couldn't exactly handle how the pace she was going at earlier.

But, that was the way his mind worked back then, and she didn't want to see that quality disappear too early. So once her son nodded, Miriam held out a hand to him and gestured for him to come at her once more,

"Alright then, let's see how fast you can-!"

Thus without any warning, just launched himself forwards with his two sticks in each hand before he thrusted one of them forward, and jabbed Miriam right in the belly with it. After that, he used the second one to strike her own stick as she tried to predict a higher blow and block it, to no avail.

This made her jump and use her metal knee to kick his stick away, only for him to hop back and get into a new stance with his two weapons being held close to him once he picked his other stick back up.

His legs became parted farther than normal, his body appeared to be closer to the ground, and he kept his head lowered as he held his left stick sideways and kept his right one aimed forwards, it being a stance he would go on and keep to this very day.

"Yup, *pant* ...Just like that!" Miriam grinned and held her side as she saw this form before her very eyes… seeds of his future being sewn right here and now, during his past. If only she saw how far he's come, and how hard he's fallen since these days... "Now do it again!"

However, that was in the future. Now they had all the time in the world to spend clashing their sticks against each other in battle, and Gage would never forget how they went on into the night, only for him to fall asleep and be carried home by Miriam.

The next day was the same, and the next one after that… for what felt like forever, until the world finally found its ways back to them. Through the trees and brush, it saved them from isolation… and later on when both of his parents were gone, the world would save Gage once more.

...Or was it something else?

…

 **...Now**

…

Out of nowhere, Gage regained consciousness and felt the heat bearing down on him, as well as smelling the putrid stench of… well death, as he looked ahead and saw that there was a single Ursa in front of him on the road, this one was clearly trying to block him in order to quench its thirst for blood and emotions.

"SHIT!" And before he could even try to move out of the way, he turned the bike so hard to the right that it toppled onto its side as he got his legs free, and unholstered Javix while his back hit the road and he started to slide along the ground, with his aura protecting him.

The ghost then used his prosthetic arm to slow himself down as he put his metal fingers into the earth and caused some sparks to fly before he turned his revolver into it's kukri form, and watched as his motorcycle went under the Ursa's legs and caused it to fall forwards.

Forwards ended up being on top of Gage as he stopped sliding, and groaned as he felt the beast's weight pin him to the ground… but it wasn't that much of a pain for long, as when the Grimm went to roar or attempt to bite his face off, the ghost just stabbed the knife through the bottom of the Ursa's chin and out the top of it's head.

"G-Guh!" Gage gagged and turned his head away as the Grimm's scent filled his nostrils along with the metallic smell of blood, and he pushed the dead monster off of himself as blood from this it's mouth fell down onto his shirt, "These fucking things must love me… *cough!*" He choked out.

" _So are you just gonna jog the rest of the way now?_ " Summer asked internally.

"...What?" The ghost laid on his back for a few seconds before he leaned up and looked back over towards his bike… not too surprised to see that gas was leaking from it now thanks to the small crash.

"*sigh* ...Oh man." He then got up and walked over to his motorcycle so he could raise it back up and level it so he could look at the gas meter and see that the bike was already running on fumes at that point. "I'm pretty sure this is a sign that my luck's running out…" He mumbled to himself.

With that being evident and the clear message that his motorcycle wasn't going to be of any use from here on out, Gage just pushed the thing back down and leaned down so he could pick up his knapsack that had fallen off of him during his tumble, " _So how are we going to get to the city now?"_ Summer asked him.

He paused for a moment as he put his pack back on, changed Javix's form and holstered it, and took a water bottle out of one of the pockets on his tactical vest so he could chug down almost half of the thing within thirty seconds, "*pant* ...I leg it, and see how long it takes us." He exhaled.

Gage then let out a heavy breath, stood up, put his water away, and started off with a full-on sprint with a slight limp in his leg as he headed down the road in the direction he was already going in previously. People were being put in danger and could possibly be dead because of him, so he couldn't just stop right now because of a lack of fuel.

" _With that leg of yours we'll still be behind that horde of Grimm by an hour and a half at least. They'll make it to the walls before us no matter what we do, and you'll be too tired to brush past something like that!"_

"*pant* ...Then I'll go straight through it and the wall! *pant* ...Besides, it's the only trick I have up my sleeve now! *pant*"

Gage's bullheadedness seemed a lot like something that was new, at least in Summer's mind, but if they both knee what was really going on in Vale, they'd both be willing to charge head first into the fray. As for the ghost, he had more than the threat of dead allies to strengthen him… but the words of wise man he once knew too.

…

 _What's the one thing you wish to forget?_

" _..._ The first time I truly felt weak _."_

…

 **Two Years Ago..**

…

Gage could feel the cold air and snow as it froze his nose and ears since he didn't make the smart decision of bringing a beanie with him to class that day… while he was living in Atlas, and it was the already the middle of winter.

It's been a few weeks since his little scuffle with his previous tormentor named Osiri, and since Christmas passed… his general mood seemed to have dipped down low since then. Right now though, he was walking outside his college campus so he could head home… and he wasn't alone.

"Gage?"

"Gageee?"

"*sigh*..." The ghost had been blanked out for the last five minutes really, as the person he was talking to was his sort-of friend named Malice Mauve, the fourteen year old boy who helped Gage walk away from his previous fight, "...What is it Mal?'

Mal had just turned fifteen a week ago, and yet he still surprisingly looked older than he actually was. He wore a purple beanie over his head, a pair of black glasses, and had two layers on, the second being a grey hoodie and the first being a white dress shirt.

Meanwhile, Gage was also still sixteen years old and had two inches over his friend in regards to height. He was just wearing the same black shirt with a dark green cargo jacket over it, some black jeans with his sage bandana in his back pocket, and a pair of grey skate shoes.

They were both currently walking through the streets, as Gage's dad was going to pick them up nearby so they could go and eat together. "Did you hear about what happened to this girl at the prep school downtown? A lot of people were talking about it in my last class." Mal said to him.

"What, she die or something?"

"No, she almost killed someone though."

The faunus boy was simply staring down at his phone and had one earbud in, barely even paying attention to where they were going now. "There was this uh, dust mine accident earlier today that had a lot of faunus dead in the end… and I guess her parents were killed in it too." He then pulled up the news report on his phone and raised it up so Gage could see it too, but briefly.

Still though, it made him ask one obvious question, "I thought they don't allow faunus in all those types of schools? You told me it was hard for you to even get into ours." It was true, and Mal just shrugged and put his phone away with a smirk,

"It's a different story when you're smart enough to be in college at thirteen years old… but yeah, she was actually a faunus in disguise."

And that made Gage raise an eyebrow curiously. He actually become interested in the conversation, since he's never really heard about faunus attempting such things before. "...That's a thing?" He asked the boy with squinted eyes.

"Depends on the trait, I think hers was some type of lizard." Mal nodded, and put his hands behind his head as they both turned down a long alley.

It was messy and cluttered with what looked like broken glass and window panes, some of it being stained glass for some reason… and it caught Gage's attention for some odd reason. Not even the student that was sitting there smoking a cigarette became caught in his gaze.

"And I guess her friends thought the accident was something to laugh at, so the girl put them all on life support." Mal still continued with the tale about the faunus girl, and seemed sad about it rather than alarmed, "The police can't even find her now, but I think it's kind of a good thing. They'd arrest her no matter the context..."

"...The thing about it though, Is that I could level with her, 'least I think I could." Gage huffed and started to stare intensely at his friend, as the faunus boy knew well about what happened to his mother Miriam.

"Hey." Gage stated blankly as he nudged Mal's arm hard with his elbow. "Don't go all White Fang on me. I'm actually trying to keep the one friend I have right now."

Mal grunted and held his arm with a tiny chuckle escaping from his stuttering lips before he tried to take a step back so he could clarify and not make the air seem so tight around the two of them, "Y-Yeah, sorry… My mom was a _**passive**_ activist back in the day with my dad before he died. So you know, it's like it's in my blood..."

"-I don't know…" He even cut himself off to try and get it right, "I just wish we could all go back to being peaceful. You know, so we could all just live, and start _being_ people again-"

"Peaceful?! Really?! They're all a bunch of killers!" That was until the two of them made it more than halfway down the alley, and the sound of someone slamming their fist against the wall echoed throughout that small space afterwards. It was the other student that was smoking, the one who had his back against the wall.

He had light blonde hair and blue eyes, and he looked to be wearing a school uniform that came from the Atlas Huntsman Academy, "I bet that you're with those fucking animals too you mutt!" The student shouted while he pointed towards Mal and started to approach the two friends angrily.

Gage, who felt more annoyed by conflicts at this point, rolled his eyes and raised a hand up to the older student nonchalantly in order to make him calm down. "Chill out dude, he's just a kid. And does it look like he could try and kill someone?" His tone made it sound like he was irritated.

"Those animals raise kids to fight for them, and I heard what you said about your father!" The student then moved closer, and shoved Gage away as he tried to block him from Mal, "Your dad was with them, and mine was assassinated by them!"

"Hey-get away from him!"

His warning did nothing however, as the student quickly kicked Mal in the shin and pushed him onto the ground next to some shattered glass… which made him whimper strangely and jump away from it as fast as he could. "H-Huh! Wait!'

Mal crawled back and held a hand out towards the violent Huntsman-In-training mercifully, "M-My dad died with them when I was a baby, and we left the White Fang! T-They changed because they wanted results, and it caused us pain too! It's not-"

"*SHIING!*"

Nothing could be said to stop the trainee unfortunately, and the second he unveiled his weapon made Gage's mood shift towards anger. It turned out to be some type of collapsible single-edged sword, and it was aimed towards Mal very quickly.

Crazy-ass rich kids were able to elevate Gage's frustration even more than the normal snobby ones, so he had no problem with completely rushing the student with his bare hands… but this was someone who knew how to fight, and Gage hadn't fought against an armed opponent in years.

Atlas Academies also had some of the best CQC trainers in the world, which meant that Gage probably should've thought about his attack more before found himself being parried by the trainee without any effort… but the student wasn't aware of his surroundings either.

So when Gage charged towards the blonde-haired boy and went for a low punch, the guy immediately turned his body completely to the left and dodged the blow before he used his elbow, and made it collide with the back of Gage's neck.

This pushed him down on the ground so fast that he wasn't able to put his hands out to catch himself… and he also wasn't able to spot the broken window frame that was laid against the wall next to Mal's foot.

It had very sharp shards of glass sticking out of it, and Gage soon felt one of the points pierce his jugular as he landed on top of the thing and made some type of gag or choking sound. "CAACH!"

"GAGE!" He could see and feel the blood before he even raised his head up, and Mal was the first to begin freaking out. "HOLY SHIT YOU'RE BLEEDING!" And then he looked up at the blonde kid, who looked absolutely petrified at the sight of all the red that colored the white snow on the ground.

The ghost leaned up and held his neck as he gasped uncontrollably and felt his hand become covered with his own blood, his body now leaning against the side of the alley as he sat there with his turquoise eyes completely wide open. "The… *gasp!* ...Fuck?! *gasp!*" He asked audibly with some gurgles.

All three of them stood there in silence and fear, completely unaware of what they had to do or if this was even real… but then the sounds of rushing footsteps stomping in the snow quickly snapped them out of their trance.

Someone was coming, and it turned out to be the worst person that could be there at the time… (at least for the kid with the sword) as Gaigus, Gage's dad, came up from behind Mal and just took in the entire scene all at once.

Two underage boys on the ground with one of their necks slashed, that one being his son, while an older kid stood nearby with a sword… but, the elder Sim was perceptive though. He quickly saw that there was no blood on the blade, yet he almost did what any other parent would've done in that situation.

"I-I didn't mean to do THA-" I say almost because somehow Mal stood up and went for the trainee before Gaigus could.

He grabbed onto the hilt of the collapsible sword, yanked it out of the boy's grasp, and smashed it against his head before he turned and shot a roundhouse kick straight into his chest, making him fly backwards. The faunus boy's reaction seemed so fast, that it even scared him a little bit, "H-Holy shit, did I just?-"

Gaigus turned to Gage and crouched down next to him the second the student landed in the dirt, and the father just covered the slash as he turned towards Mal and yelled at him. "Nine-One-One, NOW!" He commanded the young canine faunus.

Mal's purple colored wolf tail curved as his voice boomed, and he fumbled to take his phone out for a few seconds before he started dialing. Gage continued to gasp a bit too as his father put covered his throat and started to breath heavily as he looked into his eyes

"It's not deep, just try and calm down so the blood won't pump as fast!" Gaigus said to his son, who grabbed his arm and started quietly huff as the Atlas student got up off of the floor and began to run away down the other side of the alley. "Dad-*gasp!*-asshole's leaving-" Gage whispered.

"Oh screw that, I'll find him later!"

Mal watched him leave too but was more than occupied as he told the operator where they were, and his hands were shaking by the time they confirmed that an ambulance had been dispatched to their locations, "M-Mr. Sim, they're coming!" The boy shouted shakily.

Mal and Gaigus both helped keep his throat from leaking anymore with their hands as they clasped over the cut, and they all waited ten minutes until the paramedics got there and took the ghost to the emergency room.

And for the sake of keeping this chapter short, a day passed and everything seemed to resolve itself. Gage had his neck all stitched up properly and had been told that it was a small wound initially, when in reality the slash had been a truly deadly one, which he knew from the start.

Gaigus had taken Mal home from the hospital the moment the doctors said that there was nothing to be worried about, and Gage was released later that night. He wouldn't be able to talk that well for a few months afterwards, but the damage to his larynx wouldn't be permanent.

When he and his father arrived home that night, they stopped and just sat in their car for what felt like an hour as it was parked in their driveway… almost nothing was said between them, until Gaigus cleared the air and could see that his son was still shaking,

"That was scary, I know. It was for the both of us, but still from what Mal told me… I think you did the right thing." He stated that proudly and leaned back into the driver's seat with ease as he ran his hand through his long hair, "You just have to choose your battles more carefully next time, because even though you might think that you're invincible… you're still just a kid."

These words would always still be relevant even today in the present with our current Gage, and he knew it… he just didn't back when this was said to him. Down the road, he just saw it as some other saying that parents like to spew out. "So, this is how I want you to deal with these types of encounters from now on…"

"...If you ever see someone in danger, and you know that you can get out of that scuffle alive, then you run to them."

Gage turned his head towards Gaigus with a shocked expression, and opened his mouth to try and say something… only for a small scratchy whimper to come out of him. This made his father hug and embrace him hard as he repeated himself once more,

"You hear me? You run to them!"

All Gage could do was grasp his throat and close his eyes tightly as a tear fell from his cheek, the shock of everything now finally hitting him all at once…. But he understood despite this. He did then and he does now, because our ghost… he knew what he had to do.

 _...R_ _ **uN**_ _**t**_ _O_ _ **T**_ _hE_ _ **M**_ _!_

...

 _What's the one thing you wanted before?_

"...Closure."

 _Hmhm… no. You wanted blood. But I suppose It's a good thing you didn't kill her that night..._

"...What?"

" _ **LoO**_ _k_ _ **aT**_ _w_ _ **HaT**_ _y_ _ **O**_ _u alm_ _ **OST**_ _d_ _ **ID**_ _bE_ _ **cAu**_ _s_ _ **e**_ _o_ _ **F**_ _**HIM**_ _!"_

…

 _ **T**_ **w** _ **ElV**_ **e** _ **D**_ **a** _ **Y**_ **s** _ **A**_ **g** _ **O**_ …

...

"Gage...y… you're smarter than this… better… I… I know you…." Blake was beginning to feel light headed, and secretly reflected on her actions in silence as she felt Gage clamp down onto her throat with his prosthetic arm even more, "You're… too kind… You'll… You'll just regret this…"

"You've seen what I've done! And what I've had to go through to keep these people alive, but it's not even close to what I'm fully capable of doing! So ask yourself, do you really know me?! Huh?!"

" _...N...No….. No, please don't!_ " He heard Simmer whisper to him.

"I am willing to take care of a… a traitor like you if it means saving everyone else! I don't care how much you've made an impact on them or me, I made a promise with myself that I would protect those i love, no matter the cost!"

He then grasped Javix with his right hand again, and moved it up to her waist so he could press the blade against Blake's belly, and looked her straight into her eyes one last time. "So… Let me tell you who I really am!"

Seeing the blade be moved to where her vital organs were, Blake gasped one more time, and began to hyperventilate as she shut her eyes in fear, and tried her best to push Gage off of herself, but it was no use.

"...MY NAME IS GAIGUS **.** FUC _ **KiNg**_ **-S** _ **iM**_ **!** _ **aNd**_ **I** _ **wI**_ **lL** _ **hAvE**_ **. My. ReV** _ **eNgE!**_ "

And right as he screamed at her… all of the good memories he had of Blake came flooding back into his subconscious, taking the place of the elder Rose's presence instead as he went to drive the knife into her gut.

But the one that overpowered him, and urged him to lean towards the lighter side of things… was the first one he really had of her, during the first small talk they had together… inside of his dorm room all those months ago.

That gentle warm smile she gave off, that led him to believe that she was actually really cute at the time… and the talk they had, no matter how awkward and distant she seemed during it… it held a special place in his heart.

It was the first time since that anyone, besides Yang, showed that they, the rest of Team RWBY really cared about him… and he them.

And eventually… he remembered it so vividly, that once he looked down at what he thought would be a bloody sight… Gage sighed shakily, and panted, as he could see that only the tip of his blade was inside of her, and there was only a tiny droplet of blood that was still slowly dripping down from her stomach.

Blake was holding her breath right then, trying her best to welcome the sweet embrace of death, and Gage could see it… so despite the fear and unwillingness in her eyes, and everything that had remind him of who she really was... he let out one final exhale, and impaled her with Javix's blade.

"*GASP!*

"GAGE! WAIT!"

Unfortunately for Sun, It was already too late for him to barge in and save his girlfriend. The ghost pushed his blade further into Blake's stomach to the point where the tip of his knife could stick out her back, causing the faunus to gasp loudly.

Then, without any sort of remorse showing, Gage put his hand over her mouth while she whimpered and he proceeded to cut horizontally until Javix was free of Blake's flesh, causing a massive tear in her belly to form.

It was so wide that… her intestines began to leak and hang out of her belly as a wave of her blood began to run down from the wound, completely drenching the lower half of her body as more of her innards plopped down onto the cold floor.

Her muffled screams and gurgles could be heard as the ghost kept her lips covered, and soon enough even more blood started to leak through his fingers due to more of the red substance leaking out of the feline faunus's mouth.

Tears covered his hand as well, and he just stared back at her yellow eyes with satisfaction and a few tears of his own… just as Neptune, Weiss, Yang, and Ruby all entered the room.

That was when he finally let go of Blake, and let her fall to her knees while she grasped her own guts and laid on her side while she began to gag, cough, whimper and sob as Sun ran over to her and held her close to him,

"BLAKE! NO! No-n-no no no no! *sniffle* ...GAGE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks, covered her mouth, and actually threw up on herself the second she laid eyes upon the bloody sight. Neptune simply just turned around and covered his ears as he screamed bloody murder, and as for Yang and Ruby… they just froze and looked down at their fallen friend with absolute horror.

...But Gage? He just stood there in front of Blake and Sun with his bloodied Kukri in hand, and stared down at them both with a blank expression that his red eyes made completely terrifying. "S… **S** _h_ _ **E**_ **dId** _i_ _ **T**_. S **h** e's **T** _ **HE**_ o **Ne** , _**sh**_ e… she killed my dad." He whispered corruptedly, to himself even.

His eyes were wide open, and he watched as Blake looked up into Sun's eyes and plastered one of her bloodied hands against his cheek while he used both of his palms to desperately try and cover her wound.

"*sniffle* ...Blake! *gasp!*" Ruby cried out with tears in her eyes. Her voice seemed to break through to Gage, and he immediately turned to look at her… right as Yang began to slowly walk towards him as well.

The blonde breathed heavily and appeared to be on the verge of tears as well, but even after realizing that her lover had just gutted her friend and partner, she still reached out for the hand that he had Javix grasped in.

"I'm-I'm… I'm s-sorry... Sh-She..." He shuddered. The shock of his actions finally began to set in once he saw Yang again, and he shook his head as he started to weep quietly to her… until it turned into a crazed chuckle for all to hear, "She killed him… hahaha, She killed him!"

"It's okay Gage-*gasp!*-J-Just… Just give me the knife!" She pleaded for him to do so and got a nod in reply… however, Ruby saw that his hand was till clenched, and he wasn't letting go. " _ **hAhAhaHa**_! _**HA**_ HAH _ **A**_! _**LoO**_ _K_ a _ **T**_ HER _**NOW**_!" Gage laughed.

He was laughing maniacally… like it wasn't even him in there now, and thanks to the heat of that moment, or just the fear that had enveloped inside of the small rose… she panicked as a result, raising Crescent Rose until it's barrel was aimed right at Gage's head.

Ruby knew what she had to do. Like the ghost told her all that time ago, sometimes she's going to have to do what you have to in order to protect her team, and that people are going to die. Gage is going to die, and Yang.

And with Blake… he was right, she wasn't ready for it…. But now, she was ready to do what was absolutely necessary in order to save the rest. It didn't matter who it was her sister… and no one is going to take her away, not even the person she loved.

So when Yang put her hand ontop of Gage's metal one in order to take Javix away from him, Ruby cocked Crescent Rose one last time, and faintly got his attention. Yang then leaned her head down to the left to let out a small gasp, and when the ghost tilted his head to the right in order to catch a glance at the small rose…

...Ruby took that as her chance, and pulled the trigger.

"SHE KILLED MY DAD, H-H _ **AHA**_ HA!-"

 ***BANG!***

…

 _ **...wAs i wRoNg?**_

"...WHAT?! NO! N-NO, that can't be right! THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED!"

…

 **...NOW**

…

"No, NO!-AGH!"

Gage was warped back into reality again, and tripped as he was running down from the top of a hill, still following the same road he was on before. His body was sweaty and he felt like he was already on the verge of passing out, which is why he fell and rolled on his side until he came to a stop… just as the growls of more Grimm were heard coming from in front of him.

The ghost huffed and swallowed with some shortness of breath as he gasped and started to get up. Then, he opened his eyes again and spotted three Beowolves that were moving slowly to where he was already laying, and it even seemed like the heat had gotten to them too,

"That's… That's NOT ME!" Gage screamed at no one, and he sounded absolutely primal in his current state. Like all his hate was being emitted, maybe being forced out that way, but not by himself. " _Gage, you have to stop!"_ Summer then internally yelled at him, and sounded… different.

Her voice had more of a distant effect to it, like she was moving more and more away from her courier's mind. It could've been because of his rage at first, but even she knew that it wasn't… it was because of all the raw emotion that had been exposed, and it kept flip-flopping between insanity.

" _You're giving off too much of a scent for the Grimm, you know what that means! SHE CAN SEE YOU!_ "

"...HAHAHA!" Gage's eyes turned silver the second she expressed this, as she was trying to take control and influence his mood away from all that anger and cluelessness, but Summer couldn't stop him or change. She was too weak, and he was too overbearing. "LET HER COME!"

" _Oh c-crap, it's carrying over into you!"_

Gage stood back up once he growled that out from the depths of his lungs and he raised Javix as it was in it's revolver form, and he went on to pulling the trigger soon after. This subsequently blew the brains out of one of the approaching Beowolves, and the other two just kept coming.

He smiled but couldn't even control his anger now, he honestly didn't know what the hell casted their shroud of darkness over him, but it felt like he was watching himself on the outside again like before. He even noticed that there was some redness under his eyelids now, like his skin there was glowing red due to all the rage and hilarity that consumed him.

The Grimm roared and chittered at him as they both went to go and pounce onto his body, yet they still failed. Gage used the metal claws from his prosthetic this time to dig into and completely tear the snout off of the first wolf, and the second was swiftly beheaded as he turned Javix into it's Kukri form and gouged it deep into the last beowulf's neck.

Force plus the the speed of the blade simply caused the last tendons holding it together to snap in half, and the bloody head of the Grimm simply toppled off it's body and landed in the middle of the road as Gage huffed like a raging bull.

Yet, even when he was finished and started to walk and eventually jog away a little bit… he turned back around, as the sound of a small giggle caught his ear. It wasn't internal like Summer's voice, so it had to be from someone nearby.

The ghost came back to the slayed Grimm and started to look around at the nearby trees, only to notice that the forest pretty much stopped a few yards back… all that was left was some patches of dead grass and tree stumps, so no one could be hiding.

Knowing this somehow made Gage… snicker. Him, during as fucked of a situation as this was. It was morbid, no completely unlike like him at all to do. He could barely even feel one single emotion as it twisted and twirled through every single part of the spectrum, " _ **H**_ _e_ _ **HE**_ _hE,_ who- **IS** -it?!~"

" _GAGE! You have to stop! If you don't, then she'll find you! She'll find you and force herself onto your subconscious! Do you hear me?! SHE'LL PUSH ME OUT-"_

" _ **Ahahaha!**_ " A louder giggle came afterwards, this one even sounding like the high pitched voice of an evil witch and it echoed throughout the area as two others joined it in it's symphony. One was more baritone, and the other was similar to that of a male clown. " _ **PFFT-HAHAHA**_ **!"**

" _ **LOOK AT THE HUMAN! LOOK AT HIS FACE, HAHAHAHA!"**_ That was when Gage realized that these mocking chuckles were coming from below him on the ground…. As the voices were coming from the already dead Beowolves. " _ **HAHA!-SHE'S GONNA GET YOU!~"**_

" _NO! IT'S TOO LATE!"_

What became of them was absolutely horrifying. Their mouths were unrealistically wide, their teeth had grown to the size of knife blades, and their bulging eyes had turned into ones that would've belonged to a human. Let's just say that the image made the ghost sober up a little bit…

Fear came over him and it ceased any other emotion that was trying to get control, though that was exactly what _**she**_ had been planning to do. The heads started to crackle even more, and soon the severed one looked up at Gage as they all started to speak once their laughter stopped,

" _ **We may be Grimm-**_ "

" _ **-But we-**_ "

" _ **-Are-**_ "

" _ **-LEGION!**_ "

" _ **Join us, boy...**_ "

" _ **...We are the same.**_ "

" _ **We are all but bone, and flesh, and dark… but you still have light, yet for what purpose? ...Love?~**_ "

He grimaced and held the sides of his head as he tried to block out their voices, but they still came through despite this. Their mocking tone only increased it's dark and deep voice, to the point where it began to sound beyond demonic… until it stopped, and became dead. Now it seemed like the Grimm was only being used as a vessel for someone else, someone worse.

"NO, STOP!" Gage exclaimed as the new voice began to speak directly to him, just as it seemed like Summer was beginning to fade away again like before. " _Gage, wait… I… I'm sorry… I can't… I…"_ And that was when she fell silent within his mind, which made the ghost turn his rage against the Grimm head,

" _ **SILLY LITTLE BOY-"**_

*SQUISH!*

He slammed his foot down onto the top of it, and kept on stomping until little chunks of brains and flesh flew up onto his pant leg, and even then he kept on going until the Beowulf head was just a flattened patch of blood, brains, and fur. There was also a single eyeball on the ground next to it.

By the time that head had been reduced to paste, the other two Grimm bodies evaporated completely and left the ghost alone again, but only physically. A low drone continued on inside of his head and it pulsated heavily like a migraine, which caused him to growl loudly and writhe in pain as he stood in the middle of the road.

Eventually it brought him to his knees once he reached the base of the hill he had followed the road to, and that was when he looked up and saw it… Vale. He could see its massive walls, as well as the horde of Grimm that were lined around it and appeared to be ready to invade once the smallest crack could be made.

Then, the sight of everything else set in afterwards. The large clouds of black smoke, the Atlesian frigate hovering high above the city and the small objects that seemed to be dropping from it with blue light trails, and lastly the powering sense of dread that hit the ghost immediately.

The sky had the shade of a nebula, and

the image was so haunting that it brought him to tears, just as that same feminine voice started to speak again… but directly to him this time with a slight chuckle escaping from her lips,

" _ **...All hail the conquering hero."**_

" _ **Look at what you've done, ghost. Have you brought me a gift? Hmhm, this must be my first major victory in centuries… so allow me to reward you**_ **."**

"No-N-No, please… d… don't!-"

And before he knew it, quick flashes of death came across his subconscious like it was a film reel, with each showing the lifeless body of one of his friends… past and future. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, everyone he had come to know were shown mercilessly.

Ruby had one of her silver eyes ripped out of its socket, Weiss was impaled by a spear, Yang bled out from the loss of an arm, and Blake had been decapitated… with all of this bloodshed being a result of their own interference with The White Fang and The Chaos Syndicate.

That being said, none of this had happened yet, so only one person could produce and be able to plant these horrendous visions inside of Gage's mind… 'The Dark Queen', of all things. He just couldn't comprehend it, and he didn't want to, even if it really was her who had the grip on his mind now.

" _ **Good things come to an end, and that includes people. You. Will. Fall. Just like the rest, but not as quickly. I'll make sure of that… so here ghost, see it for yourself!**_ "

Gage didn't feel great after that. It began to feel like his stomach was full of lava, and soon it began to burn it's way up into his throat and out of his mouth, with even more of it beginning to seep out of his eye sockets. At first he thought it was blood, until it began to drip down his neck.

The texture felt like drying blood, but the color was completely black. Not even a shade of red, and that burning substance soon started to cover his eyes to the point where it looked like they were closing from the ghost's perspective.

Darkness entombed his vision as he knelt down and tried to scream, but as his jaw clenched and stretched as far as it possibly could, all that could be heard was a muffled cry of agony before the world seemingly stopped again, and...

...A- **a** N **D** … anDAAAAA _ **AAAAAA**_ _A_ _ **AAA**_ AHH _H_ H _H_ _ **H**_ **HHHH!-**

… **.**

…

…

 _ **sHiT...**_

CONNECTION LOST.

PLEASE REMAIN CALM

…

…

…

REINITIALISING…

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxysSUMMERROSEabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzAARONabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzHANNAHabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzALEXFROSTabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzAMBERabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTUKSONabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzGAGESIMabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzGREEDNYUESIabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzORINSABLEabcdefghijklmnopqrstuv

MERCURYBLACKabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzROMANTORCHWICKabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvOZPINabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzPYRRHANIKOSabcdefghojklmnopqrstuvwxyzNEOPOLITANabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzEMRUSSIMabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvEMERALDSUSTRAIabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzVERNALabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvCINDERFALLabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvLEONARDOLIONHEART-

…

…

…

CONNECTION FOUND

ADMIN PASSWORD REQUIRED:

ENTER: **********

ACCEPTED!

CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

RECONNECTING…

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz717abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzSALEMabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzSHE'SCOMING!abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyzTHERE'SNOWHERETORUNabcdefghijklmnopqrztuvwxyzNOWHERETOHIDEabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzALLTHEROSESDIEabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzYOU'LLPAYFORYOURCRIMESabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ALLWILLFALLINTIMEabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzWATERWILLRUNLIKEARIVERWHENYOUCRYabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHEWORLDWILLBURNTHANKSTOYOURLIESabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzANDNOWTHECLOUDSWILLRAINBLOODDOWNFROMOURSKY

STRKabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzRWBYabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzJNPRabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzSNNNabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzCFVYabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzGRIMabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyCRDLabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzBOLEabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvmtopwxyzOPLLabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzODINabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzENRGabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz…

 _ **WHOAMI…?!**_

 _ **...I¿**_

 _ **...I, aM a MoNuMeNt To AlL yOuR sInS¡**_

 _ **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**_

OHGODICANFEELITINSIDEOFMELIKEITSAWORMTRYINGTOBREAKOUT- _ **ANDTAKEMEOVER.**_ .IT- _ **I'LL BE HER.**_ .DON'T LETHERTAKEMEPLEASE!KILLME-AAAAAaaaAAAAHaaaaaaaaaaaAHHHHHHHHH!-UUUUuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.….

 _ **ThE gHoStS. tHeY'rE ReAl.**_

…L **O** A **D** I **N** G **COMPL-LETED**. _**HEHE~**_

R-RECONNECTED!

 _ **NOW P-PLEASE, ENJOY YOUR DOWNFALL (:**_

...

…

…

*GASP!*

 _ **G**_ a _ **Ge**_ opened his eyes and found himself to be underwater in some gunky murk of a substance… and it tasted like a mix between blood and mercury, which made him recoil and raise his body forwards so his head and upper body could rise up out of the shallow l _ **I**_ q _ **Ui**_ d…

But when he resurfaced, he laid his eyes upon a whole new kind of region, no… a whole new world, even though he knew where he was. Right now it looked like he was in a dark swamp, lying in the middle of a clearing of black dead trees that eventually lead to a cliff side… with a tombstone at the end of it.

He knew where he was, this was the third time he's seen it before. Gage had been taken back to Summer's gravesite… yet, everything was different than the last two times he was here. There was little to no color except for those of his light brown hair and red eyes, and aside from that, everything was monochromatic.

There was no white snow on the ground, covering the trees, or falling softly in the air, instead all of that was replaced. The ground had been flooded by black murky water, the trees were black and dead as stated earlier… and grey ash was the only thing floating down from the sky.

The ghost noticed this and began to hyperventilate due to the honest sense of fear the new flora instilled in him, hell it looked like it was something straight out of a fairytale. Whether it be the dark forest from Snow White or the Swamp of Sorrows from The Neverending Story, this place was still going to turn out to be a lot worse.

That was when he started to trudge through the black water with a limp and a bloody lip, just as what sounded like… screeching, and munching could be heard from various distances. Both started to sound louder as Gage moved closer and closer towards a cloud of fog that was in front of him, and was quickly approaching.

As the misty cloud enveloped him, he found that the water got thicker and that there were things floating in it… they were large, and felt squishy. One of these big objects brushed against Gage's leg. It scared him in that moment and caused him to splash around out of shock as the cloud had him in its center, but only for a moment.

Later when his vision became clear and whatever was in his way drifted by him slowly until it was far behind him, the ghost looked ahead at whatever those sounds were… but then he saw what was causing it, and it made him both feel sick and terrified.

There were… what looked like different version of himself. Other Gage's, and they were all either dead, or they were… eating the ones that had passed. They didn't even sound human either, other worldly and coarse with their broken voices as bones and flesh crunched in their mouths. Blood dripped down from their lips, and these Gage's were covered in blood stains and were colored darkly.

There appeared to even be ones from other timelines and detentions. There was a Gage missing an eye, one who wore a silver, red, and black cloak while a flaming revolver laid next to him, another who had a red seal on his right hand, and a third who had an orange glowing ring on his wrist and on the strap of backpack he was wearing… Hehe, one even had some sort of green laser sword too.

...There looked to be dozens of them. Other Gage's from the past and the future were there too. His Part One self was currently being torn apart by the version of himself that had died on the way to the hospital, as he still had a respirator mask on and was missing his arm.

He had opened up OG Gage's stomach and had just started pulling everything else out while his past self whimpered and shrilled quietly in agony, which caused our Gage to stop and just charge towards his dark self with caution.

This dead Gage was chewing monstrously until our iteration grabbed it's by the back of its head and just snapped its neck as he tried not to look at its face before he threw himself to the side and kneeled down jest to his younger self, who just sputtered and let some more blood leak out of the side of his mouth. "*gasp* ...Y… Y-You're… me?!"

Our Gage came to his side and was about to try and help hold up his past self's left hand… until he realized the greatness of the wound and figured it was too late to try and help, so he instead just looked back at all the other dead versions with sadness in his red eyes..

They were slowly shambling towards him at this moment while others continued to feast amongst themselves, mostly because some didn't care if their self-feeding was stopped. Either way, they'd catch up with whoever was left out anyway…

"...Us! I'm us..." Our version replied as he looked down at himself, and became entranced with how bright his turquoise colored eyes use to be, at least compared to now. "...You don't have to be afraid. Y-You'll… you'll survive, you'll become me. Not that long from now either…"

"I don't… *wheeze* ...want to." Past Gage looked into his future self's red eyes and just used his right hand to brush the side of his face while he smiled, and laid his head back down. "...Because you didn't stop this from happening to us, but… you can still save everyone else." He then looked upwards towards the black sky blankly,

"But even then… your time will end… and another one of us will come once your time is over... Someone... better…"

Current Gage crouched once this was said, and he just tried his best to lean in closer so he could hear himself through the blood and gurgling. "...Another from our future? But… I'm going down the wrong path. How could he be better?"

"You remember… *clears throat* ...how movies sometimes say to follow your brain over your heart?" Then all of a sudden, the Gage that had been disemboweled just leaned upwards and used his arms to prop himself up as he smiled casually, and tried to swallow any blood that was coming up his throat. "Yeah… don't do that. Follow your heart instead whenever you find yourself at a crossroad."

"What the hell?!" Our Gage gave the Part One version the stink eye as he backed the fuck up and stood up with complete cluelessness as he just tried to ignore the situation and how unbelievable it was.

"You know that whole 'world of the living and the dead' thing Summer told us about when we died originally? Well, this is it my fellow Gage. This is _our_ world." OG added, with an opened armed expression that was used as if he was presenting something.

Our Gage just continued to stare like he was about to pass out, thinking that he was honestly just high on something at this point… and that was when his past self finally tried to stand with his guts hanging out of his stomach, "See, look! I'm fine!"

"...What about the others?"

"Oh well… they're actually dead since they never truly existed like you and me. Then again, it's not like me and you are real either..."

This caused our version to roll his eyes, and latch onto his past self's sage leather jacket with both of his hands. "*sigh* ...Can you stop with all of this cryptic shit and tell me what the hell is going on?!" Gage recoiled back at himself, honestly beginning to wonder if he truly was this annoying eight months ago.

"*sigh* ...Alright, fine." The past Gage could feel that crossing his own mind, it not being on his own accord, and it made him sigh whilst putting his hands in the air defensively, "Summer didn't have energy to guide you through this place, so she chose us instead… well me, because you know…"

"...You're going to show me Salem?"

"Who's Salem?" Our Gage's grip only tightened once this was asked, and his younger self looked completely devoid of any knowledge concerning the dark queen… so our version chose to let go after this. "...Nevermind. Where am I supposed to go?" He asked himself in return.

Part One Gage he dusted off his shirt, and just pointed at his older self " _YOU_ , aren't supposed to go anywhere. I'm suppose to tell you not to go beyond this point-" He then pointed behind them both, towards the most darkest end of the black swamp.

Doing this caused the dead Gages to stir a little bit as a result of mentioning the high concentration of dark emotions and death, and that was when our Gage felt chills as they began to run up his spine.

This was because, even from where he was standing right now, he could see that the part of the swamp that was ahead of them had bodies strewn about in the water… and they weren't other versions of Gage this time.

They were other people, he just couldn't identify any of them at this moment… even though his past self already knew who was there. "-But I'm you too. So, you wouldn't mind taking a peek for me?" He then questioned himself with a wink, and just watched as our Gage began to walk away.

"*sigh* ...Man I was annoying three months ago."

His steps splashed loudly, and when he turned his back on his past self, Part One Gage just sighed and chuckled a bit before his body started to turn into black ash and fade away with the wind. "Heh... I turn into such... an asshole…" He unfortunately didn't finish, and shifted into flaky ash and then nothingness, along with the forest.

Once all that was a black void, Gage continued to trudge through the black swamps as bodies floated past him in the water, one's he couldn't recognize. So they were probably just future and past cannon fodder, and that was all he saw for about a moment… until someone he knew floated in front of him, who had red hair. "Oh, shit!"

It was Pyrrha. Her eyes were closed, her skin was as a pale as a ghost, and her red hair had been discolored by the black sludge she was floating in. Her presence made Gage jump a first, right before he noticed the arrow that was sticking out of her chest. It had gone right through her and out the back, even piercing her chest armor.

The ghost called out her name once more with delicacy, and brushed the side of her face to see if she would wake up… but she didn't. Soon his hands began to shake as he went to move her aside so she float down away from him. He was sure that this was all just some weird dream, so he tried to see everything around him as just that.

So he pushed forward and went on to see all of the members of Team RWBY and JNPR floating in the black water… except for Yang. She was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't even spot her through the thick fog that was starting to dissipate up ahead.

However, he quickly realized that seeing those two teams were set as a warning… because once he move through the fog, new faces began to appear in the black swamp around him. Some were people we had just met, Alizarin, Riley, and Ileana, Jackson, and Mal being among them, while there were people he had even met yet.

There was a man with silver hair and dragon wings, a second silver haired male that was also a wolf faunus, a completely different raven haired female cat faunus, a boy with a disfigured face and pink hair, another that had mid length blonde hair and a scar across his face, one more that had grey hair and augments to his limbs, and lastly, a girl with short light blonde hair that had a pink and black bodysuit.

They all laid there dead in the swamp with their eyes open, and the sight of it lead Gage to tear up quietly. He didn't know why it was happening, or what this was, or who these people were… but he felt responsible for them nonetheless. They surrounded him, and by the time he was done gazing upon them, he found himself standing at the foot of a short stone altar.

 _Gage..._

 _Do you believe in Destiny?_

 _Death, it follows her like a shadow…_

 _And when people around you start dying, THAT's when it gets harder. Not just for you, but for all of us. Don't you get it?_

 _It's over._

 _All it takes is one second, and it's over for you!_

 _...But I'll still find you._

He placed his foot on the first step and watched as some black goop dripped down the stone and back into the water. Only when he reached the top of the steps did all the fear finally take over, as he saw Yang lying there a few feet from him on the ground.

Her skin was the palest it's ever been, but that was only the second thing to be of his concern right now. This was because only a few feet away from the blonde's lifeless corpse, was a throne where our Dark Queen sat, barefoot with her legs crossed as someone was on their knees next to her.

That person, was another Gage… but our version wasn't able to see much of him before a black substance stretched across his body, and he yelled out to himself as the sludge ran over his face and consumed him, claiming his husk as it's own vessel,

"GAGE! Make us stronger! Make us better than you!-" Was all he could say.

When he was eaten alive by the darkness, Salem smirked and simply slammed his head on the ground once she placed her hand on the back of his skull. This, caused that Gage to splatter all over the floor with only his black leaky shadow left behind, and our Gage soon started to approach.

"Better?" He thought to himself as he stood before Salem, and watched as she stood up from her throne with a smile. Then her figure caught him off guard… because he hadn't let the fact that she was half Grimm set in just yet. "*pant* …. *pant*"

The ghost began to breath heavily as she came forward and brushed a hand against his cheek, the horror of her infected skin caused him to become frozen with fear as he stared into her pitch black eyes, "W… *pant* ...What the hell are you?" He gasped.

"... **I?"** She asked in return, before moving her hand down across his throat in a suggestive manner, " **I… am something to be considered beautiful, even by you, one of mankind's saviors.** " And no, this isn't some corruption-type of shit, as she was referring to something else entirely. " **Desired, courted, and loved… like how you cherish that poor girl. But unlike her… I'm not a living being."**

" **...I am the embodiment of humanity's sins. I am their living monument.** **Don't you see? Every bit of hate, fear and lust your kind feels becomes entombed within me. My skin, and my blood."**

Salem then narrowed her eyes and grabbed Gage by the neck before she lifted him off of his feet, and let him hang as she choked him with only one hand. His hands were now wrapped around her wrist as she went on with her spiel,

" **I am just a vessel for you. That's why I want to destroy you all, because once all of mankind is destroyed… I will finally be free.**

"*pant* ...You can't." Gage grunted and gulped as he tried to speak, until he suddenly leaned his head forwards and snarled at the dark queen, "No matter what you do to humanity, you'll never be free. Because life… finds a fucking way!" He remembered what Summer had told him, the legend of Remnant's origins…

...If only she knew the rest.

" **Oh, I know. That's why I've found you ghost, because you…** _ **are**_ **the way**. **This vision, is simply a showcase of your failure if you continue to fight me as a one man army."**

"I can beat you. Because even if I die again, I'll still be someone else's reason to fight."

"... **I wouldn't be so sure about that anymore."** The memory of seeing Vale in chaos flashed through Gage's mind again, which made him growl with what sounded like venom in his lungs, " **The world sees** **you as a monster now, just like they will me. And the only way you can fix it, is if you choose to fall with the rest your friends… so you should choose your path more wisely from this point on."**

"Fall? ...I… I haven't?"

" **Not yet, but you all will… in time.** " That was when a small black tendril stretched out from the splattered Gage's shadow and it started to slither up the goddess's ankle slowly, which made her look down at it with another grin. " **I see. This version of you, it's time is near… well then, I suppose I'll leave you with this final message."**

Next, Salem reached down and let the tendril crawl into her hand before she crushed it and pressed it's oozing black stain against the side of Gage's head, where it quickly began to spread across his body. This made him cry out in pain as the burning sensation returned to him again… and then, Salem threw him back onto the floor with another devilish smile across her lips as she leaned down, and whispered something familiar into the ghost's ear.

" **...Welcome to the real world."**

The blackness went on to cover his entire body like an infection, blocking out all color with a thick layer of darkness as he collapsed to his knees and fell silent as Salem grabbed the back of his head and dragged him over to the edge of the altar.

Now standing at the top of it, the goddess just watched in awe as all the bodies in the black swamp became submerged… and a new breed of monsters rose out of the shallow depths.

They were as frail as bone and looked similar to a skeletal or rake type of creature, except the only thing they had to express themselves were a top and bottom layer of unrealistically sharp teeth. And once Gage was presented to them as an example of humanity's failure, they all looked up into the black sky and screeched like banshees.

His friends had been turned to the dark with their husks being used against him... yet he still found himself with a grin slowly forming across his lips, just as he realized that the blackness had started to slither up his neck.

Then, finally, Gage ironically raised his head up triumphantly as he looked straight ahead, right into your eyes while his own shone and reflected a beautiful shade of crimson off of his left Iris. His face then turned blank with a smile being visible, just as the screams began to echo throughout our dark realm.

…

…

…

"*GASP!*"

Gage opened his eyes as he stared down at a puddle he had his head planted in, now gasping as began to cough up a little bit of blood before he tried to raise himself off of the concrete ground. He looked down at his own image that was still visible in the puddle, and realized that the black liquid that had consumed was now gone…

...But there was something else strange that he noticed. His eyes were red. Not bloodshot, no, his irises were no longer turquoise like before, but a bright and bloody red. Almost like Yang's eyes when she was enraged, and he had also had small blood trails coming down from his eyes sockets, along with a trail flowing down from his lips as well.

"*Huff* *Huff* W-WHAT…WHAT THE-"

Gage quickly started to hyperventilate after that, tasting even more blood in his mouth before right as all his memories began to flood back to him. It wasn't of the nightmare he had just experienced, but… everything, everything since the start of his journey back at Mountain Glenn,

"Fuck… FUCK! The Collectors, Orin, The White Fang, The…." Then he felt more blood begin to drip out of his tear sockets as he felt a familiar burning sensation resurface, except this time It came from his heart instead. "The… THE SYNDICATE! I-I…. I have to-"

"...Oh god." Gage looked back down once at the puddle and could see... no, remember what his body had gone through up to that point in his life. He was wearing his usual black shirt and brown pants, but his left arm was gone and was replaced with a sage-colored bionic arm.

Once he finally got up from the ground, the ghost finally saw that he was on the side of an old abandoned road that lead straight into Vale, where he looked up towards the city and could see black smoke clouds rising right into the air as he heard distant gunshots and screaming. "*exhale*"

"...Damn it, McCree..."

Gage already knew how the rest of this was suppose to go, so he immediately glanced down and picked up Mistletoe  
as he started to walk at a pace as it became faster, and faster until he started to jog. That eventually became a full on sprint after he travel down the road a little further, and placed his shotgun on his back.

Multiple what looked to be pods were now falling from the main Atlesian cruiser that was hovering over the main city, and the sound of their impacts fueled the ghost to run towards the horde of Grimm that surrounded Vale's main outer wall, almost like it was a beating drum.

But all it did was make him bare his teeth, and snarl as he ran faster with his revolver in one of his hands after he unholstered it, and ignored all the voices that would've emanated inside his mind at this time during the pilot.

That was then, and this is now. So knowing that the cycle was finally over, Gage realized exactly what he had to do. It was obvious and it always had been ever since his new legend began. He had to fight through The Grimm, The White Fang, and The Atlesian Army in order to get his ass back home to Beacon, and clear his name.

…

 _And what's the one thing you want now?_

"...Her."

…

The light in Gage's eyes resurfaced, but not by him just waking up again. This time his eyes were already open and they were staring out over towards the sea as the sun was already raised high in the sky. The cawing of seagulls could heard as well as multiple uninterpretable shouts of kids and other people alike, and that was when he noticed the smile that was on his face,

"*sigh*" The Ghost sighed once he took in the view of Vale's local beach, pier, and boardwalk.

He seemed a little disappointed, mostly because he and Yang had been here before but had instead kept their focus on the nearby ferris wheel, since it was the one the couple rode and got stuck on a few months ago.

"Gage, why are you sighing?" Yang's voiced then asked him this from behind as she giggled and walked next to him so she could stand and hold his left hand gently with a warm smile. "I know I begged you to take me here, but at least act like you're excited..." She whispered, as he stuttered,

"W-What? I-It's not that, I wanted to come here too you know!" He turned to face the blonde after this, and felt his ears and cheeks become red as a result.

"Pretty sure I know why…" This was because Yang was wearing only a white and yellow colored bikini along with her golden aviators, which she had tilted down while she stared at her lover with self-awareness, "...But what caused you to jump at this idea of mine? Hmm?"

"Well I thought that… ugh, fine. I wanted to see you like this, but I thought it'd be a nice thing to admit! You always dress up for me without warning, so I thought it'd be kind of a compliment if I just… y-you know-"

"Told me that I looked hot?" She asked this with a suggestive stare and a smirk as she leaned closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"...Yeah, a-and then some." He replied, as his cheeks started to become a little rosy without his knowledge. Though, he didn't seem as nervous oddly, yet he went on to sound disappointed a few seconds after that. "*sigh* ...I suck at being direct when it's with you." He sighed, which Yang noted.

"Well, good thing I'm not." She then placed a finger against her chin curiously for only a brief moment, "For example... Hey, that's two sighs from you in less than a minute! So is there really something wrong or are you just bored?" She questioned him.

This made her lover become a little frantic in regards to his mannerisms, as he soon scratched the back of his head and looked away… almost shamefully as he tried to present a reasonable explanation for the blonde to take.

"No it's n-not…" Gage stuttered before moving over towards one of the pier's railings and looked distantly out towards the sea, "It doesn't have anything to do with any of this. I'm just… tired, from what happened before." He stated meekly.

In return, the blonde brawler followed and stood next to him with a lowered brow and a cautious gazed aimed right at him, which he poorly tried to ignore. "What do you mean?" Yang asked her lover only for him to shake his head with a blank smile,

"It's stupid…"

"Gage, you know I can work around your weirdness. So just tell me, if it's really this distracting to you…"

"*exhale* ...Okay, okay... " Gage then looked down towards the rocks under the boardwalk and allowed the color to drain from his face and skin, which alarmed the blonde once he began to speak again with delicately, "...Ever since our 'incident', from a few months back… i haven't been able to sleep as easily. It's not nightmares though, or anything bad like that. That's all gone..."

"...But I feel… like it shouldn't be, not entirely. And now, I just find myself awake in the night thinking about… all these stupid stoner-type of questions-"

"Alright, _NOW_ you've lost me." Yang interrupted him with a smirk and a slight giggle, but in good humor from how he saw it. The only thing about it was what he said afterwards, because that made the blonde actually become speechless.

"I… I don't feel like I'm real."

Her mouth soon opened slightly and her eyes widened as well… now feeling mad at herself for not taking this seriously, and Gage could see it in her eyes as she turned away. Then, she placed her right hand on top of his metal one as he continued on with her being silent enough to listen,

"Me, or any of this. The sun, the sand, the water, the air, the flesh on my bones…"

"What about me?" Yang asked with a very noticeable change in her tone, it almost sounding gravely and coarse. Thankfully for her though, Gage only had something reassuring to say about her… or at least that's how it sounded at first. "No. _You are real_ , for sure. It's everything else besides that, and I… don't feel like I should belong here with you, even though I want to."

"Because it does mean everything to me, it just feels like a dream that I'm going to wake up from without you." His palm squeezed the wooden rail he had his hand on, and Yang could feel the bones on his knuckles clench as he did so.

"That sounds… scary, but I think I can relate… sort of."

She was trying her best to comfort him, and thankfully she had something to use as a middle ground. The only thing about it was that the blonde hasn't become as invested in her questionable reality. "Sometimes I feel like there's another part of me that was supposed to exist, or just hasn't yet." And strangely as she began to speak, her eyes drifted over towards her right hand.

"She feels alone, heartbroken, disfigured… and cold above everything else. Me, feeling cold on the inside-"

"It doesn't seem like you." Gage stated abruptly, causing Yang to turn her gaze back to her lover with a nod, "Exactly! But with you here with me Gage, I won't ever be." Then she just laughed at him, and kissed the side of his neck while he jumped and closed one of his eyes halfway,

"So with that being pretty obvious, I can't help but feel like she's missing out if you never existed in her world."

Gage looked down, feeling content with that answer before he rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "I guess that's our explanation then, hehe…" He chuckled.

He was feeling pretty embarrassed about having such an 'out there' type of conversation during a date, let alone the start of it… yet, Yang didn't mind. It was over anyway, so then she could remind him of _another_ reason why she wanted to go to the beach...

"Good." She remarked as she placed a hand on her hip, and tilted her head suggestively. "So… does that mean we can finally get back to our little beach date? Because I bought this bikini just for you Care-bear.~" Her eyes and smile made him melt, but somehow he was able to handle it.

"In that case… yes, yes we can." He got a good giggle out of her again with that one as she turned away and started to walk down the boardwalk towards the beach, but he still ended up stopping her before she could reach the shore. "Hey, wait..."

"...Do you think there's a me without you?"

Of course the blonde knew that the subject was too weird for him to drop that quickly, and she just rolled her eyes with amusement. Yang didn't really see their conversation as that serious anymore like he did, but she knew that she had to at least try to for his own sake.

So, as she took his hand in her own, leaned against the railing of the pier, and stare longfully out towards the watery horizon… Yang answered with a bright smile that brought him to do the same as her, even though her response and their future, still remained very uncertain… even if this memory was a part of it.

"...I guess we'll never know."


	43. Here We Stand

**Author's Note:** Alright, now with that last chapter out of the way we can finally get back into merging all our plot points together. So yeah, we'll get back to Yang and Ruby this chapter, CUZ IT'S TIME TO CONTINUE THE THIRD ACT! But I must also say that the next few chapters will be huge in regards to what I have to accomplish with the plot, so gaps between them may also be long as well.

Now I can just focus on working irl though, so I might be able to get more done in a smaller amount of time… that's if I don't get too lazy over the summer or caught up into other stuff too early. I just kinda want to take a small break from life so I can work on this more, you know?

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter along with the new faces, because there will be more to come very soon! Don't worry, you'll see its not too much of a spoiler XD

 **Song:** Smile by Casey Lee Williams

…

Someone's eyes opened as the door to what looked like a pod opened, extending outwards and lifting upwards as the white shine from the inside of an Atlesian cruiser blinded the inhabitant. She groaned as she covered this girl's eyes, until the butt of a gun was seemingly slammed into her chest forcefully, "Augh! *cough* ...Ow!"

"Nap time's over furball! Now get your ass geared up before the general briefs us!"

The agitated shouting came from a ginger-haired girl who was wearing an old variant of some Atlesian soldier armor, this type having desert camouflage. She also wore tactical knee pads and a vest over her armor for protection, along with a ballistic military helmet that had a rebreather mask attached to it, which hung from the side of her helmet.

There was a patch on her chest that had her last name on it, Bistre, but the other girl in the pod chose to call her Team leader by her first name, "Beatrice, I'll report you if you don't stop calling me that! And what's going on?!" The girl asked with a slight brazilian accent as she gripped her stomach, and let her eyes adjust to the brightness.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want _faunus_ , and you'll see. Our little innocent Valeans just started a massacre!" The leader, Beatrice Bistre, then walked off into her own pod with her SCAR-H rifle in hand.

"W-What?" The girl exclaimed and watched as another one of her teammates came stomping into her view.

He stood around six feet tall, and wore something completely different than Beatrice. He had a black military cargo shirt with desert camo sleeves, some camo cargo pants that had all of it's pockets colored brown, and black combat boots. He even had what looked like the head of an Atlesian Knight for a helmet, and it instead had a curved and glowing neon blue X shaped visor that had a final line extending from the lower end of the x's center. It also had desert camo on it, along with a headlamp and camera on the right side of the helmet.

"Vær sterk, kattunge..." The man whispered to the girl as he climbed into the pod opposite to hers. It was much more massive, and appeared to have parts that were being locked into a incognito type of form, almost like… a huntsman's weapon.

That was when the door to his pod lowered and closed, just as the girl's did the same and enveloped her into darkness. She sighed, and stared ahead at the door right as three screens turned on inside of the capsule. The first being bigger than the other two. This one was a video feed of herself, as a camera was monitoring her activity inside of the pod as well as her vital signs and the capsule's integrity on the bottom right of the screen.

Her name was also displayed there as well… 'Sora Oscura', it read. (And for anyone who's played Kingdom Hearts, Sora is a unisex name in case it sounds weird to some. Never played KH btw XS.)

She stared ahead at herself and gazed tiredly at her own image. Sora was a lynx faunus that had black long hair with white ends that went down past her shoulders, and she had heterochromatic eyes, as her left one was a orangish red and the left was an azure kind of blue.

Bobcats are basically a species of Lynxes, so her faunus trait had her born with two black lynx ears that had the fur at her ear tips colored white. Her right ear also appeared to have some of the fur burnt off a while ago...

Aside from that, the faunus girl wore a black long sleeved shirt with dark blue rolled up sleeves and ceramic plating across her stomach, a pair of white faded military grade boots, some armor that included faded white Atlesian knee pads, shoulder plates, and a combat belt. She also had a silver breastplate which… had the old White Fang logo on it oddly enough, and lastly, she had two black and bulky gauntlets with silver accents on both arms.

In their inactive form they looked similar to the red gauntlets Sun would wear, except they had a single metal shell wrapping around her entire arm from elbow to her hand, covering over everything except for half of her fingers, giving it a fingerless glove type of appearance. The end of the gauntlets also appeared to form a curved spike that would cover her elbows.

"Just get through this, and you'll be taken out of this team with Lars…" Sora thought to herself as she looked to her right and took a black helmet that was just like Beatrice's off of a hook that it was hanging from inside of her pod. It also had a small image of a velociraptor on it's side, as all RAPTR unit armor did. Beatrice had this on the back of her own helmet as well.

Once she put it on and equipped it's respirator, a gold visor closed and covered her eyes as two camera views appeared on her pod's three screens. Her own changed to the bottom left screen across from where Beatrice's was displayed, as their general's feed from the bridge of his ship began to project onto the bigger and central monitor.

Except… it wasn't General Ironwood that was there. Instead it was a woman with light blue eyes and white hair that was tied up in a bun at the back left corner of her head, allowing for some bangs to hang from the right side of her face. She cleared her throat and her presence caught Beatrice's attention a little too late,

"General Ironwood, what's the situ… oh. It's you Winter-I-I mean… Lieutenant Schnee..." The leader corrected herself, which allowed for the lieutenant to chuckle a little bit. Her name was Winter Schnee, aka, Weiss's older sister.

"Hmhm, yes i know my involvement must be strange considering my ship is still stationed in Atlas, but General Ironwood is currently briefing the grunts. So I'll be your overlord for this operation, Team BOLE."

"This oughta be fun then…" A comm notification then appeared on the screen labeled, 'Eren', and his deep tone came off as a bit flirtatious. This just made Winter roll her eyes along with Sora, who still remained silent along with Lars.

"*sighs* ...Anyways, Ms. Bistre, the severity of the situation has increased with the presence of Beacon students being apparent. One wrong assumption could result in a wrongful engagement, so that's where you come in."

"Take squads Alpha-Eleven through Thirteen, it'll be a light drop so have Lars follow you down once you've become engaged. You're being dropped straight onto Redding Street, so be cautious as to where you place your drop coordinates."

"What's our objective?" Sora asked, breaking her silence before Beatrice could try and successfully cut her off. "It's obvious Sora! We're gonna escort the civilians to the grunts for extraction via airships, right Lieutenant?" Lars could now be seen and heard sighing thanks to his comm notifier.

"One third, Ms. Bistre." Winter corrected her again and glanced quickly at Sora before looking away again with her smile now fading, "Next, you're going to find every Beacon student you can and get them back to the academy. Assist them if they're in combat, and once that's over…"

"...The Ghost of Remnant is next."

This made all of BOLE become a bit anxious with some expressing it in different ways, "Haha, finally, a mission that actually feels important!" Eren laughed from inside of his pod and caused Winter to glare at him with frustration. "Kill or capture, and we prefer that he's taken alive. This also only applies if you can actually find a lead on him, as he hasn't been identified at all yet."

"We'll find him ma'am, I'm sure he's nothing but another Adam Taurus when it comes to his ego. I mean, what kind of stupid name is that?" Sora scoffed at the idea of an Taurus-copycat, as she had known of him in the past.

Because if anyone was truly as coordinated as him when it came to an attack, Atlas would've already had their hands full with some other conflict stirred by the White Fang… good thing they _totally_ weren't dealing with them. "Never underestimate an unknown enemy Ms. Bistre, or it could lead to your downfall… Make sure to remember that once you encounter him." Winter warned the leader, before she made sure to repeat herself in a more clear manner.

"Is that all ma'am?" Beatrice sounded a bit annoyed whilst asking this and Winter felt the same way, mostly because the lieutenant had something else to inform them about… except it wasn't an order this time, and honestly anyone could have guessed it. "No. There's one last thing, and it's more of a request." She then revealed her other intentions, no matter how cold.

"There's a good chance that my younger sister Weiss is down there, and I'd rather not have our dust supply deals with the SDC dissolve because we failed to protect the heiress to the company…"

All of Team BOLE collectively understood the plight of their superior despite the clear facade she was trying to paint. The only thing about it, was that their leader could have honestly cared less about the younger Schnee. Winter wasn't her commanding officer anyway, so it's not like Beatrice would be hurt by a future personal grudge.

"So please ensure her safety. F-For the Atlesian Huntsmen and our own sake, of course…"

Winter knew what she had said before to her little sister, about not always be there to save her… but since she was actually unable to so during a life or death situation, some instinct took over and compelled her to at least try to look out for Weiss. This however, wouldn't be the last time for that.

So with that thought instilled, the elder Schnee cleared her throat and glared ahead at whichever team member that was looking back, staring at them blankly as her more cynical side finally returned, "...Alright, now _THAT_ will be all. Good luck to you Team BOLE, and I hope you're able to squash this conflict before it truly begins"

Her transmission then ended, and the rest of the team could feel the shift as their pods lowered and turned completely around. Once this sensation came, Sora could only grip the safety bars on the sides of her pod tightly. "Heh, guess the Schnees _aren't_ completely heartless." Eren laughed.

"Well, we're not going to find out way up here… so 'tris, when you're ready." The faunus tried her best to calm herself with some banter, as drops like these usually had a lot of impact casualties.

But her little nudge fell upon Beatrice's ears, so it did nothing. "You could give me orders if the academy made you leader Sora, but they recognized what you are. So don't tell me what to do!" The nearly screamed from inside of her pod, just as she slowly reached for a lever that was above her head. "...All RAPTRs, separation commencing in three-"

"-Two-"

"Guess they didn't have much of a choice then…" Sora interrupted her.

"-ONE!"

…

 **A Minute Earlier…**

…

The torrent of gun fire continued as Yang closed her eyes along with Ruby, and covered her sister's ears from the sound of what felt like thunder to them both. The screams of men, women, and children went with it like a chorus, and all the blonde could think about was a random bullet striking one of their legs by going under the truck they were taking cover behind.

Screeches and pings could be heard as more rounds collided with the metal of the vehicle, and the barrage had gotten so bad for them that Yang didn't even notice the few tears that were streaming down her face… and that was when she finally opened her lilac eyes.

Bodies now laid in the streets and the White Fang had started to progress past the refugee trucks as they fired upon any humans or Atlesian they came across, but they were trainees and a lot of them were slain by the police and soldiers. Other more fearful faunus wouldn't push up as much as others however, and their vanguard didn't last that much longer.

Throughout the start of the battle, the two sisters just huddled and stayed frozen with fright until Yang wiped her tears, and tried to peak her head out on the right side of their vehicles rear so she could have a clear view of the street. She only did this once the firing seemed to have slowed a bit, and thankfully it was long enough for her to try and become collected as she could be in a situation like this.

"...O-Oh my god." Ruby started to come back too once Yang's grip on her loosened and the presence of Crescent Rose on her back made her come to her senses. But as the blonde got a wider view of the street center, a familiar figure soon became clear as she spotted the FN-FAL wielding Minnie, who was really her old foe Neo in disguise.

Yang couldn't put two and two together at the time but still noticed that the colors of her eyes were one's she's stared into before… and since she was actually staring into them right now, the girl stared back directly and raised her rifle with another smirk while she cocked it's ejection port,

"OH SHIT!-"

"*BRAK!* *BRAK!* *BRAK!* *BRAK!*"

A few single trigger taps turned into a full on barrage in a matter of seconds. Neo recognized the blonde immediately as well, and fixated her blood lust on her exclusively. She didn't appear to be just sadistic, but angry too as she completely sprayed at the vehicle with a crazed smile.

Yang recoiled back into cover once eye contact was made, and she tried to stand up but struggled to without Ruby's assistance. When she went to ask her sister for help though, turned and saw that Ruby was laying on her side and was scoping in with Crescent Rose, trying to line up a clear shot at Neo's legs that would go right under the truck.

"Yang, get ready to run-!"

"Agh, I know!" She interrupted her.

The red rose tried her hardest to regulate her breath for an easier shot, but everytime she would take in a deep breath she would accidentally let it slip due to how much she was panting due to shock. She even began to sweat, and Yang kept one of her eyes peeled on Neo as she began to approach.

The girl in disguise kept taking one step closer and closer as she continued to fire what felt like an emptyless magazine into their cover, and she had no intention of stopping. Either the Atlesian had to stop her, or the had to try and run… at least that was what she felt like their options were.

However, what she didn't expect, was the force of an arrow as it tore through the right side of her back! "AAAGH!" The girl cried as it caught her by surprise, and almost made her drop her weapon.

Yang saw this, stepped out of cover and looked to the left of Neo to see that Ileana was standing there at the entrance of an alley with her bow in hand, having just launched that shot into the girl as a distraction. Then, Alizarin popped out and grabbed her by the waist so he could pull her back into the shadows, just as Neo turned and started to fire towards the spider faunus.

Bullets ricocheted off the concrete walls and managed to skim her arms multiple times, and she still fought against her guardian as Yang fired off a shot from her gauntlet in order to strike the doppelganger, and that was when Ileana called out her name directly as she fought against Al, and eventually Riley when she came to help.

"YANG, GO!" Ileana nearly screamed, and made the blonde stay completely frozen in her place, "GO! GAGE, HE'S COMING. HE'S COMING FOR US! YOU KNOW HE HAS TO BE!-" That was when her two friends could finally drag her away, and Ruby took her shot at the exact same time.

"*BANG!*"

Her round hit the doppelganger square in the stomach and made her launch backwards into the windshield of a different cargo truck, making it shatter with her body as more of her White Fang initiates rushed to her aid and provided cover fire, but not enough to pin the two groups of allies down.

Ileana and her group managed to escape and headed back towards Vale's gates with the rest of their people, and Ruby was quick to put her arm around Yang and help her to run to safety. Things were also beginning to look up for them, as two police cars came skidding down the street with their sirens and lights blaring.

They drove past the two sisters and a cluster of civilians that followed behind them both before the two cars formed a V shaped barricade to block off the attackers, and four cops soon exited out of both vehicles with shotguns and pistols to defend themselves. "GET TO THE AIR STATION! ATLESIANS ARE CREATING A SAFE ZONE AROUND IT!" One cop yelled.

More panic ensued as everyone in the surrounding area without a weapon began to make a mad dash back toward the city of Vale's airstation, right as more gunfire consumed the officers. If it wasn't for the last surviving squad of Atlesian soldiers that stayed behind to support them, the line they made would've been broken in seconds and the sisters would've been most likely killed.

This became apparent as a few random civilians near to Ruby and Yang were shot in the back as they tried to flee, with one on the blonde's side suffering an instant death by headshot. A few drops of blood then lightly covered Yang's left arm as she looked away in horror and gasped loudly through her painful breaths.

Luckily these few casualties would be the only civilians to stand out in vain during the later news reports, as the rest would be White Fang initiates, Kejians that were slain at the breakout of the battle, and Atlesian Soldiers and Police officers that lost their lives while defending their people.

Ruby and Yang got further away, about fifteen yards down the street, when the line broke and the initiates broke through along with an injured Neo. She wouldn't be seen by them for a long time however, as she was escorted away from the fight.

By this point the two sisters turned down onto a random street and saw that a flood of people were ahead of them and had pretty much blocked off all exits from the street. They either had to wait for them to pass or risk being trampled by the crowd in order to get through, so they stopped and slowly began to panic.

"Oh n-no, Y-Yang what do we do?!"

Yang gasped heavily and turned around to see that the White Fang was already hot on their heels as they rounded the same corner as them, but didn't quite spot the girls yet since they were amongst so many other people.

Multiple others turned and look ahead like they were backed into a corner and eagerly awaited for what these killers had planned for them, with Yang and Ruby standing there at the forefront as if they were ready to be the first to fall… and secretly, they felt ready to do so if it had to come to that.

But, that feeling disappeared completely as thousands of mechanical pops could be heard above the girl's heads, and soon cheering came from the people who felt as if they had been trapped. Ruby still stared ahead though, as Yang smiled and looked up at the Atlesian frigate above them,

"...Ruby, look!" She nearly screamed.

What looked liked hundreds of white pods came roaring down with their thrusters engaged to slow down their descent, but before the siblings knew it three of them came down right on top of them both. "Get out of the way!' Yang yelled again as tackled her sister and dove out of the way.

The crash could be heard from all around, as one landed smack dab on a car that they had both been standing next to near the sidewalk. Then another landed in the middle of the street, and the last crashed down onto the group of the White Fang Initiates that had been following the sisters and the other fleeing citizens.

Yang could feel the heat from the impact as it brushed over her body, and when she rolled off of Ruby and ontop her back, she stared at the pod before its door hissed, seemingly let out some steam, and blasted right off of it's hinges.

It flew over her and her sister, and Sora Oscura jumped out of the pod to greet them both with her gauntlets in their combat form, "RAPTRs are on the ground! We're here to help!" She assured them.

Ruby and Yang both layed there in awe, just gazing at the Atlesian Huntress as the mist from her pod basqued over her figure… until another bullet whizzed by, and she blocked it with her gauntlet. That made Ruby jump, and rush to get Yang off of the ground,

"My sister, her leg's hurt and I need to wait a little lover to use my semblance! It's speed based!" The small rose got the blonde onto her knees, and Sora was quick to put Yang's arm around her shoulder in order to support her. "Don't worry, I've got her. Now cover me with your rifle!" The faunus ordered her.

And as Ruby loaded her next round into Crescent Rose's chamber, Eren came running towards Sora while he looked back and fired blindly towards White Fang mob with a modified chrome KSG-12 shotgun that had wooden furnishings. Also, he wore a desert camo helmet similar to Beatrice's, except that had night vision goggles on top of it, and the helm covered his entire face.

It's visor was dark red, and the front and bottom of it was decorated with fake teeth decals, making the whole thing look like it was a velociraptor head that was wearing a pair of goggles. (I know, a little too much for one reference. Anyways-)

"Sounds like the pack's getting hungry by the speed they're shooting at us Sora!" He said gruffly, and Sora normally would have verbally berated him in if they weren't in combat. So she chose to scream at him instead. "BE QUIET, AND SHOOT BACK!"

That was when Beatrice finally got out of her pod, and joined the rest of her squad as the lynx faunus began to pretty much drag Yang across the street and towards one of the open alleys. The leader soon glared at Ruby, who had started to shoot back at the initiates along with Eren,

"What's this kid doing with a gun?!"

"I'm not a kid, I'm sixteen!" Ruby retorted.

Beatrice scoffed as she joined up with Eren and looked at him like such a thing had been unheard of. Yet, he still just shrugged and kept shooting, now with Crescent Rose and his leader's SCAR-H assisting him in their attempt to be relentless.

By this time most of the civilians had made their way through this section of Vale's streets, thus Sora had no problem in finding a way onto the next block. When she finally did find a connecting alley, she looked down at her belt and popped a smoke grenade so she could toss it back at the others and mask their escape.

"Guys, I found a route! Get over here, and set up your mirror Eren!"

"Affirmative!" The masked RAPTR scout replied as he saw the grenade roll in front of the three of them, and quickly sprinted towards the alley as the wall of emanating smoke covered them all.

Beatrice and Ruby followed, but only after the leader had to grab the back of the Rose's cape, and pull her along so she wouldn't be left behind. But if the hunstmen-in-training weren't apart of her objective, she most likely would have…

When everyone became stacked up on the escape route, and the snarls and battle cries of the initiates resonated throughout that block, everyone slipped into the alley just as Eren stood by its entrance and placed his hand against one of the the brick walls that surrounded them before his aura began to glow a greyish type of color.

Then without warning, what looked like glass spread from his fingers and covered the wall until it met the end of the alley, and it stretched across to the other wall opposite to them, forming what looked like a one way mirror that would block them from the sight of the enemy.

"That'll throw them off, maybe even give us some time to rest." Eren reassured the group as Sora let go of Yang, and the blonde exhaled softly before she pressed her back against the wall behind her. Ruby was also quick to rush to her side as soon as she reloaded another magazine into Crescent Rose, "Yang, are you okay?'

"Wait, you were hurt before all of this… weren't you?" Due to the blonde wearing her normal outfit, Sora was able to see the bruising and the bandaging that covered her left leg almost entirely. "...Yeah. talk about bad luck, right?" Yang said with a slight wince and grin.

"For us, yeah..." Beatrice sighed internally due to being stuck with someone that's likely to slow her down, though she couldn't _not_ help Yang and Ruby get to safety.

Either way, she walked slowly over towards the other end of the alley to look out for my trouble, just as Ruby turned towards Sora and Eren with tired frown, as she chose to introduce herself to them. "*sigh* ...I'm Ruby Rose, and this is my sister Yang Xiao Long. We're First Year Beacon Students-"

"Sisters? Hehe, really?" Eren questioned her almost randomly whilst looking back and forth between the two… before he stopped, and looked Yang up and down from the inside of his helmet. "And first years huh? ...Man, I've missed out.~"

Yang honestly could have given less of a shit at this point and stayed quiet while Ruby growled at him, yet the blonde still let like covering herself up by crossing her arms over her chest and looking away with a scowl. "God, you type of guys are everywhere..." She murmured to herself.

Sora was thankfully the first of her Team to reply correctly, as she soon exhaled as well and took off her helmet to try and make the sisters feel more at ease. They were younger than them after all, "We're fresh Atlas Academy Graduates. I'm Sora, the perv is Eren, and the _other girl,_ is Beatrice. We're called Team BOLE."

"*pant* ...Team RWBY." Yang exhaled with a small salute type of gesture. The two Atlesians both kind laughed at the name before they turned to Ruby herself, and Sora silenced her chuckle in order to keep from stating the obvious… but she still did.

"You must have a different kind of luck."

…

Blake stared off ahead into Vale with shock as she still stood on Beacon's landing pads with Jackson and Weiss. She had just gotten to the training hall before the alarms began to go off, and she found this when she returned. The mood had changed completely from the first sight of smoke, and now all of the Beacon's alarms had begun to blare across the school.

Soon the rest of the students came to watch as well, along with other Teams like CFVY, and SSSN. Speaking of which, Sun immediately came up behind Blake the second he spotted her, and began to panic despite his previous conflict with her.

"Blake!" He called out to her before he put his hand on her shoulders, and turned her body towards his. "What's going on?! Is this Grimm or the White Fang?!" His questions wouldn't really be answered however… until all the feline faunus could mutter was something else that was haunting to him.

"...I… I-I don't know!"

Fear became instilled within all of them. Jackson, Weiss, and Blake being the ones to take most of the brunt, of course, because of what they had just done earlier. Now because of them there was a very good chance that Ruby and Yang were caught up in the middle of this… or worse.

"They're both out there-" Blake was about to state the obvious with it being more vague through Sun's ears, but that was before Jackson pretty much switched into a completely different person within seconds of the situation becoming processed.

His shoulders lowered and almost on cue, the stock of his assault rifle named Khvostov shot out like it had a mind of its own, and it was thinking the exact same thing as it's wielder. The hunter then reached behind himself and pulled the rifle off of his back nonchalantly, "And we're gonna pull them out!" He stated solemnly.

Weiss immediately turned with her hands up and faced him once this was said, indicating for him to slow his roll. "NO! We aren't cleared to deal with these types of situations!" That was obviously complete bogus, and every one of her friends knew it… but the students around them didn't.

The heiress then gestured with her right hand to discreetly for all of them to come closer together, and they did. Sun, Blake, Jackson… and almost Neptune. He took one step away from his Team and stopped immediately as he looked out towards the smoking city.

"Neptune." He then heard his name being said sternly by Scarlet of all people, as he put a hand on his shoulder and stood by Sage with almost a scowl being expressed on his face. "...Sun'll handle this. And those RWBY girls may be trouble, but they seem to know what they're doing half the time."

Neptune nodded hesitantly, more just confirming that he heard what had been said instead of actually agreeing with it, and with that being said, the blue haired boy took a step back and chose from here-on-out to remain in the shadows, or stick to the crowd rather. Besides… he knew this was all Gage's fault, and who would want to be friends with a man who gave us _this?_

"We're all Hunters, Huntresses, Huntsmen-whatever it is!-In training! We're trained to fight the Grimm, not people. So we should let the Atlesians do their job, because the last thing they need is a bunch of teenagers running around a bunch of high-tech soldiers! OKAY?!"

Weiss then looked back and stated this for all to hear, with most finding themselves agreeing in the end. But even if they didn't, all transports into the city would be stopped and turned around within the next hour. Sun and Blake both knew what she was saying was all big talk, and started to whisper to each other.

"So we're _not_ going to go and try to get them out?" Sun asked quietly, as Jackson lowered his rifle and clearly began to look a little confused by this decision. Weiss nodded however, and glanced at the other students worryingly, " _No…_ Even though I want to, it'd blow our cover as just your average Beacon students." She replied.

Jackson still couldn't take that a reason not to help however, "Why would that matter now? They're both in danger!" He then pointed out towards Vale with Khvostov and glared at everyone else while Blake took out her scroll, "Yang and Ruby wouldn't want us to put everything on the line when they could be safe and sound for all we know…" She added as she began to dial the two sisters, specifically Yang.

"You're going to call them?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. Cell service is still up, so let's hope they can hear their scrolls…"

…

~Hello there my enemy, welcome to my punching spree-!~

Yang panicked as her new ringtone played, and she picked up almost the second she saw Blake's caller ID pop up on the screen of her scroll. By this time most of the White Fang initiates had moved on while they continued to hide, but she still chose to talk in a pitch that was barely above a whisper,

"Yang, it's Blake!" The blonde then answered once Ruby got close, and she held the scroll up in a way so both of them could hear their teammate speak. They also didn't use speaker mode because it could attract attention, and they didn't want the Atlesians to hear anything regarding Gage if he would be mentioned,

"Yang! What happened? Are you and Ruby alright?" Blake questioned them almost frantically, and luckily the brawler was able to ease her worries. "Yeah, we're okay, and those refugees opened fire on the Atlesians. One of them had a gun and got startled I guess, and someone else tried to protect them… it obviously didn't work out."

Ruby then put her hand on the scroll as she paused and wanted to say something about the band of outsiders… but what she saw left her unsure if anyone else had cared to notice it during the initial breakout of gunfire, and Ileana was the main reason for this thought of hers funny enough,

"It was strange though… it almost looked like they started to shoot at each other afterwards. Not the Atlas soldiers though, and when it started to die down, half of the refugees ran away and the other half shot at anyone else that was near… it was actually pretty scary."

Sora overheard this and let her mouth kind of hang open as she realized she had yet to ask the siblings about what happened to cause this. "Well, at least we know that they're not all on the same page…" She whispered to Eren, who in turn just scoffed.

Blake sighed with some relief, but only after processing this weird information from Ruby. "I'm just glad that you're both okay, we all are… so, do you want us to come and try to rescue you?" She asked them both with a more calmed tone than before.

"...No." Yang replied before she moved her eyes over all other members of Team BOLE. "Ironwood sent out first responder teams and one of them found us. They'll be able to get us back in one piece, I'm sure sure of it." She reassured her partner before the blonde smiled, and tried to ease her worries.

"Just trying keep the peace Blake, alright?"

"Okay, I will. Good luck Yang."

"We'll see you soon!" Ruby added before Yang hung up, and leaned off of the wall whilst grasping her leg. And just in time too, as Beatrice quickly looked back at them all and lowered her assault rifle. "Now that you're done yapping, we should move. The streets are clear, so it's now or never."

She then stood up and gestured for the others to move, so Eren and Ruby did just that while Sora put Yang's arm around her own shoulder yet again… and that was when she noticed something cold brushed against her right thigh.

This caused her to look down and find that the lynx faunus had a Heckler and Koch Mark 23 pistol that was equipped with an osprey suppressor. And upon seeing it, Yang looked up at and grasped it's handle gently, "You mind if I use this? My gauntlets are based on CQC, and I can't risk being that up close anymore with my leg."

"...Sure." Sora agreed, and unhooked her weapon holster so the blonde could grasp it with her right hand and take it out. "Just use it as a last resort, I don't tend keep it stocked up on ammo." She warned her.

This made Eren looked at her weirdly through his helmet and watch as they both began to follow. "Girl, do you even know how to use that thing?" He asked this sarcastically, but quickly went silent as Yang's eyes turned red yet again.

"Yeah…" She then nodded and somehow managed to pull it's slide back with one hand by letting the front of it get caught by the end of her belt strap before she chuckled with some pain, and seemingly got the last laugh with only four words having to be said...

"*exhale* ...My boyfriend taught me."

…

 **Meanwhile...**

…

Back outside the city, Gage had ended his long sprint once he was a few meters away from the start of the massive horde of Grimm. A few had been attracted by the feelings left in wake of his mental breakdown, but he's since shut himself down to focus on the now instead.

He stopped the second all of his movement caused his bandana to untie and fall onto the road, so he chose to stop and take a few breaths as he limped back towards it, now being a sweaty mess as he grasped it and accidentally rolled it up into a ball.

Then when he managed to take in a good and clear breath, he panted heavily and looked out towards the city. It's walls were around fifty meters tall and went all the way around the city, with it now nearly blocking his view of the sky, but he was able to see two more small Atlesian frigates arrive above the city to help the one that was already stationed there. Another even flew above him as he stood there in awe.

However, Gage could hear the distant gunshots fade in their intensity as they became more and more spontaneous in their eruption. He even found the sound of distant atlesian laser rifles a bit peaceful by this time, though he really didn't understand why he did either.

It calmed him enough to look up and witness a few rays of sunlight brush past the top of the walls and past him on the road before he suddenly let his grip on his bandana loosen, and allowed for half of it to dangle out his palm like a rag.

And after letting it hang there idle for a few short moments, Gage wrapped it around his neck again and put his hand on his chest as he took the radio that had been left behind for him out of one of his tactical vest pockets. Riley had even attached a note to it that had their frequency listed,

"...Hello?" The ghost asked as he held the device sideways and close to his lips as he held down it's main button. He waited around ten seconds after this until a loud feedback tone came from its speaker, due to the randomness that old walkies usually had at times. "Rrgh, Riley? Can you hear me? Can _anyone_ hear me?!"

More static followed and it made him facepalm in a more desperate type of way rather than disappointment, causing him to turn and pace for a few seconds before he sighed heavily and spoke some honest truth into the walkie with a mix of a plea to go along with it…

"Riley, come on. You have one of the coolest weapons I've ever seen and you're not even a huntress, so you _CANNOT_ be dead yet-!"

"...Shut up, I'm not!" Though thankfully, she wasn't. The heavy just couldn't figure out which damn button to push until she found the correct one, and couldn't help but smile as she replied despite their current situation. "And thanks, a compliment is kind of something I need right now…"

Gage exhaled heavily yet again upon hearing the sound of her voice, and he smiled a bit too. "Glad to be of service. Where are you guys?" He asked, now looking ahead towards the sea of Grimm.

Her voice now began to sound more baritone, like all the energy had been sucked out of her. "We're all at the main gate. We were about to try and leave, but the Grimm made that impossible. There's no way out of this place now." The growls of the dark creatures could even heard in the background of her transmission as well,

"Where are you Gage?" She added, almost sounding slightly alarmed due to her image of his type of plans. This time her gut would be right for her to be worried however, as he answered bluntly. "Still outside. Can you see where the horde ends all the way back?

"Barely… the road looks like a black sea from where I'm sitting."

"Well yeah, that's where I am. There's no way around this, but I can still get through them. Just make sure the gate is closed, and we'll be alright-"

But before Riley could confirm his request, Ileana took the radio from her and sounded like she was losing her mind. "Close the gate?" She questioned him, and made him groan internally until he listened to her for a little bit longer. "No, we're not locking you out! Just… oh shit. Oh shit-they're pushing in through the entrance!"

He could now hear the jaw snaps that came from the Grimm, and it made him try his best to call out to Riley instead with desperation "Riley? Riley, just listen to me! Kill the stragglers, close the gate, and try to push them back! I'll be able to get through I promise!" Which she quickly replied with,

"Fine! Good luck, Dumbass!" Before her radio seemingly shut off as she started to unload Bronze Bess's magazine into the ones that were breaking through. He could hear the gunfire since he wasn't that far away too, and it urged him to hurry.

That meant going straight through the horde of Grimm… and it already made him feel sick. Not because of his fear of being eaten alive or just the stench of all of the creatures, but instead just how long he would have to use his semblance for.

Before Summer said she had tried her best to cure him of his semblance defect, but she wasn't here anymore… so he had to make a gamble and hope that the backlash of its use wouldn't be what ends up killing him today. He didn't have a choice anymore however, so he let out a breath and just took out Javix in it's Kukri form.

After that… he started to walk towards the black sea of monsters, passing a Beowulf as he chose to just stare ahead and hold all of that fear in his throat, as expressing it would mean his death. Soon he literally brushed against a few Ursai, and then something extraordinary happened.

When he got through about three more of the larger grunt type Grimm that included Borbatusks and Creeps, Gage saw that the monsters… they were actually beginning to part and form a path for him. Like they were _literally_ a sea that was being bent to his will out of all people

 _Salem, is she doing this?_

 _She's commanding them…_

 _No, that was just a dream! You're just dehydrated!_

 _Then why aren't they eating me?!_

 _Is this something else? ..._ _ **AM**_ _I D_ _ **Oi**_ _N_ _ **g**_ _T_ _ **HI**_ _S?!_

With his red eyes, pale skin, and dark clothes… Gage _felt_ like one of them, these prehistoric dark creatures. But **sHE** soon caught wind of these doubts, and closed the sea onto him again. Nearly all of the Grimm turned their heads over towards him, and that was when he let his fear escape.

"*shaky exhale*"

He let one fearful gasp be heard, and what felt like a million paws reached out for him as he tried to run. Scratches and claw marks soon began to riddle his body, at least in his mind, and he opened his eyes in order to gaze at all the evil beasts that stood before him.

...And they all looked like the nightmare versions of the Grimm heads he had 'talked to' earlier. All of them had red human eyes, long unrealistically sharp rows of teeth and large bloody nails which he soon felt stab into his hip. This made his mind switch between this vision and how they really appeared, and that's when he began to run.

Gage activated his semblance immediately after breaking free, and all he could see was the entire horde turn to him before each and everyone one of them tried to maim him with their claws and teeth. All he could see was the color black, and he soon started to see flashes inside of his mind that depicted him being torn apart.

He saw his head become cracked open by a large pair of paws, his torso being ripped in half by two different Beowolves, four different types of Grimm pulling off one of his limbs in one go, and lastly a flash of them just eating him as they did to Greed.

Those were the more memorable depictions, as there what felt like millions of outcomes. This didn't matter though, as Gage charged right through each and everyone of the Grimm as he used all of his might to make his way towards Vale's main gate... Because now, he just hoped his friends had ended up heeded his warning.

…

…

...

Ten minutes of walking got Yang, Ruby, and the rest of their group only a block away from the airstation and safety in general, as they had met up with a lot more civilians on the way. They moved ahead quickly once Beatrice yelled at them though, so then they wouldn't have to worry about them as much.

Eventually they reached an Atlesian checkpoint that had been set up with barricades, sandbags, and energy based sentry turrets. Atlesian Knights had also been placed as the first line of hours, and as soon as they passed them a squad of actual soldiers greeted the group.

"Ms. Bistre, get those two on board! We can't spare anymore transports, and it's starting to feel a little claustrophobic inside of those things!" This made the Team leader sigh, and turn to Sora whilst looking at the two sisters.

"You heard him Sora, get to it!" She didn't expect her subordinate to talk back however, and she was about to until Yang pretty much took the words right out of her mouth. "You know, *pant* ...we could get out of here a lot quicker If you helped!"

"And who's going to defend you?" The ginger haired soldier retorted as she pointed at Sora's silenced pistol with a smirk. "What, you think you're gonna be some hot shot with that little thing?"

"Um…" Ruby then piped up as she was now under Yang's other arm, and looked at the other girl like she would have stared Weiss down when they first met. "...Don't you guys have all those robots behind you? And can't they lock on to things?"

"Dumb kid-"

"*BANG!*"

Another shot rang out and struck Eren in the shoulder. It simply caused sparks to fly as it hit his shoulder plate, and he quickly fired back with his shotgun as a nearby Atlesian Knight was destroyed by three more rifle rounds that came from the street in front of the checkpoint.

Then when Yang looked back, she saw a smaller regiment of White Fang initiates as they began to assault the checkpoint. What looked like thirty of them came in firing blindly at anyone they could see, and this was when the rest of the civilians began to flee off towards the air station.

Yang and Sora took cover behind a wall of sandbags as bullets made contact with it, and Ruby dove behind another one that she stayed behind by herself. Beatrice took cover with the other squad as well, and Eren simply remained out in the open and fired back like he had been waiting for this.

More faunus began to flood into the streets however, and got past the masked man while everyone else suddenly became occupied with at least two or more faunus initiates. This included Yang and Sora, as a male deer faunus dove over the barricade and tackled the Atlesian Huntress to the ground.

The blonde was knocked onto the floor as well, but got back up just quick enough to witness as the man put his hands around Sora's throat and pulled her up off of the ground as he snarled, "TRAITOR!" With enough emphasis on it that some saliva leaked out of his mouth in the moment.

Yang became tense for a moment, until she raised the lynx girl's pistol and fired it twice into his side, crippling his aura to the point where it was cracked. This made him recoil and stare back at the blonde as she took one step forward, cocked her fist back downwards, and made it collide with the bottom of his chin.

The impact caused him to rise off to the ground and allowed Yang to follow up with one backwards and fiery spin kick with her good leg before she landed on her bad one and collapsed onto one knee. The kick sent the faunus flying backwards into two other troopers before he… exploded?!

With the flames being present, the air and speed of her single motion made the fire spread across his body unrealistically before he flew back and the inferno formed into a ball and blasted outwards. His body didn't explode into pieces, the fire simply expanded until it's oxygen bubble popped.

Meanwhile, Ruby was engaged in her own battle with two wolf faunus. One slashed but missed due to her being able to bend backwards and dodge the attack. That was when the rose grasped the end of Crescent Rose as it was in it's rifle form and smacked it across the man's face, knocking him out of the fight.

He started to lean to his left in an effort to fall down, but Ruby wasn't finished with him just yet. She soon turned her weapon into it's Scythe form and stab it's curved end into the ground before she fired it, propelling her forwards into the unconscious man so she could also spin kick him into the other faunus that was nearby.

It did stun this one, but it didn't knock him down, instead it only angered him even more, "RRAGH!" He snarled whilst charging the small girl. She kind of yelped out of fright, and back flipped onto the hilt of her scythe before she grabbed it with both hands, jumped upwards, and ripped it out of the ground.

Ruby then flipped it diagonally across her body until it's blade went under her legs and became hooked around the man's head. She was now only holding onto Crescent Rose with her legs as she laid on her side, pretty much giving the hilt of her weapon in a triangle choke hold.

During the brief few seconds it took for the girl to land back onto the ground, she turned her head over to her older sister and yelled one of their _other_ pre established attack combos. "YANG! STRAWBERRY SUNRISE!" And that was when she used her scythe throw the man over to the blonde brawler.

"Strawberry-What?!" Sora yelled.

Yang barely caught the sound of her sister's voice due to how much this was taking a toll on her, but she still ended up carrying out the attack. The faunus had his back turned due to the position of Ruby's toss, so the blonde just wrapped her arms around his waist and bent backwards so she could perform a German suplex!

She smashed his head into the ground and groaned as she let go and rolled onto her side behind cover. Sora then activated her own gauntlets, which soon spreaded black metal over her hands and formed what looked like black metallic claws over all ten of her fingers.

She used these to block a few bullets that were aimed at her, and she also picked up her pistol from Yang so she could fire back at their attackers. "There's too many of them!" The lynx called out to her teammates, and Beatrice just responded by pulling out an unprimed smoke grenade.

This action made all of the Atlesians there tense up… mostly because the smoke was colored in order to mark a location rather than to cover them. The leader soon pulled the pin, and tossed it next to her feet before she pressed a button on the side of her helmet and yelled into it's microphone.

"LARS, GREEN SMOKE, HOLD IT DOWN FOR US!" The grenade popped and started to emulate it's green smoke, so Beatrice was quick to provide Sora and the two sisters with covering fire. "ALPHA-TWELVE, DEFEND THIS POSITION. EREN, STAY WITH THEM AND DEFEND US!"

"You're not going anywhere until they stop, or they'll take us all down in one line!" The sergeant of Alpha-Twelve screamed back at her. He knew this for sure because as soon as he said that, one of his men tried to run and was shot in the back twice.

Sora cursed to herself as she helped Yang off of the ground again, and Ruby just kept trying to shoot back by blind firing Crescent Rose over a sandbag barricade that was next to them… but that quickly caught the mob's attention.

They started to light up her fortification to the point where the bags were beginning to leak and the wall began to flatten a bit due to all the rounds. She soon panicked, laid down behind the barricade, and looked up at the sky with a fearful expression.

At the time, Ruby couldn't really think of a way to get out of this unless Yang suddenly had her leg healed and had a strand of her hair ripped out, but that'd be too risky and impossible all together. So she began to breath heavily and almost teared up even, until something flew past her vision...

It went over her and was a small cylinder shaped object that was colored pink, had a vapor and dust trail come off of it's rear end, and… it had a pink heart painted on the front of the thing. She then peeked over her barricade for a second and followed it on it's path until it landed in the middle of the White Fang regiment and exploded.

The explosion made Ruby, gasp… not because it was loud, but because she knew who that grenade belonged to. Knowing this, she looked behind herself and saw that Team JNPR was charging towards her with their weapons all in their attack forms.

"JAUNE!" Ruby shouted at them. Jaune smiled nervously as he raised his shield and blocked three rounds from hitting his face, and this was enough time for Beatrice to retreat over to the rose's sandbag barricade, "Sora, move her! We have to go now! THAT'S THE LAST TRANSPORT!"

"WHAT?!" Sora, Yang, and Ruby all cried with confusion. All three of them looked back at the air station and watched as the second to last ship elevated and took off into the sky. That left a single one by itself, and its landing gear was starting to retract.

Pyrrha fired two shots off from Miló and took cover next to Ruby as she pushed her out of the way, and pointed upwards towards the sky where two Atlesian ships were beginning to form alongside the one that was already there previously.

"Ruby, get Yang out on that ship! Don't worry about us, we'll have help here in a few minutes!" The Spartan commanded the girl, who just began to sputter as Beatrice started to drag her away. "B-But-But-

" _RUN!_ " JNPR screamed collectively.

"-No, no, Jaune wait!" She begged him to stop as she was dragged past him, but he simply ran past her and towards the initiates with Ren as Nora kept providing cover fire with Magnhild "Use your semblance and go! Ren, Pyrrha, move up with me and get their attention!"

Beatrice then threw the rose up and onto her feet so she could begin to run alongside the leader, Sora, and Yang, which she did. The blonde of course had some trouble with this, as she was holding onto her injured knee with one hand while she limped towards the ship.

Ruby knew what she had to do, but she already used her semblance to do exactly this earlier in the day at Beacon… but with one less person. It took a toll on her aura then. and now she felt like she needed as much energy as she could keep.

However, that'd be going against what JNPR wanted her to do, and if something did end up happening to them… she didn't want their selflessness to be wasted. So, she let go of Beatrice, and put her hands on both Sora and Yang as she cried out and pretty much teleported them to the ship.

They stopped right in front of the airship's ramp where Ruby collapsed onto it, and Yang would've fell down too if she wasn't leaning on Sora. The lynx faunus helped her walk up the ramp and into the ship while the small girl managed to climb onto it right as the ship started to lift into the air.

Once Yang was aboard, Sora came back and pulled Ruby in right as Beatrice jumped and barely grasped the end of the ramp. She had trouble holding on, and got her head over it before Sora jumped, grabbed her, and pulled her up into the safety of the ship's inner cabin.

Beatrice was dragged, and tossed onto the floor of the ship as the lynx faunus sat down next to her… and that was when she noticed that her leader was hyperventilating. So, Sora took off the ginger haired girl's helmet and laid it on the ground as she stared down at her with a smile. "I've got you, don't worry!"

…

Yang was sat down on the floor of the airship next to all of the other civilians and Beacon students that managed to get aboard before lift off. There weren't any seats, so they all had to sit on the floor next to each other. The blonde was panting, and deactivated Ember Celica as she grasped her knee painfully and laid on her back.

"Ruby?" She asked for little sister, and soon she appeared. Ruby crawled next to Yang and simply pressed her forehead on her shoulder as the brawler brushed the younger sibling's hair with a sigh.

"...I'm so happy that you're okay!" The small rose nearly choked out as she hugged Yang, and tried to catch her breath through some rapid gasps.

The sound of the ramp raising could be heard, and soon all the exits of the ship were closed. Sora and Beatrice then appeared in front of the two sisters with their weapons drawn, and the faunus stared down at them. "We'll be there soon."

As for the ginger haired girl, she simply walked over and looked out the window to see that even more pods were dropping than before onto where they just were… and a big one came down during that hail of metal.

…

Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren all dove over a car as they ran for cover and watched as that same bigger pod touched down onto where Beatrice had masked it with the green smoke grenade. The blast sent out a shock wave, and knocked the team down despite being behind a vehicle.

When the smoke cleared, all of the previous gunfire was directed right onto the larger pod, as it was around sixteen feet tall in height. The weird thing about it though, was the fact that the second it landed, the pod began to shift into something else that was A LOT bigger.

It's bottom part was split in half and dug into the ground as it formed what looked like legs and a torso, before the top half raised up and two arms popped out from the sides of the pod. Both of them had mounted energy guns on them, and collapsible fists.

And as the thing's head became properly formed, it became clear as to what it was. This larger drop pod had turned into an advanced Atlesian Paladin that was piloted by Lars Brun, the last member of his team.

It's bulk and massive figure made the enemy faunus fearful of it's presence, which allowed for Lars to crawl out of the pod and land next to Eren once the door to his pod opened. This whole sequence made the man with the raptor helmet burst out laughing as he cocked his KSG-12,

"Hahaha! Say hello to Team BOLE!"

Lars pulled back the ejection port on the normal ACWR he was outfitted with and simply adjusted what looked like a piece of an exoskeleton suit that covered his left shoulder before he laughed too, and kept looking ahead right as almost a dozen pods crashed down around them and the paladin.

…

Ten minutes later, the airship finally arrived at Beacon's landing pads, and Ruby came out with Yang and walked across the off-ramp that had been extended. They only did this after their half of Team Bole and all of the civilians had exited, as they were trying to contact Team JNPR during the ride over from Vale.

Luckily for them, the conflict had stopped by the end of their ride, but Ruby still got no messages from any of the team members after she tried to text each of them multiple times. Those worries were put in the back of her mind not that long after, as Blake, Weiss, and Jackson moved past the group of civilians to rush to the two sister's aid.

"Yang, Ruby!" Blake made it there first and looked Yang up and down as she put both of her hands on her shoulders. "Are you both alright? It sounded like a war broke out from where we were standing." Ruby waved her off before the faunus could check her for any wounds, and she nodded.

"Yeah, we're fine Blake… and it was worse being there." Yang replied as she put her arm around her partner so Ruby could relax her muscles a bit. Weiss then approached, and let out a massive sigh of relief while Jackson watched as Sora and Beatrice exited the ship together.

Their Atlesian leader walked ahead of her subordinate looking like she was clearly irked by something, and unfortunately Sora was the reason for it. She found this out too, as she stopped behind her team leader and stared at her hand, remembering the struggle she had with pulling herself up while she dangled from the airship's ramp.

"You're welcome for the catch, Beatrice."

That whole time the ginger girl seemed visibly uncomfortable, and somehow all of her anger boiled up at that exact moment of time. And so, Beatrice turned around, growled, and knocked Sora onto the ground with a single punch to her throat.

She struck her windpipe, and Sora fell onto her back as she began to choke and sputter as her Team Leader leaned over her, grabbed her by one of her White lynx ears, and yelled straight into it.

"FUCKING FAUNUS, I DON'T NEED YOUR GODDAMN HELP! DO YOU UNDERSTAND, OR DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU AGAIN?!"

"HEY!" Jackson and all of Team RWBY instantly turned their heads towards the two girls, but he was the first to raise his weapon and aim at the Atlesian with his rifle named Khvostov. "Stand down! She's one of you guys, isn't she?!"

Weiss followed up to this by unsheathing Myrtenaster and pointing it's blade directly at the girl with the intent to strike if anything went wrong, and leader in turn just smiled back at the heiress with a crazed look in her eyes. "...A Schnee that actually cares about the faunus? Haha, times really have changed!" Beatrice chuckled madly.

Weiss kept her gaze more dead than any of her team have seen before, and she just tilted her head as she spoke almost in a way that felt like it was taken out of an old spaghetti western movie. "It's more than that, but you're not wrong either." She sounded as calm as ever although.

During this instant, Beatrice finally let go of Sora and took a step back from her as she continued to gasp and cough. "You know, I could have you and your boyfriend arrested for threatening me." She then ironically threatened them both, but with no effect.

"...You sure about that? Because it looks like there's too many witnesses for anyone to count." Jackson replied.

He said this with a smirk, and lowered Khvostov as he looked around at all of the other students that were watching this standoff as it went down. Murmurs and whispers came from them while some even covered their eyes, and others couldn't help but not care at all about the conflict.

The latter didn't end up being the majority however, so Weiss rightfully used that to her advantage. " _We_ on the other hand, could report you for disturbing the peace during such a chaotic event. Just look around you, you're scaring all of these kids over what, a grudge against your _faunus_ teammate?" She asked her rhetorically.

" _ **This,**_ is nothing compared to what's out there's and I would know, I was there saving lives! Your friends too... remember?"

The armored girl hissed this through her lips in an attempt to make Weiss lower her own guard. More so just as a moral jab rather than having her become opened up to a real one, but luckily Ruby kept her partner from taking the bait and becoming docile against the Atlesian.

"...You're wrong. You didn't even save half of them!" She did this by mumbling something that only made the rest of RWBY's hearts nearly leap out of their chests, exactly as the small rose glared at Beatrice angrily with her almost bloodshot and teary silver orbs. "Your little pods coming in could've been a distraction too, but you didn't want to try and help bring Team JNPR back with us!"

Sun heard this, and turned towards Ruby with fear being shown in his expression, even trembling a bit afterwards. "Wait, Jaune and them are still out there?! Right now?!" He asked her, and Yang quickly replied with a sorrowful nod.

"Oh no…" Blake exclaimed, internally.

Weiss was of course scared for their fellow Team as well, but she wouldn't allow it to show, least while there was someone her rapier had it's blade aimed at. "Hmph… Need I say anything more?" She asked the Atlesian leader this and scoffed at her, the question being rhetoric yet again.

Her reaction disappointed Beatrice, then again… she was a Schnee after all. Acting calm during tragedies seemed to be a perk shared by the family, and the armored leader knew this. So, she gave up on it, turned away from Sora, and walked away.

"...Go ahead and file your report, 'princess' because it won't be the last." She added that last bit before she began to walk off towards Ozpin's clock tower… but not before she hailed Winter on her helmet comm and loud enough for the younger Schnee to hear her, "Lieutenant Schnee, your _**sister**_ is at the Academy, and the rest of Alpha Team is landing as we speak."

"Wait… Winter?" Weiss asked aloud, nearly becoming frozen in place at the mention of another Schnee being present.

She would never get her confirmation either, as BOLE's leader was able to chuckle and leave before the heiress could recover from her stunned state. By then, Beatrice had already reached the middle of Beacon's main courtyard.

…

"*sigh* ...Good work Beatrice." Winter then broke through and replied with a sigh, being obviously unaware of the leader's current situation of course, and she continued as Beatrice put her rifle on her back and soon got out of all of the others student's hearing proximity.

"I'll have the rest of BOLE link up with you once the perimeter around the main air station is secured. Once you're all regrouped, find General Ironwood at the School's clock tower. He'll be able to provide your Team with a dorm until the city is safe for public traffic once again."

"Wait, what was that?" Why Dorms? The mention of this confused the ginger haired girl, and she made sure that she didn't mishear her overlord. "Ms. Schnee, it almost sounded like you said that we're getting a dorm? That can't be right, is it?"

"It is, and I did." Winter immediately became cold towards the leader once Weiss was out of the question, and for some reason that surprised Beatrice out of all things. "It's become clear that this surge of violence has spread across the city, and that means we're not leaving until it's gone."

"What about the ghost, ma'am?"

"If you and your Team can get through the thickness of this conflict, then I'm sure you'll find him at the center of it. He could possibly be the root of this evil, and his followers will surely to lead us right to him if we're able to scatter their forces."

BOLE's leader already knew that Yang had mentioned the so called 'split' between the refugees, when in reality a bunch of faunus were simply trying to pose as the group to shift the blame onto Gage, but that's not the point. Beatrice simply didn't care if there was an internal struggle, they were all apart of the same party and therefore all of them needed to be held accountable.

So with that agenda now crammed into her mind, the Huntress-turned-soldier just rolled her eyes as she reassured the Schnee of her own abilities rather than her team's. "I will ma'am, no matter who I have to fight. I'd just rather not have this go on longer than it needs to!" She admitted.

Another sigh came through their comm channel and Winter was beginning to feel a little annoyed by her response.

Beatrice simply wasn't grasping the situation as other soldiers were… it just sounded like a game from how the elder Schnee read her tone. "Taking things slow will ensure that the wrong people don't end up getting killed by you, Ms. Bistre." Winter knew that no assumptions as to who's truly responsible could be made yet, much unlike BOLE's Team leader.

But, the lieutenant was smart enough to go over Beatrice's file before appointing her to lead this mission. "...So unless you want another replacement to take your place on your team, I'd keep your gun aimed at the ground." Because amidst multiple new members taking the place of either arrested or dead previous ones, BOLE had one civilian casualty on their record.

And at the end of the day, Winter knew that Beatrice's days of working under her were numbered. She just wanted to get some use out of her before she'd be tossed out like a piece of trash and branded a killer by the people. Well, those outside of Atlas.

"Yes Ma'am…" Beatrice said this with a darker tone, because even she knew this was very likely to happen as well.

However, Winter saw this reassurance of hers as being sincere, so she just hoped that Ironwood's presence would be enough to keep her in line… but in reality, this interaction and the days ahead would only come back to haunt her in the future.

"Excellent. Now make sure to have your team get some rest, because by the way I'm looking at our battle map, The City of Vale is about to know what a civil war feels like..."

…

As that conversation ended, Weiss and Jackson continued to stare ahead and watch the ginger haired girl as she faded into the distance. But, the heiress was simply stunned while her friend was just judging the leader from a distance.

"So… You should _probably_ tell your sister to keep her soldiers in check the next time you see her." The hunter remarked as he unsuccessfully tried his best. o diffuse the situation a bit. Though, he did get Weiss to reply pretty quickly. "Yeah, I'll do that…"

And once they both had their attention set on each other again, as their eyes met briefly during their bout, Weiss and Jackson then turned back to watch as Blake and Sun approached Sora.

The lynx had finally been able to inhale again through some painful tears, and once she wiped her eyes, she looked up to see that the stray was standing above her and holding out her hand so she could pull her off of the ground. "...Are you okay?" Blake asked her with her utmost attention.

Sora inhaled and grasped her hand tightly before she was pulled back onto her feet by the cat faunus, however… she didn't say anything just yet. She looked to be completely mesmerized by Blake's very presence. "Y-Yeah…"

"What's your name?"

"...Sora Oscura." The lynx now seemed to be physically trembling.

Sun noticed this odd behavior first out of everyone, and Blake just went on to introduce the rest of their group to the girl, starting with Weiss of all people. "Well, you probably already recognize Weiss, and our two guy friends here are Sun and Jackson."

"...'Sup? Oh, and uh-" The monkey faunus then greeted her, but quickly realized he hadn't met Jackson just yet either. So he said the same thing to him while he was here."-'Sup to you too dude!"

"Thanks man." Jackson replied. He did this while he shifted Khvostov back into its incognito form and placed it on his back once again as it felt a whole lot safer without Beatrice's presence.

Blake was beginning to hope that the other faunus girl was beginning to feel a little more safe around them, but it didn't seem that way. Her eyes were completely dilated, and she was still speechless. So, naturally the stray tried to comfort her by introducing herself as well. "And I'm-"

That, was when Sora finally spoke. Her grip on Blake's hand increased ten-fold, and the lynx girl made an outright statement that ended up shocking Sun, Blake, Weiss, and Jackson equally. It even made Yang and Ruby turn and watch their little interaction after staring at the city for so long.

"...I know who you are. You're Ghira's child."

Her voice sounded exhausted and thankful by the stray's presence. The reason why became more apparent too, as Sora placed her other hand on top of her back metal breastplate. Specifically, over the old White Fang symbol that was painted onto her armor. This revelation, made Blake fearful.

This was obviously because of the fact that the cat faunus was trying her best to hide her trait from the rest of Beacon. Though, now in the presence of a fellow White Fang defector… she felt ashamed. Sora was working for ATLAS of all things, and she wasn't hiding her true self. That obviously explained her leader's violence towards her, and the lynx girl wasn't as afraid anymore.

And before Blake could even try to say something in return, Sora let go of her palm and took a step back. "Thank you, for coming to my aid. But... I think I should be getting back to my team now." She then looked towards the direction Beatrice had went, and her choice shocked everyone.

Jackson of course was the first one to voice his concerns for her in his own special kind of way. "Wait, you're really going along with that girl after what she just did?!' And Sun was the second to follow up on that. "That's not right, like, at all!"

"I know…" The defector acknowledged their worries with a frown, and made sure to clear her throat while trying not to rub it due to the pain she still felt. "...B-But still, no matter what happens or who I'm with, I still have a job to do." She tried to reassure them that it'd be alright, but unsuccessfully to convince them that it would be in the end.

Sora had to do this in her mind, because she was at least four years older than most of these students in reality. She had to set an example for these kids, one that showed that being a faunus and continuously prevailing under the leadership of Atlas was possible, but not easy.

So with that, Sora broke through the circle the four of them formed around her, and gave a small wave before she turned back to Blake one last time. "And when this all finally over, Ms. Belladonna… we should have a talk." That was when she finally left, and appeared to have infected everyone with the same speechless gaze she had.

Everyone, except for Ruby. Who in turn just raised her hand, and waved at their savior with a slight smile. "GOOD LUCK!" She shouted, which also caused Yang to wave at the lynx girl as well, mostly because she hadn't been able to express her gratitude yet. But, Sora was able to wave back too.

When she eventually faded into the crowd, since most of the student's had started to make their way back to their dorms for safety reasons, the two sisters turned back around and started to stare at the city once more. This time however, the rest of their team joined them in the effort.

Yang, and Ruby were at the edge of the landing platform while Weiss and Blake were to their right, and Jackson and Sun remained near the crowd to make sure no one was going to swarm them with any questions about what the hell was going on. They both figured it would've been best for Ruby and Yang too.

"Okay, so what's wrong with today?" Weiss asked this, and not internally either. The world just felt like it had brandished all of it's crazy onto Team RWBY, and the rest of Vale, without any warning, and the random violence was starting to get to the heiress.

Blake shook her head, and put Yang's arm around her so Ruby wouldn't have to help her walk. The rose then exhaled, and shrugged with a grin. "Friday the 13th was two weeks ago, so… *pant* ...I really don't know Weiss." She was gasping heavily.

Yang was doing the same and soon started to calm down a bit once her partner helped her sit down on the ground. Then the stray placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder, and whispered a question she should've asked by now. "...Did you find Gage?"

Yang shook her head, but didn't look saddened by admitting this. "No… but he has some new friends, and they told us that he's coming." She revealed to her her partner. Blake's eyes grew large, and she counted next to Yang with a tiny smile to go along with her yellow orbs.

"We just have to plan on what to do so we can get back out there, and I'm sure we'll find him after that."

"Let's just hope he's able to survive out there until then..." Weiss muttered to herself, which only made Yang more sure of his survival.

Ruby felt the same exact way, and oddly enough, her smile grew even more while she and the rest of her Team looked off towards the rest of Vale as more drop pods fell, smoke clouds rose, and it felt like hope would've plummeted for anyone else that was witnessing this horrible sight.

Not Team RWBY however. They didn't know how or why, but what the four girls did know was that it would only be a matter of time until they found all of their missing friends once again. Whether they would have to save them, or drag them back by force… they wouldn't let anyone fall just yet.

…

…

…

Back at the Vale gate, the group from Keji somehow got most of their people back to where they entered the city from in the first place. Not that many of their own fighters were killed in the firefight at Redding Street either, but a lot of them were injured with some being pretty severe.

Hours had passed since arriving here, and frankly the city's guards were too occupied with the Grimm to wonder if the random group of people that were trying to leave were the ones that caused all of this torment, at least from the eyes of the general public. So they got off easy at first.

They tended to their wounded in one of their intact cargo trucks while the people that were armed guarded the back of their little encampment, with most focused on the front near the main gate. This was because the Grimm were trying to get in and Gage's friends didn't want to lock him out to be eaten alive by the dark beasts.

So as they tried their best to gun down whatever monster waltzed on inside, Ileana stood on top of a guard post that allowed her to look through a slit in main gate's surrounding wall and fire her arrows at anything that got too close. She was their lookout, and Riley stayed right next to the entrance with Bronze Bess locked and loaded in it's machine gun form.

The spider faunus eventually reached a point where she could watch the black sea as it slowly inched closer and closer towards her. It was like the Grimm were becoming tired by the heat and constant action of walking in line with each other, which… seemed extremely unlikely for them to do now that she thought about it.

Either way, she kept her eyes peeled for any sort of commotion for around half an hour… until something else strange happened. As the horde was almost thirty yards away from making contact with the gate, the Grimm parted and allowed for someone to run RIGHT out the middle of herd before they growled and started to chase after this person.

"CLOSE THE GATE!"

He shouted at Ileana with everything he had in him, to the point where his voice sounded almost completely animalistic. She watched him run like hell for a few more seconds before she saw that it was Gage, and started to fire some more arrows at any Grimm that were trying to pursue him.

Time seemingly slowed down just then, as multiple Ursai and Beowolves appeared from the left and right sides of the entrance to the city. They quickly began to swarm Gage, right as he repeated himself to Ileana once more in a much slower fashion.

"CLOSE-THE-GATE-NOW!"

During this command, he ran right past a single Ursai that tried to scratch at him, and he started to charge towards at a smaller Beowulf that he eventually collided with and shoulder checked hard onto the ground with a large grunt coming from him.

The force of it, not to mention the fact that he did it with his metal arm, made Gage fall forwards and onto his knees as the Grimm was knocked back. Then he crawled for a quick moment before he got up and stumbled as he tried to head for the gate.

At this time someone had actually listened to him, as Riley came over and started to close the gate by sliding it to the right to the point where it became interlocked with the wall and magnetically locked into place as well. Only then did Gage come through it with his semblance, and when he got to the other side, the ghost shut off his aura and just collapsed.

All of the Grimm had started to howl, snarl, and scratch at the now closed gate as Ileana's view was becoming obscured by a raising metal blast shield, and so she hopped back down to join up with everyone else at the entrance.

Riley did the same, but ran to Gage first as he actually started to throw up from his marathon run from the middle of nowhere to here, and the heavy just patted his back as he did so and gasped heavily due to how short of breath he was.

Ileana would've done the same, but something set in on her subconscious. It was weird, because now with the aftermath of finding Yang, the breakout of gun fire in Vale, and the sight of all that Grimm seemed to have put her into a shocked state. She simply stared at the wall, and didn't look away from it for a long time.

"Knew you'd come through! ...Didn't think it'd be that literal though." Riley teased him, mostly because she knew he was too tired to say something back to her.

He eventually exhaled again and laid on his side… until he could feel the vibration of what felt like thousands of footsteps, as almost all of the refugees ran to and past him. Everyone there had some sort of weapon drawn whether it be a knife or rifle, and they all stopped in front of the closed entrance that kept the monsters out.

It was almost like none of them have ever seen such relentless from the Grimm, or walls the size of this one. They probably haven't either thanks to how tame Keji was compared to this almost apocalyptic type of situation. They seemed… very scared now.

A few people came by to see if he was okay though. Gage even heard a couple people say things along the lines of, 'it's the ghost!', or, 'hey he's here! I think we're gonna be alright!', and it made him even more nervous than the chance of stumbling upon a heartbroken and angry Yang.

The ghost had a part to play now, that being these people's savior rather than a mentally unstable teen that was still dealing with a bad breakup and homicidal tendencies. Hearing it recited all technical inside of his head made it a lot worse too.

"...G-Gage!" And that was when Ileana finally realized she wasn't hallucinating, and approached Gage in a full on sprint as she panted, and stopped before she could accidentally crash into him. "I saw her, saw Yang before the-" She exclaimed, partially.

His eyes soon traced up her body until they met with her own orange colored orbs, and he was so worried about his lover that he nearly lunged at the spider faunus from where he was sitting the ground, and cut her off before she could finish,

"What happened?! Is she okay?!"

"Yeah, Gage…" She answered with a strangely tearful giggle. "...Some Atlesians landed near her, and I made sure that she got away and knew you were coming before that. She was with this little girl too…" And that was what brought a tear to his eye in the end.

"She had a red cloak, right? Hehe, yeah… *exhale* ...that's Ruby." His thoughts lingered on those two for a brief moment, and just that one instance made him want to go see them for himself already. "... _Oh, Ruby… *sniffle*"_ Until he heard that inside of his mind, and it made him stare ahead past Ileana in a figurative type of way.

A weird thing happened after that though… because his aura soon began to glow white, and when it did, a lot of the refugees crowded around Gage and placed a hand on him. His shoulders, back, chest, and even his head until he recoiled and stood up, causing all of them to back up and look at him with relief in their eyes.

Riley and Ileana were among those few, and Alizarin did too once he showed up to greet Gage. "Jesus kid, I don't know if I should say you look shiny or like hammered shit." He said with a smirk, knowing fully well that the same could probably be said about himself.

His presence made Gage smile because of the security of at least some guidance from the old sheriff, but he knew that there wasn't much to give out. So he turned towards the old man, and held his own metal wrist tightly. "...Al, what the hell happened in there?" He was referring to the city of course, and Al's grin faded.

Alizarin let out a very heavy breath, and took his hat off to at least show some respect as he tried to piece everything together himself. That's when he started from the top, and tried to tell it like it could make some modicum of sense…

"This girl named Minnie left the group, and came back later looking completely different. Then, she gunned a nearby Atlas soldier down, and they killed her dad when he tried to defend her. We fired back at them because of instinct, and after that, some other people… some faunus began to shoot at us too. It went to hell, so we left and those faunus chased after anyone they could find, us, soldier, or innocent."

"She was different, I saw her!" Suddenly, a girl from the surrounding group stepped forward. She was blonde that wore a white ripped blouse, some blue Jeans, and held a machete in her right hand. "Wait, what do you mean she was 'different'?" Gage asked her this, and she pointed at one of her eyes.

She blinked a couple of times, and just closed them as she tried her best to remember. "Her eyes… they were pink and brown or… white? I don't know, they just kept changing… and her face, it was all wrong!" And that was when Riley stepped forwards whilst nodding in agreement,

"I saw it too. Different jawline." She added.

Multi-colored eyes that changed their shade with the most prominent being pink, and a physique that's similar to a young girl, but isn't exactly that. It didn't take long for these to add up, and something clicked in Gage's mind as he put a hand down a few inches above his waist, with his shining red eyes now as wide as they could be.

"...The girl, was she about this tall?" This question made everyone there answer within the tenth of a second,

" _Yes!_ " They all concluded.

The ghost almost physically recoiled from how fast all the clues began to point towards Neapolitan, and when they did his rage built up from the realization that both Yang and Ruby could have been killed by her if it wasn't for Ileana's intervention.

"*exhale* ...Oh man-" He took a step back and placed his hands on the sides of his head while he shook it in disbelief. "-That little... fucking, monster!-" Yet, before he could yell or even reveal the connection to who this person was with, Alizarin placed his hand on the ghost's shoulder tightly.

It snapped Gage out of his tangent only momentarily, but just long enough for the old sheriff to give him a proper word of advice. "Kid, listen. Before you say anything else, I just need you to take another look around you." He warned him.

Murmurs, and a few trembling voices broke through to Gage from the army of Kejians, both the armed members and also the ones that were unable to fight. Al's words came into play soon after, and the ghost soon looked around at basically the only people who supported him now.

These men and women appeared to be physically and mentally unprepared for any combat that was to come. Sure, they were able to fight a battle against their own Village in the name of freedom… but not a whole city. What was their reason to do so anyway? Their right to live in peace?

That was when Alizarin whispered to him, and put a hand over the wrist of Gage's prosthetic arm, "These people… aren't all as mentally strong as we are." This was because he was also holding Javix in his left metal hand, and it was in it's revolver form with it's hammer pulled back.

"So we need to try and help them make sense of things. Tell them how we're gonna get out of this, and how we're gonna pull it off. We can't just let their minds scatter-"

Gage relaxed his body as he watched one of the girls in the mob, the one with the machete that had been talking about Neo just a moment ago. She was holding the blade and let it shake with her own hand out of fear… and then things got worse.

Another thunderous choir of loud pops came, because at this very moment, all of the other Atlesian ships that we're not above Vale had launched the remainder of their pods down onto the city. This wave of them fell towards Remnant like a storm of hail, and for a brief moment, they even blocked out the view of the sun setting.

Gasps and some cries of anguish rang out from most the Kejians, except for Alizarin, Riley, and Ileana. They all simply watched for a moment before they turned their full attention towards the ghost… right as his eyes switched from their red color to their original turquoise shade, but just for what looked like a single second.

Right then, it felt like all clouds of judgement and fear that were present became washed away from his subconscious, with his old self momentarily reuniting with this version's body in order to make his next move precise and clear.

His eyes suddenly released a few tears from their ducts without his own control, and everything Alizarin had been saying came to fruition deep inside of him. And with that, Gage didn't even allow him to finish before he started to walk off.

"...Just try get their attention back onto me, 'McCree'. I think I know how I can start fixing this." He stated this without even batting an eyebrow, and headed towards a nearby big rig truck that was blocking the road behind their little camp. "Ileana, Riley, come with me. Your presence should help."

The two girls became partially shocked by his quick diffusion of his own rage. They wouldn't be, if they knew someone else was trying to keep him in check, hence why his white aura began to resurface. That control lasted for only a few moments however, and Gage quickly started to pilot himself again. Metaphorically of course…

By the time this happened, he had climbed onto the cabin of the truck and gone on to climb once more up on top of the vehicle's large trailer. He chose this spot because this was the perfect elevated platform he could find at the time, and it was a place that he could look out and view everyone that was standing below him.

Alizarin remained down there in front of the vehicle, but was able to rally the rest of the outsiders around the truck right as Ileana and Riley stood on the roof of the trailer, with the heavy standing to the ghost's left and the arachnid remaining at his right side.

Gage could see them all now. Those who were young and old, male or female, and armed or unarmed. They all gave him their undivided attention and he was glad for it, he just hoped he wouldn't disappoint them once this exodus of his was finished.

Al then called out to them, and pointed towards Gage with a thumb that was pointed behind himself. "Everyone, gather around! Our ghost has something to say to each and everyone of you that'll give him the time of day!" The crowd soon grew silent not that long after hearing this, and when they did, Gage took one step forward.

On the inside, he was scared to death of the facade he had to try and put on for these people. It was the complete opposite of who he was in his mind, someone who was strong, swift, and brave. A leader... maybe even a hero to anyone who saw him.

...A Hero?

Whether he liked that title or mantle of responsibility, the ghost knew that just like them, his back was against the wall and the only way he could move forward was in numbers. He had that now, but those people needed a person worthy enough to run alongside towards whatever lied ahead.

"Don't wuss out now." He heard his own voice inside of his head, and it mocked him with amusement. The Kejians, _they_ needed a hero… and when Gage figured that he was the closest thing they had to one at the time, his right hand began to shake with fear as he tried to hide it from the others.

"For the first time ever, people you barely even know are counting on you to protect them…" It quickly echoed, and intensified.

His own voice, it was trying to project that same spark of hope that they all sought after, Gage himself included. There wasn't anyone else to watch after him, fix things when everything else goes to shit, or even to pick up after himself. Gage Sim, he needed a hero too.

But, the world was starting to make it's message clear to him. That if you want to get through the toughest fights and challenges… sometimes you have to be your own savior. That way, you'll know that you have that power amongst many other things. Our ghost has it, I have it, and you have that power too. We all do. Gage recognized it, it soon made his blood boil with how hard convincing himself to embrace it came to be. "...You can't stop."

"Don't... back down." He balled his metal hand into a fist, and raised his head as he stood up straight. His turquoise eyes then overcame their blood red shade one last time, and their bright gaze gave him all of that inner might he had been searching for inside of himself.

Before he knew it, it started to build up like a fire deep that within his heart… little did he know though, this was _physically_ happening. Back during the night he learned Blake's secret, Gage had this same burn branch out through his body right before he achieved his Possessed form with Summer. (There's the official name in case anyone wanted to know.)

Just like it did back then, a white glowing light emanated from the place his heart would be. Of course this would've given him the confidence he needed to continue on past this day, but only if he noticed it then. It didn't matter however, because for Gage, he would've thought that it was better to find a drive like that along the way. So once that light from his heart faded, the ghost finally began his address to the people that stood before him...

"Look, i know you're scared. We all are, even me… But this place-" He then glanced back towards the main part of the city and pointed towards it with his metal hand. "-Even if you've never seen it before, is our home. This is our capital and it's in danger, not because of you... but because of me, and the ones that want us to be framed for all of this."

"I know them and they're nothing compared to the skinwalkers! I've fought them before and won, twice. It wasn't the whole war, just a few battles, and _THIS,_ is going to be another one! So, there's no avoiding it now. We have our backs against the wall with the Grimm trying to scratch at us from the other side, and the only way out of here is to move ahead through that fight… and towards the sea."

"With that, I'm making it my duty to get you there, I owe you all that much for what's happened today. Because I may not know Orin as much as the rest of you, but when I met him. He told me… a very blatant lie, and it was about all of you."

"He said that the people out there, you, and anyone else I came across would find me, try to use me, and kill me… but it didn't happen. Except now that's exactly what's happening to us inside of the walls, so we know that It's not just us that people have to worry about, and that's what we have to show the rest of Remnant! That you're all just innocent people, and victims because of the title I gave myself!"

"I'm the Ghost of Remnant, and you're the Cydonians! You're all suppose to be untouchable, so I'm going to make sure that remains the truth by getting you there! But I can't do it without conflict, and if I'm able to cause one and end it myself, then I'm sure I'll be able to clear your names."

Suddenly, a ripple formed in the middle of the crowd, and a single person came out shouting his own doubts, "Who are you one to tell us what to do? You're just a dumb kid, there's no way you can fix this!" It was an old man that was armed with a shotgun, and he was one of Keji's main farmers back in the day before Orin came.

This man was trying to disband whatever would come from their unification, but luckily others that were there knew the risk Gage was taking. The person who spoke against the man was the machete girl from earlier. Her name was Alice, "If he is then there's no way this is all on him! Either way, he's putting himself first instead of us! Isn't that enough to show that he cares?!"

"That's if what he's saying is true! And if it is, then the Atlesians and the White Fang are gonna kill you! Kill us all!" The old man retorted, and manage to seriously dent the ghost's fabricated charisma just then.

"Kareem, shut the fuck up!" Another villager cried out, who turned out to be the boy Yang and Ruby both met earlier in the day, the one named Jared. "No matter what happened today, we still owe him for saving us from that psychopath. Because I'm sure we'd all rather be here now than back there with Orin and the skinwalkers!" Gage would thank him later, for more than one reason.

Now though, he had to state the obvious for anyone else that would see him as their leader, or their Savior in the future. "No, you owe Alizarin. He's the one who brought me back, and gave you all the courage and spirit to fight. Without it, we'd all probably be dead, right?" He was sure he'd be able to get back to rallying them if they were all able to agree on something together.

" _Right…"_ Everyone said in unison. That statement couldn't be argued against, and they all knew. Thus, the old man faded into the crowd as the rest became quiet for their ghost once again,

"Exactly, but we're not dead yet either, and I'm sure we all still have that spirit. So let's use everything we have left of that spark of hope. With it, we'll form a path to Cydonia, show the world that we're rightfully apart of it, and push through anyone that stands in our way!"

A few people exclaimed during the middle of this, and it made Gage smile even more as he turned his attention back towards the crowd as he held his metal arm up triumphantly with a fist made, "We don't have to kill, we just have to fight with everything we've got and then some to get past it all!" More of them joined in after that.

Before he knew it, almost the whole group of Cydonians had their own fists in the air with a mix of guns and melee weapons being held up as well. "Everything that's gone and Is pushing you forward… your friends, your brothers, sisters, wives-"And what he said next, finally poked the fires within Alizarin and Riley. "-husbands, sons and daughters, anything-you remember them to get past today! To see what they didn't or still want to!"

His voice was slowly becoming louder, and for everyone else it became something close to an anthem. Something to listen to and embrace even during such a dire time as this, and his three other friends became engulfed in this as well.

Ileana raised her own fist as well, and Riley simply crossed her arms with a smile as Alizarin turned and looked up at the ghost with one of his pistol's being raised into the air admirably. They all pretty much joined the rest of their people in showing him their drive and will to survive.

"-Because you're the ones who remain, and here we stand, together! You're not going to go down in history as deserters like me! This world, this kingdom, is yours by _RIGHT!_ So even if death's knocking at our front and back door-WE'll STILL BE THE ONES WHO LIVE!"

" _YEAH!_ "

He pointed at the Cydonians screamed this at the top of his lungs, which resulted in a thunderous roar of appraisal to come from each and everyone of them. Even those who couldn't fight. People howled and continued to pump their weapons up and down as they held them in one hand, which made Gage finally drop the facade and relish in what he was able to do.

The ghost panted a bit as a smile formed on his face, and that was when Alizarin banged on the truck's trailer. "You've got your followers kid, so what's our first plan of action?" A few claps came through, and thankfully he already had this thought out.

However, he still made his voice clear to everyone else there. "Make a defensive perimeter around the camp we have here. We'll be staying here tonight." That was when he unholstered Javix and looked towards any of the Cydonian fighters who had their weapons raised, "Now I need a team of ten people that can move fast and low to come with me to scout out the streets. Everyone else stay here and guard those who can't or don't want to fight."

Alizarin nodded, and put his hand up to indicate his position to the rest of his people. "You heard him! So anyone who wants to volunteer, lineup with me over here!" Most of those who were armed made a b-line over to the old sheriff almost immediately, and the rest began to head back over towards their camp.

Gage could see that the mood had changed drastically, and it was all thanks to him. He was honestly surprised that he could have pulled a speech like that off, since he was mostly trying to imitate stuff he'd seen on TV a long time ago. Either way, both Riley and Ileana laughed once they noticed how drained of energy he was.

He didn't say anything at first, instead the ghost simply turned around and gazed off towards the City of Vale while most of the Atlesian drop pods were beginning to crash down near Beacon Academy and the main airstation. That, was when the two girls finally moved next to him to share the view.

"What's the plan scruffy?" Ileana asked him.

"We're going to scout the streets and find the safest route to the coast." He then looked towards the left side of town where you could see the sun setting over the waters that surrounded the city. "Then we'll just get everyone onto the trucks and move towards the beach-" He was then cut off by Riley, who squinted at him anxiously.

"But we'll still need a boat." The heavy said this blankly, and tried her best to elaborate further. "The ferries to Patch are probably going to be overcrowded, and the Atlesians will come for sure if the someone reports that a large group of armed people are trying to steal their boat." She was trying to lower her voice so no one else would hear.

Gage pondered for second about the possibilities of getting onto a ferry. If they were going to do it as quickly as possible, then they would have to do it today. That was out of the question however, as the docks would most likely be filled with people trying to leave the city. Anyone could recognize their fighters too, so that would be another risk to take.

These things could be said about airships too, so he deduced that their escape would couldn't be done in the eyes of the public at all. But… that's when another option crossed his mind. At first, he knew that it would be something that would result in Yang finding him, but he was okay with that by now. He just wanted to get these people to safety, and to know that she was alive.

"...I think we'll be alright." So with that now being his two most highlighted goals, Gage sighed and started to fish something out of his pocket as the two girls watched him with confusion. "What, do you like secretly own a boat or something?" Riley asked this angrily, and she wasn't even trying to sound sarcastic either.

Ileana then patted her friend's arm, and watched the heavy fidget. "Riley, it's okay. He's totally got this! Right Gage?" Ileana would've tried to guess what he had in mind too, but in the end, she trusted Gage completely. It didn't matter how screwy his plan would be, (that's if it doesn't sound great) she would still follow him either way.

...He came back for them after all, so she knew that their ghost wouldn't put them in danger intentionally. "Hehe, yeah… I just hope _he_ doesn't end up going off on me for too long." Gage chuckled, as he took out what he was looking for. Riley and Ileana now stared at him intensely, as they didn't know who he was talking about.

They wouldn't find out for a while, but Gage had no one else to go to for help right now... so he just held up his black Collector's scroll to the two girls, and showed them a contact he had titled, 'Old Man.'

"...I know a guy."

…

…

…

As Gage rallied The Cydonians, and the sight of a burning Vale in bright daylight fueled the fire of Beacon's students, another group came out of the shadows The White Fang had left behind amidst the soot and smoke. They were Adam's hand-picked strike team that were chosen to aid Neapolitan in her assault with the initiates.

Speaking of her, she was standing on the roof of an apartment with her new team as they all looked over the city, almost set in between Yang and Gage's converging paths. She stood in the middle, as the others were next to her on both sides.

To her left was a young man with short silver scraggly hair, grayish almost silver-like eyes, and dragon wings. He wore a black jacket with the old White Fang logo on the back along with blue Jeans and black sneakers. The symbol seemed to have somehow been etched into the head of a dragon though, and he also wore a mask similar to Adam's old one that covered his eyes only, except it seemed more… crystallized.

This man was named Draco Moto, and the notorious Lieutenant was to his right and held his chainsaw loosely by it's handle. Now to the left of Neo was another man that hadn't been seen before eifhett, and his name was Fenrir Argyros.

He had blue eyes and silver hair as well, along with some silver colored wolf faunus ears on top of his head. He wore a black leather jacket that had his own symbol on the back with a red shirt under that, and finally some white camouflage jeans. He also had a white amulet hanging from his neck.

Next to him was the previously mentioned White Fang sniper that was most only called Ethan. He chose to instead take in some of the action before leaving for Atlas, and he did this in secret since Adam most likely wouldn't have authorized him to take part in this battle against the rest of Vale.

Thus, the five of them continued to stare on ahead while two of them did it with disgust lurking deep within them, and it didn't show until Neo turned and whispered something to Draco before she started to walk away to a nearby fire escape that would bring her back to the ground.

The dragon faunus stood there looking a bit frozen as Ethan smirked and tilted his head anxiously, "So, what are our orders, 'Salamander'?" He asked Draco, who instinctively put a hand on top of his sheathed chisa katana named Yato.

Using that nickname in that tone made him feel beyond irritated, but expressing that would only be giving in to the sniper's temptation, so Draco just cleared his throat instead. "We're taking Eve's Square, and it makes sense. It's the only place we can overlook their transports." He then revealed,

"That's where you come in, 'rifleman'. The rest of us are just defending the area while our initiates stir up as much trouble as they can. Is that clear?"

"...Crystal." Ethan replied. Draco took off his mask after that and hid it inside of his jacket, in order to appear like any normal citizen. He was also sure that people would see the symbol on his jacket as his own, and not the White Fang's. "Good. We'll be heading out at dusk, so be ready by then."

And with that being said, Neo, Ethan, and the lieutenant headed down the fire escape so they could go inside the building and wait until night came. That left just Draco and Fenrir on the roof… and the canine faunus let out a shaky exhale as he walked over to the dragon, began to whisper, and pointed out towards the city.

"Okay, I know that we're rightfully getting back at The Ghost of Remnant by being out here, but _THIS_? This doesn't make it any righter! I mean… Draco, we're killing these people for just one guy!"

This 'Salamander' bowed his head and nodded as he gripped his sword with anger being felt all across his body. Resentment was also felt towards Adam Taurus for authorizing an atrocity, as well as the Ghost for angering the bull so much with his actions against the White Fang.

"...We just have to get through whatever this throws at us." He stated this in a way that could have been directed towards both himself and Fenrir, who covered his face with his palm to hide his shame. "Adam, everything he's done has been calculated and worked out in our favor-" Draco was about to continue on, before the wolf quickly interrupted him.

"The last thing Taurus _did_ , ended with him having his throat ripped out by the ghost himself. He didn't even kill him like he was planning to!" Fenrir made a good point, and Draco began to regret taking part in this incursion already. "He's doing all of this off of blind rage and a personal grudge! So why do we have to get caught up in this?!"

"Because we owe Adam!" Draco yelled in a hushed tone, with his teeth being clenched tightly. "He gave us a home. Me, you, Ilia,Blake, and your brother. Fighting our enemies isn't the way that I wanted to repay him, but it's all that I've got." This just made Fenrir growl, and question his logic.

"...We shouldn't repay him at all." They both then turned and stared dead into each other's eyes as if one was about to draw their sword and strike. Fenrir also had a greatsword on his back that was larger, and it was named Blazeburner. "He turned my brother Caius into a killer, and Blake isn't here anymore… You know why?

"...It's because she saw what was happening to him, and she warned us. Yet, we didn't listen because we still saw him as something god-like!" That was when he unsheathed his sword and instead pointed that out towards Vale while his fangs were very close to becoming bared, "Seeing this though… It made me realize that we should have left when we had the chance."

"...That's treasonous." Draco warned him, before the lowered his hand from his own sword's hilt and untightened his jaw as some frustration left his mind for some strange reason. "But it's what I've been thinking too. I just didn't want to let these thoughts consume me like it did you."

"Then why don't we stop right here and now before we can't do it ourselves? While we're us?" Fenrir asked him as he lowered his sword and sheathed it. "It's not like there's anything to gain from stopping the ghost either. He's just another Huntsman."

That also would've been treasonous to say, but the dragon faunus thought the same thing too. This was all just a waste of resources that could've been used somewhere else, not to mention it would comprise their master plan… but even Draco didn't know about that just yet.

"You could be right Fenrir, but we won't know until after this plan of his is carried out. And if it's thwarted, or turns out to be too costly, then together we'll look for something else."

"And what'll that be?"

"...A way out."

…

 **Author's Note #2:** Okay **,** I'd just like to thank my friends Keeper of The One Winged Angel and SuperSaiyanYang here on the site for letting me put their ocs Fenrir Argyros and Draco Moto into Desertion! They both have their own stories that I'm sure I've given a shout out to before, with Fenrir's being At The Edge of Darkness by TheBoredBoot, and Draco's being RWBY: Two Betrayals by SuperSaiyanYang.

It's more so just a collaboration between friends rather than stories, so I thank them for that. And yeah, I know, a lot of OCs for one chapter right? XD. Alright, so I just wanted to say that I'm now going to begin the second and final chapter for Buscu Testver after this chapter goes up, so it may be awhile before the next update.

I will also say though, that the next chapter will be short, and RWBY and BOLE-centric. It could change though, so just be on the lookout for that. Until then though, make sure to leave a review, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


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